are we getting less satisfied with princess?

[brovol]

it seems that over the past year when cruise critic posts ask for comparisons between princess and other lines, there are far less princess cheerleader type posts, and far more neutral opinions, or opinions which favor the "other" line. that almost never happened a few years ago. presumably, most of us are on this princess board because we cruise with princess frequently, yet there is less and less support for the home team. is this indicative of declining satisfaction with princess in general?

[bdjam]

it seems that over the past year when cruise critic posts ask for comparisons between princess and other lines, there are far less princess cheerleader type posts, and far more neutral opinions, or opinions which favor the "other" line. that almost never happened a few years ago. presumably, most of us are on this princess board because we cruise with princess frequently, yet there is less and less support for the home team. is this indicative of declining satisfaction with princess in general?

No - for me it's indicative of getting tired of being continually bashed for supporting an excellent product...why post honestly if people only read them for reasons to load their flame throwers?

 

I just got back from 15 days on Island Princess about a week ago - I'm no less satisfied with Princess Cruises than I was after my last cruise - all is well. And I think as the enhancements put in place on Emerald Princess are spread across the fleet, all will be even better.

[meemeec]

I don't think things have changed at all. There are still plenty of happy Princess cruisers and pretty much keep their satisfaction to themselves because now the complainers finally have a forum right here.

Before the internet the complainers just went away and the "cheerleaders" just kept booking Princess!! JMHO

[brovol]

i was not really referring to the "complainers", but was pointing to the "comparison" threads. people seem to prefer the "other" line much more often than they used to. i am sure there are "complainers" on all of the different lines. however, not long ago if someone asked posters to compare princess with another line, virtually all of the responses were pro princess. now it seems there are at least as many posts claiming that the "other" line is better. i still prefer princess as a general rule. this was just an observation.

[Sandytoes]

I have to agree with Meemeec.

We "Know" Princess is a great thing...Don't have to keep repeating it.

 

Haven't you found that it's "The First Time Posters" who do the most bashing and never return.

[AlaskaGolden]

Haven't you found that it's "The First Time Posters" who do the most bashing and never return.

 

Yes, I have. On this and other boards. People with 1, 2, 3 (usually less than 10) posts who post proportionally larger percentage of the less than positive comments.

 

I begin to wonder if some of these people may work for the marketing departments of other, non-Carnival Corp, Cruise Lines?!? :rolleyes:

[poppop1507]

it seems that over the past year when cruise critic posts ask for comparisons between princess and other lines, there are far less princess cheerleader type posts, and far more neutral opinions, or opinions which favor the "other" line. that almost never happened a few years ago. presumably, most of us are on this princess board because we cruise with princess frequently, yet there is less and less support for the home team. is this indicative of declining satisfaction with princess in general?

 

With close to 40 cruisies on a variety of cruise lines including Princess I will give you my opinon My next cruise in June will be on the Caribbean Princess.

 

My crusiing on Princess started in the late 80's and over the last few years I have seen many changes with a Princess cruise that in my opinion may have caused this decline in satisfaction.

 

Back in the begining I would always compare Princess above Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL among others. But from my last Princess Cruise along with comments from the family members that sailed with me this is no longer the case. We put them on a even scale or maybe a little below Royal Caribbean but above NCL and Carnival.

 

This is not to say that Princess is bad (we are still sailing with them ) but just that they went down hill in some area and/or the other went uphill.

 

We noticed the food not as good, not at all bad but just not what it use to be. along with the selection. For example; I am one who enjoys smoked Salmon at the breakfast buffet which was always available on Princess and still available on the other cruise lines. Princess had it available 2 out of 7-days. This may be minor but it is just an example of some of the food changes.

 

It is very difficult to pinpoint but the crew, who gave good service seemed not to be as happy and fun as they use to be. We cannot expalin why or how but we all agreed that there was something missing in their attitute, they were not negative but not real positive either. Someone at our dinner table who also noticed this commented that she though this started when Carnival purchased the cruise line. I don't know if this true or not but this is what they thought

 

Entertainment which has always been excellent and still is along with the cruise staff.

