Is Princess having a Brand/Identity crisis - your thoughts?

[Globaler]

10 minutes ago, dweidensaul said:

It seems to me that their attempt to reach a "younger" demographic is a necessity for survival.  Gen-X is their immediate future....not their future future.  Princess can't live on the same things that appeal(ed) to Boomer / Silent Generations if they want to persist for the long term.  I commend them for trying to toe the line of honoring their historically loyal customers while trying to expand their market for their future loyal customers.  It's tough to do and remain completely true to existing brand values.  Princess is trying to evolve without watering down (too much) their service offering.    

Great comments - question is are the changes hitting the mark. Only time will tell. I think Sun Princess reviews are fascinating and I use them as a weighing machine as to whether they are hitting the mark and how fast changes are being made. As I mentioned on my review, 2 issues I brought up to mgt were resolved within a few days while I was on the ship. Princess corporate and onboard officers are paying attention and working overtime trying to be successful. 

[TRLD]

3 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

Well,  we are going into language and semantics discussions, and other things that really do not apply to the changes at Princess.  Okay....

Yes, they are making changes.  That does not concern me at all.

It is HOW they are doing this, and the specific changes that they have been making recently. (cabin design, while a much needed change, is the least of these issues....)

The changes that they are making are taking away basic things that we have enjoyed about Princess.

Adult Retreat Pool.... now gone... enclosed with cabins and no real deck area, at all.

The Sanctuary area... any open access adult area...   now gone.  Being replaced with an exclusive, way over-priced 'CLASS'.

The Piazza, as an inviting place for cruise guest to hang out and enjoy cruising and bars and food...  now gone.   Replaced by an open 'big convention hall' concept with screens and loudspeakers that seem to be intrusive at any time of day or evening.

I could go on and on.

 

Change, I have no problem with.  One can partake of new offerings or not.

But, when you go after the core aspects that have made your line successful and that guests have confirmed time and time and time again that these are things that they enjoy..  ???

 

They claim they are changing to embrace multigenerational family cruising.

Well, that would include grandparents/adults - but NO open adult area?  

How about kids -  years after it's announcement...  Park 19 is closed and is not showing on some deck plans.

(Just personally, I think a small splash-pad a couple slides and ropes is a very very poor attempt at this.  Don't have to have flow-riders and the whole gamut.  but this is a very poor attempt.  If this is what Princess wants to go for,  then go for it, commit to it.)

 

I agree that it seems that, as a corporation, they are changing.. no doubt about that.  But what concerns me more is how this is being handled, the decisions being made, and then changed again...  and again.  Something is off, all the way to the very top.

Think of it more like following some of path plotted by their competition 10+ years ago. Packages and different classes of passengers based upon cabin selection. Princess was a hold out, but is now following the rest. 

[TRLD]

19 minutes ago, dweidensaul said:

It seems to me that their attempt to reach a "younger" demographic is a necessity for survival.  Gen-X is their immediate future....not their future future.  Princess can't live on the same things that appeal(ed) to Boomer / Silent Generations if they want to persist for the long term.  I commend them for trying to toe the line of honoring their historically loyal customers while trying to expand their market for their future loyal customers.  It's tough to do and remain completely true to existing brand values.  Princess is trying to evolve without watering down (too much) their service offering.    

Problem is that they starteddoen some of the changes to follow some of the other lines in a class based structure then started to back track. They are now is change limbo  It's like they designed the ship without thinking through the operational requirements of the changes.

[voljeep]

deleted - didn't even make sense to me ...🍻

[PescadoAmarillo]

11 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

You're on to something there.  I think Baby Boomers are brand loyal because they didn't have all the media growing up and don't really know how to use media at their age.  They had the news and product commercials/advertisements.  They're not used to taking to the Internet to find out about new brands.

I read this to my husband.  Thank you for our laugh of the day. I’m a baby boomer (on the youngest end) and I can assure you that all of my baby boomer friends are VERY internet savvy and use it for all our product and service research. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook (duh), YouTube…we’ve got them all covered. I will say that we are more resistant to influencers than younger cruisers (a glamorous selfie from the Lido Deck doesn’t motivate me to book another Princess cruise), but being brand loyal has nothing to do with inability to do internet research.