 

I still think Princess is a great cruise line but has gone down over the years.

 

This is the opinion my family and I and where stated above fellow diners

[coiran]

Having cruised only Princess, I can only compare then and now - and - I have not seen asignificant decline - the food is as good as ever, service as good as ever, ship condition as good as ever. It only gets better and better!

 

Ron

[phillipahain]

I do sadly think theres been nibbling away at the edges which has made Princess less satisfactory than it was even just 2 years ago

 

New cruisers probably wont notice but anyone who is Elite or has done many cruises will notice the little things

 

I also think the automatic tipping has its effect on staff .......they know they will get x so many of them simply do not make the extra effort

I also think Carnival has had an effect

 

Overall Princess offers good value for money but its the little things that matter to you personally which affects how you feel about them

[ginah1989]

I have to agree with Meemeec.

We "Know" Princess is a great thing...Don't have to keep repeating it.

 

Haven't you found that it's "The First Time Posters" who do the most bashing and never return.

 

When you get back from your August cruise...please let us know how you liked it.

 

I personally think Princess is a great product and will continue to cruise with them....:D

[Desert Cruisers]

We will be going on our 11th Princess cruise next week and we are Platinum. We usually choose a cruise line based upon the itinerary. However, given that we are closing in on the Elite level, we have been trying to book Princess cruises in order to get the additional benefits. Once we reach this level, we may take more Holland America cruises since we are trying to go up the frequent traveler ladder with this line.

 

All of the cruiselines have been cutting back on things in order to keep the base price down. Princess has done its share of cost-cutting. The food quality has declined. It is not awful by any means but it has changed. If you want an espresso in the dining room, there's an extra charge. Interestingly, this is not the case on Holland America which is also owned by Carnival Corporation.

 

What really does bother me is the constant sales pitch. Do we really need a pitch at dinner to buy a limoncello glass? Discount coupon books which were once give-aways are now for sale.

 

We have adjusted our expectations as to the Princess cruise experience. Once you do this, it is a good value for the money.:)

[bdjam]

I do sadly think theres been nibbling away at the edges which has made Princess less satisfactory than it was even just 2 years ago

 

New cruisers probably wont notice but anyone who is Elite or has done many cruises will notice the little things

 

I also think the automatic tipping has its effect on staff .......they know they will get x so many of them simply do not make the extra effort

I also think Carnival has had an effect

 

Overall Princess offers good value for money but its the little things that matter to you personally which affects how you feel about them

I think the "nibbling" is a trade off that you get with lower base cruise fares. Some of the extras offered that are no longer are not really things that I want, and therefore I don't care to pay for them as part of my cruise fare.

 

As an Elite passenger, I don't notice that there are short comings - in fact my black card provides a number of perks that I wouldn't get on any other cruise line - and a certain amount of recognition from staff and crew on board.

 

I really don't think that automatic tipping has done anything to the service levels on board - I cruised before and after and things seem the same. Don't be fooled by the "automatic." Each crew member who receives tips knows very well that the passenger can remove the tip at any time - it's not assured. And really the affect that Carnival had on Princess was an influx of cash which allowed Princess to continue to build ships. If it wasn't for Carnival Corporation (assuming that Princess would have even survived) there would be no Crown or Emerald Princess right now.

 

Which brings up a good point - if the Princess product is degrading at all, it's because of the 3100 passenger ships and the factory-style cruise product that they necessitate. But from what I hear about the improvements on Crown and Emerald, that issue is being addressed. It seems that Princess might have realized that they don't need to be like every other cruise line to compete.

[brovol]

"As an Elite passenger, I don't notice that there are short comings - in fact my black card provides a number of perks that I wouldn't get on any other cruise line - and a certain amount of recognition from staff and crew on board["

 

remember, however, not everyone is an elite member. i think my platinum card gets me a little extra love; but that may not be the case with everyone else.[/font]

 

[I]"Don't be fooled by the "automatic." Each crew member who receives tips knows very well that the passenger can remove the tip at any time - it's not assured." [/i]

[the problem with this point is that , while the crew member knows you may remove the tip, he/she also knows that if you do remove the tip it wont effect him/her much, because those tips are pooled. thus, the bad room Stewart will receive the same as the good Stewart. socialism has its drawbacks. one of the drawbacks is a reduction in the motivation to work extra hard.