[arizonaperson]

Of course this is all my opinion.

I don’t think Princess is having a brand identity crisis, but with that being said a lot of variables go into play. No business new or established is shielded from brand identity crisis. New marketing methods and new competition is good for businesses, but left unaddressed, it could spell problems. I think businesses like Princess need to have a key demographic because problems can arise from not understanding who your key demographic is. Perhaps Princess  does understand what their demographics is? They’re trying to get new cruisers that have never cruised Princess before, younger passengers, family groups traveling together -like grandparents, parents and kids. So I think they are trying to market to many different demographics.  
I think branding goes beyond targeting new customers, it can also be a great way to re-organize and appeal to a long time cruiser on Princess or another cruise line. Of course elite members have noticed that a lot of perks are gone/changed , but technology has been out there ( keeping up with the new) on Princess , even though quite a few are having difficulty with the new app on Princess. Different choices in dining, example specialty dining, which Princess implemented quite awhile ago.

Branding goes beyond targeting new customers. Princess is trying to encourage repeat business and new passengers, which seems to be a little bit bit of both at this time. To make your brand and your customers feel valued and giving them good Customer experiences is definitely a difficult one to attain. But also Branding goes along way with social media , new apps and technology, offering different dining arrangements, offering different theater and lounge experiences and to try to appeal to many generations. All this can be difficult and long process.

I just think if one cruise line isn’t fitting your needs there’s another one out there to try.  Many longtime Princess customers have gone to Virgin voyages because it’s 18 years+ to cruise with them and an adult atmosphere and they’ve also gone to Celebrity ,but some are experiencing difficulty on X with the food and come back to Princess. I think quite a few long time NCL customers are trying Princess for the first time recently. just talked to another couple last night that I met at dinner and they are a long time Royal Caribbean passengers, but they probably fit the generation X demographics. i think there’s quite a few passengers doesn’t matter what generation they come from necessarily they just want to try cruise lines for the experience, the itinerary, what fits their budget ,and are not brand loyal. I know for my example because I am elite with Princess and I don’t have enough status on another cruise line to make a difference I am definitely thinking about trying another cruise line ,but keep coming back to Princess,because I’m familiar with the product. 

Also, I’m not sure us as cruise passengers are really privy to a brand identity crisis as far as Princess goes. I don’t think that we really know what the principles and values are that were initially outlined. We can as passengers definitely look at what mistakes and elements might’ve created the problem if there is one.  I think all the generations that are cruising that have discretionary income have so many different scenarios why they cruise on one line or the other. So many experiences to be had by young and old. Not all people that cruise have discretionary income .they may save for years and years to afford to cruise and they may not get very much vacation to take a cruise. Yes, I know cruise ships are full  & prices have gone up ,but people that cruise over and over May not be aware that there are quite a few people that are barely making ends meet and they have virtually no vacation time. Of course there’s just the opposite as well. 
Passengers 50+ are using technology in their every day life. I had to teach myself, I didn’t grow up with all this tech,but I definitely use it daily,pretty much need to. I love learning new things.

Edited July 16 by arizonaperson

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I will say that we are more resistant to influencers than younger cruisers

Perfect - I love to read about vendors/restaurants/etc who have put "influencers" in their place.

 

Seriously - if you are over  ___ age , you better be thinking for yourself

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

Of course this is all my opinion.

I don’t think Princess is having a brand identity crisis, but with that being said a lot of variables go into play. No business new or established is shielded from brand identity crisis. New marketing methods and new competition is good for businesses, but left unaddressed, it could spell problems.

 

I think businesses like Princess need to have a key demographic because problems can arise from not understanding who your key demographic is. Perhaps Princess  does understand what their demographics is? They’re trying to get new cruisers that have never cruised Princess before, younger passengers, family groups traveling together -like grandparents, parents and kids. So I think they are trying to market to many different demographics.  

 

I think branding goes beyond targeting new customers, it can also be a great way to re-organize and appeal to a long time cruiser on Princess or another cruise line. Of course elite members have noticed that a lot of perks are gone/changed , but technology has been out there ( keeping up with the new) on Princess , even though quite a few are having difficulty with the new app on Princess. Different choices in dining, example specialty dining, which Princess implemented quite awhile ago.

 

Branding goes beyond targeting new customers. Princess is trying to encourage repeat business and new passengers, which seems to be a little bit bit of both at this time. To make your brand and your customers feel valued and giving them good Customer experiences is definitely a difficult one to attain. But also Branding goes along way with social media , new apps and technology, offering different dining arrangements, offering different theater and lounge experiences and to try to appeal to many generations. All this can be difficult and long process.

 

I just think if one cruise line isn’t fitting your needs there’s another one out there to try.  Many longtime Princess customers have gone to Virgin voyages because it’s 18 years+ to cruise with them and an adult atmosphere and they’ve also gone to Celebrity ,but some are experiencing difficulty on X with the food and come back to Princess.

 

I think quite a few long time NCL customers are trying Princess for the first time recently. just talked to another couple last night that I met at dinner and they are a long time Royal Caribbean passengers, but they probably fit the generation X demographics. i think there’s quite a few passengers doesn’t matter what generation they come from necessarily they just want to try cruise lines for the experience, the itinerary, what fits their budget ,and are not brand loyal.

 

I know for my example because I am elite with Princess and I don’t have enough status on another cruise line to make a difference I am definitely thinking about trying another cruise line ,but keep coming back to Princess,because I’m familiar with the product. 

 

Also, I’m not sure us as cruise passengers are really privy to a brand identity crisis as far as Princess goes. I don’t think that we really know what the principles and values are that were initially outlined. We can as passengers definitely look at what mistakes and elements might’ve created the problem if there is one.

 

 I think all the generations that are cruising that have discretionary income have so many different scenarios why they cruise on one line or the other. So many experiences to be had by young and old. 

 

[voljeep]

sorry - I forgot how I was going to respond .. but nice posting

Edited July 16 by voljeep

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Other lines have managed to change their cabin layouts during refurbishments. It's something I would love to see from Princess, but doubt we will anytime soon. At least they have improved their layouts in the Sphere class ships.

I doubt ever. Princess is still a mass market cruise line and know they can't please everyone. No matter what they do, some will complain. We live in those times. Compromise is the path forward.

[Aggie83]

17 hours ago, ChutChut said:

I still want to know details about the shirtless men. Were they tan? Had good physiques? Tall? Do you have any pics? I think we should investigate this further....

If good physiques, doubtful they were seen at the pool.

Edited July 16 by Aggie83

[Aggie83]

17 hours ago, TRLD said:

Now on some lines the cabins look like they were furnished by IKEA.

That's what Disney did to the Deluxe hotels at Disney World. This is a look that will not age well.

[Wishing on a star]

Back to the shirtless men...  Hahahaha!!!

 

" I know for my example because I am elite with Princess and I don’t have enough status on another cruise line to make a difference I am definitely thinking about trying another cruise line ,but keep coming back to Princess, because I’m familiar with the product. "

I think you really nailed something here.   We first cruised Princess because of DH parents...  Not only were we then 'familiar'...  but, even at a younger age. (demographics are not always so meaningful !)  We were happy with the product.   We don't need booze parties, onboard theme parks, etc.   And, of course, more upscale cruising was beyond our pay-grade.

 

It is just that, while Princess is trying to figure out their 'identity',  they are moving away from what  we, and other cruisers LIKED about Princess.  Anyone could have chosen Carnival or NCL.  There have always been choices.  Like the one poster who has cruised with her kid had mentioned, she knows other families who would not choose to board Carnival.

 

They want to move towards Haven and Retreat, ship within a ship....  they want to add a family/kids area.   I get that.  I am not being a complainer or 'one of those old-folks who just do not like change'.    And, I will make that clear.

The issue, for me, is not the additional changes...  But that they are losing the things that most all Princess cruisers  (not all of which have one foot in the grave) have enjoyed for years.

 

Yes, it is like walking a tight-rope.  And space on a cruise ship is limited.

However, these other mass-market lines have succeeded in having all of these areas and options onboard.  Princess, in my opinion, is failing at this...

Edited July 16 by Wishing on a star

[Globaler]

4 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Back to the shirtless men...  Hahahaha!!!