[Spikesgirl]

While you make a good point about the automatic tipping being pooled, good stewards still come out ahead because we will tip them extra for what we deem to be above and beyond service.

 

We have sailed almost exlcusively with Princess and are still happy with the product being offered. it's nice to compare and contrast, but whenever we do, we head back to Princess. They offer us a product that we like, want and feel is affordably priced.

 

As for a lack of cheerleaders, I consider myself a strong fan of Princess, but I just got tired of answering whiney one-shot posters who couldn't care less what I had to say about their problems. There also don't seem to be quite so many of those types of posters hear at the moment - they do run in cycles. Also experience has taught me what to look for in the first couple of sentences of a post - if the complaint is honest and balanced, then I will try to help if I can. If not, then I'm out of there.

 

Life is too short to suck on lemons!

 

Charlie

[brovol]

"While you make a good point about the automatic tipping being pooled, good stewards still come out ahead because we will tip them extra for what we deem to be above and beyond service."

i agree with you there, and i do likewise.

 

 

"We have sailed almost exclusively with Princess and are still happy with the product being offered. it's nice to compare and contrast, but whenever we do, we head back to Princess. They offer us a product that we like, want and feel is affordably priced."

we also cruise princess more than other lines, and agree that the product is quite good. my original point, however, was that there seems to be less universal support for princess on this board than there used to be. to me it is somewhat conspicuous; and i wonder if it is because people are less satisfied, in general, than they were a few years ago. i am, by no means, bashing princess.

[mrdood]

thus, the bad room Stewart will receive the same as the good Stewart. socialism has its drawbacks. one of the drawbacks is a reduction in the motivation to work extra hard.

 

Unless your Steward is named Stewart he is not a Stewart, he is a Steward. Since you used it twice, I assumed it was not just a spelling error :) :)

 

This is an interesting thread, I am looking forward to my first Princess cruise this fall on the Crown. We have only cruised Carnival and NCL and I am looking forward to the experience. Having spent time on all the mass boards, I do find the Princess site to have a group of more "aggressive" cheerleaders than some of the other sites. I am also encouraged by the fierce loyalty that is shown to Princess that is not shown on some of the other lines - I am looking for a cruiseline to be loyal to as well as to show loyalty to me as a valued customer, Carnival has not proven to be that line, NCL has been underwhelming as well...

 

So I will just have to wait and weigh in afterwards, I may have to cruise more than once to really get a feel for Princess, we will see!

 

Thanks!

[bdjam]

the problem with this point is that , while the crew member knows you may remove the tip, he/she also knows that if you do remove the tip it wont effect him/her much, because those tips are pooled. thus, the bad room Stewart will receive the same as the good Stewart. socialism has its drawbacks. one of the drawbacks is a reduction in the motivation to work extra hard.

Actually, that's not the case. Removal of the auto-tip by a passenger points to possible performance problems and supervisors on board will explore the performance of crew members who consistently have their auto tips removed. There is NO incentive for crew members to do less than what is expected of them.

[partybarbie]

I miss some of the extras that we used to get for free on Princess. These include the pre-cruise hotel, airport/hotel transfers, cappuchino's, belgain waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, etc. I do however like the cheaper prices. My first Princess cruise in 1990 was a Mex Riv @ $699.00 per person. My next Mex Riv in November I am paying $499.00 pp. A big difference when you take inflation into account. I have been very happy with the service on my last two cruises. It was as excellent as my very first cruise.

 

As far as jumping in to defend Princess on negative threads, I usually "consider the source" and decide "not to waste my breath on someone who won't get the message". As an elite member, I could contradict most of the negatives that first and second time cruisers come up with, but why bother? They have already closed their minds and are just looking to stir up trouble or vent.