 

" I know for my example because I am elite with Princess and I don’t have enough status on another cruise line to make a difference I am definitely thinking about trying another cruise line ,but keep coming back to Princess, because I’m familiar with the product. "

I think you really nailed something here.   We first cruised Princess because of DH parents...  Not only were we then 'familiar'...  but, even at a younger age. (demographics are not always so meaningful !)  We were happy with the product.   We don't need booze parties, onboard theme parks, etc.   And, of course, more upscale cruising was beyond our pay-grade.

 

It is just that, while Princess is trying to figure out their 'identity',  they are moving away from what  we, and other cruisers LIKED about Princess.  Anyone could have chosen Carnival or NCL.  There have always been choices.  Like the one poster who has cruised with her kid had mentioned, she knows other families who would not choose to board Carnival.

 

They want to move towards Haven and Retreat, ship within a ship....  they want to add a family/kids area.   I get that.  I am not being a complainer or 'one of those old-folks who just do not like change'.    And, I will make that clear.

The issue, for me, is not the additional changes...  But that they are losing the things that most all Princess cruisers  (not all of which have one foot in the grave) have enjoyed for years.

 

Yes, it is like walking a tight-rope.  And space on a cruise ship is limited.

However, these other mass-market lines have succeeded in having all of these areas and options onboard.  Princess, in my opinion, is failing at this...

OMG my thoughts exactly. It’s why I asked the question in the first place. Thank you again for your reply’s.

[Retired-N-Happy]

12 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

You're on to something there.  I think Baby Boomers are brand loyal because they didn't have all the media growing up and don't really know how to use media at their age.  They had the news and product commercials/advertisements.  They're not used to taking to the Internet to find out about new brands.

 

I'm a Millennial that has been exposed to social media, but not like Gen Z.  I'm more open to learning about and trying new brands.  When I see something new that piques my interest, I take out my phone, open a browser, and read reviews.  If it has good reviews, I'm more willing to try it.  For travel, instead of a brochure, I'll open YouTube or TikTok and watch videos that people made in real time--the concept of influencers.  In addition read reviews left by others.  My generation was brought up with this with the introduction of the Internet.  The Baby Boomers weren't exposed to this growing up and Gen X has only recently been exposed to the trend. 

 

The Internet in general has opened up a new world.  Everything is social media now a days, and if you're not part of it or have a poor understanding of how it works, like many Baby Boomers, you're missing out.  Having said that the Internet has also had a lot of negative impacts on society in regards to the spread of misinformation.

 

I'm brand loyal to few brands.  Coca-Cola is one of them.  Not a Pepsi person at all.  Once in a while I'll have a hankering for a Dr. Pepper.  Fighting words, I know.

You know what happens when you assume.  Baby boomer here.  Early retirement because of Covid.  Have 60+ cruises under my belt.  The most are on Carnival, but have sailed on Princess, Celebrity, RCI, NCL and MSC. 

 

Certainly not brand loyal, but there are brand loyalists on each of the lines I've sailed on.  I know this firsthand via our cruises and more importantly via the specific boards on CC.  RCI has their Loyal Royals and the Diamond level achievement of getting four drinks each day is the best aspect of any of the mainstream lines.

 

Currently have 13 future cruises booked thru early 2026.  10 on Princess, 2 on NCL and 1 on RCI.  

[Retired-N-Happy]

13 minutes ago, Globaler said:

OMG my thoughts exactly. It’s why I asked the question in the first place. Thank you again for your reply’s.

The old school Princess cruiser has an entire fleet of ships that they have been happy sailing in the past that they can continue to sail on if they don't like the Royal Class and of course the Sphere Class.  Noone is twisting their arm to sail on one of the new Sphere Class ships. 

 

Princess did drop the ball with many aspects of expanding with a much larger ship with many different options comparing the Sun with the rest of the fleet. If they drop the ball again with the introduction of the Star, then they have nobody to blame but themselves.  Hopefully they have learned from their mistakes and they won't be repeated with the Star.

[Globaler]

1 minute ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

The old school Princess cruiser has an entire fleet of ships that they have been happy sailing in the past that they can continue to sail on if they don't like the Royal Class and of course the Sphere Class.  Noone is twisting their arm to sail on one of the new Sphere Class ships. 

 

Princess did drop the ball with many aspects of expanding with a much larger ship with many different options comparing the Sun with the rest of the fleet. If they drop the ball again with the introduction of the Star, then they have nobody to blame but themselves.  Hopefully they have learned from their mistakes and they won't be repeated with the Star.

It’s my hope that they will work to fix some of the issues on the Sun and quick. I also didn’t like the fact that the closet doors, bathroom door and shower door are a choke point and create a real issue especially when multiple people are trying to move around. Don’t get me wrong I love that the bathroom has a shower door. However; they could for instance put slider doors on the closet area that move back in forth in front and behind each other. Funny how Princess solved one issue and created another. I feel sure these things will be solved, only question is how and how quick can the changes be made. Princess is introducing a new class of ships to us and this is not a good look for the loyal cruiser or for new potential cruisers.

[voljeep]

15 minutes ago, Globaler said:

It’s my hope that they will work to fix some of the issues on the Sun and quick. I also didn’t like the fact that the closet doors, bathroom door and shower door are a choke point and create a real issue especially when multiple people are trying to move around. Don’t get me wrong I love that the bathroom has a shower door. However; they could for instance put slider doors on the closet area that move back in forth in front and behind each other. Funny how Princess solved one issue and created another. I feel sure these things will be solved, only question is how and how quick can the changes be made. Princess is introducing a new class of ships to us and this is not a good look for the loyal cruiser or for new potential cruisers.

for the limited time we are going to be on a cruise - pretty sure we can deal with any kind of closet issue, nightlights, storage, etc....

 

I am amazed at

[Globaler]

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

for the limited time we are going to be on a cruise - pretty sure we can deal with any kind of closet issue, nightlights, storage, etc....

 

I am amazed at

We dealt with it - it was just a pain and there is a pretty easy solution. It wouldn’t stop me from sailing Princess, it is just one of the many little things that add up.

[gman814]

On 7/15/2024 at 11:16 AM, JF - retired RRT said:

We are Elite, so miss the benefits that were removed/scaled down. Our last 2 cruises, the food was very disappointing, our stewards were terrible (even the one when we were in a suite) and the ships have gotten too big.

So agree.We are also Elite.Going on the Sun 8/31 but think that will be my last Princess cruise.

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, Globaler said:

We dealt with it - it was just a pain and there is a pretty easy solution. It wouldn’t stop me from sailing Princess, it is just one of the many little things that add up.

what would be the ROI ?

[Globaler]

13 minutes ago, voljeep said:

what would be the ROI ?

It would be one less pain point removed. Ultimate customer experience is achieved by eliminating pain points. The ROI is it’s not that expensive to fix. Now creating a better environment walking to different places on the ship - eliminating the walk past cabins and avoiding the cleaning carts is not possible and therefore ROI would come into play.

[mtnesterz]

1 hour ago, Globaler said:

OMG my thoughts exactly. It’s why I asked the question in the first place. Thank you again for your reply’s.

The expression, the devil you know, explains us sticking with Princess.

We just used our last pair of (Princess) FCDs to book a final cruise in '25. We also have Elite benefits.

The cruise booked after that is with a small ship line. Princess offers a similar itinerary, for the same money except Princess is a balcony and the other line an inside cabin. On balance, there is no tipping and house drinks are included. We'll give them a try.

I was wondering what was really behind your reasoning for this thread question, but I'd simply answer, you are not alone. If you are unhappy, venture out.

There are other posters I don't see on the Princess board anymore. Oh, they are still on CC. They post of being happier with other lines. Good luck!

[voljeep]

6 minutes ago, Globaler said:

It would be one less pain point removed. Ultimate customer experience is achieved by eliminating pain points. The ROI is it’s not that expensive to fix. Now creating a better environment walking to different places on the ship - eliminating the walk past cabins and avoiding the cleaning carts is not possible and therefore ROI would come into play.

IN cabin or in hallways? - we've never seen a cart in our cabin.

[Globaler]

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

IN cabin or in hallways? - we've never seen a cart in our cabin.

Lol you really think you are funny and aren’t really contributing to the discussion. In hallways. Have you sailed on the Sun. I thinking no. Because if you have you wouldn’t making that remark.