[VegasRealtor]

The good old days of really great food, fabulous midnight buffets and really great entertainment are truly gone (or is the food quality issue really just a decline in the sensitivity of our taste buds?). I'm sure many of you old-timers know what I'm talking about.

 

I seem to remember paying quite a tidy sum just for an ocean view cabin on our first cruises long ago. If I were to pay the inflation-adjusted amount (I hope I am being clear enough here) now for just a balcony cabin, I'll bet the rate would be almost prohibitive. I think most cruise lines have done a very good job keeping the value, all things considered.

 

We are taking our very first Princess cruise on the Emerald in December and are really looking forward to it - the posts so far have been very positive. We really are big HAL fans but are looking forward to our new Princess adventure - I just hope the bedding is comparable!! Nothing like a great night's sleep on the ocean!

 

Dave

[coiran]

The "Black" card doesn't get you any better food quality or dining room service. The food is already very good, so why fix something that ain't broke. I don't see any difference in various services being elite than I had on my very first Princess cruise.

 

Ron

[brovol]

Unless your Steward is named Stewart he is not a Stewart, he is a Steward.

 

yes, you are correct. now that i think of it, it was my waiter who was named "stewart". my bad! thanks for pointing that out. :D :D

[brovol]

repost

[AAAAmerican]

Yes we so agree with thee.

 

The answer though is very simple. Lower Cost basis + more First Time and/or newer passengers = Much more Profits.

 

What do you think the Average First Time Cruiser Spends? Thats the Target Market!

 

With so many ships afloat now, they (cruise lines) do have to pay for everything.. they have had to be kinda innovative in ways.. charging for things more and more adding pay as you eat places aboard .. so us paying and more revenues coming in thusly profits can go up when services and quality go down... It is all Volume and Revenues now... CA CHING CA-CHING..

 

Why does a Balcony/Veranndah on a nicer deck now cost what an iside used to too? Simple.. They get people aboard and then charge now for a lot of things which had been included gratis.. so having a Loss/Leader makes sense..giving away passages and having them spend on everything else...makes perfect economic sense...

 

Even on Tips now they do an AutoCharge.. who do you think gets the Float of those funds...? *S* well simple method look at a 10 day 2 pass per cabin cruise on a 3100 pass ship. Avg Auto tip (so called) of $10.50 a day PP.

Equates to $3 255 000 nPlus..:eek:

 

yes food quality has gone down ..at least princess is above a few still in this arena...

 

service is another issue ... where they do need training dealing with customers etc...

 

The good old days of really great food, fabulous midnight buffets and really great entertainment are truly gone (or is the food quality issue really just a decline in the sensitivity of our taste buds?). I'm sure many of you old-timers know what I'm talking about.

 

I seem to remember paying quite a tidy sum just for an ocean view cabin on our first cruises long ago. If I were to pay the inflation-adjusted amount (I hope I am being clear enough here) now for just a balcony cabin, I'll bet the rate would be almost prohibitive. I think most cruise lines have done a very good job keeping the value, all things considered.

 

We are taking our very first Princess cruise on the Emerald in December and are really looking forward to it - the posts so far have been very positive. We really are big HAL fans but are looking forward to our new Princess adventure - I just hope the bedding is comparable!! Nothing like a great night's sleep on the ocean!

 

Dave

[lysolqn]

Fear not - much of the discontent and/or disappointment expressed in this Princess forum is likewise espressed in other cruise line forums on Cruise Critic. In fact, posts like the OP's pop up all the time - service is down, food isn't as good or plentiful as it used to be, too much nickle and dime-ing, etc. The cruise industry is changing as we speak and many complaints are just a sign of the times.

[AAAAmerican]

Well maybe it was Crown Princess as Mrs. Martha Stewart is the good ships GodMother...

MSO:NYSE

 

yes, you are correct. now that i think of it, it was my waiter who was named "stewart". my bad! thanks for pointing that out. :D :D

 

:D