Z0nker

On 3/29/2024 at 12:42 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Yes, I can see the benefit of upgrading to Premier for a short cruise.  All the advantages without breaking the bank.

 

YES, YES, YES....bring back the $50 Plus without the extras.  Call it Economy Plus or Basic Plus!

Totally agree. We're being charged $10/day for fitness classes that we don't use, specialty desserts that we don't eat, and the upgraded dining is limited to the Wheelhouse Gastropub on the ships that sail from our homeport of SF.

On 3/29/2024 at 3:02 PM, kywildcatfanone said:

You guys realize new "benefits" will include a price increase,  which is the goal, right?

There's also the possibility that Princess will take something away from the non-package customers to incentivize the purchase of Plus or Premier. Like when they make Alfredo's an upcharge,

On 3/28/2024 at 3:47 AM, FionaMG said:

 

That's what I was wondering. A smartphone changing the time automatically could potentially cause this. Not everyone realises they need to be mindful of this.

Our last cruise included at least 3 time changes and it usually took a while for our phones to catch up. Best to wear a watch and set it when your hear the announcement.

1 hour ago, memoak said:

We had these on the Crown but in our suite they were on the desk not the bedside table. We just used our charging device for multiple devices

Ah, I see. We were in a balcony room so the desk is close to the bed. 

On 3/29/2024 at 8:30 AM, Cruise Raider said:

I am oftentimes coming up with suggestions for Princess to consider or reconsider .. I would like to hear yours if they are reasonable.  
 

I would like to see a small rack for paper recyclables in the cabins.  

I would like to see those ships that don’t have an Ocean Terrace or Alfredo’s/Gigi’s pizzeria offer complimentary pizza and sushi delivery via the app if already included in your plus or premier package. 

 

This suggestion belongs to someone else but sounds reasonable.  If a cruise is over 13 days, the specialty dining and casual dining perks should reflect the number of formal nights.  I would even go so far as to say if your cruise is under 5 nights, maybe that should be limited to one vs two specialty dining options .. just to keep it reasonable.  
 

I would like to see the option for no lanyard and no medallion clasp be offered when ordering your medallion online.  We have so many of them already.  It wouldn’t save them a lot but every little bit helps.  
 

I would like to see a notification pop up on your app when someone on the other end of crew chat notifies you.  
 

I would like to see nonsmoking nights return in the casino.  
 

I would like to see all shipboard deck plans available on the new app as they were on the old app.  Even if they had them available in the future cruise sales office, that would be so helpful when picking out a cabin on a different ship.  
 

I would like to see a volume button in the cabins to hear the announcements over the PA.  
 

I would like to see all cabins equipped with both USB-A and USB-C ports near the bedside.  
 

Oh .. there are so many more, many of which wouldn’t save Princess money but some of which would be too costly or impossible to enforce.  
 

I really wouldn’t mind once a day room steward service in our cabin .. that one may not be popular with others, though.  
 

What are some of your reasonable suggestions?  
 

 

 

 

 

Looks like you're getting at least one wish: Crown Princess, as of December 2023, has been retrofitted with USB-A and USB-C ports bedside. Hopefully other ships will get the same treatment,

On 3/23/2024 at 2:52 PM, seannyice81 said:

I don't really buy the lightening strike. The ships probably get zapped fairly often so I can't see how this wouldn't happen more. I could be wrong though.

All lightning strikes are not equal. Passengers are reporting that this was an extraordinarily large one.

On 3/23/2024 at 2:18 PM, SCX22 said:

We did LAX to FLL Panama Canal cruise in January 2024.  The separate notice below stating that passports with 6 months validity after completion of travel were REQUIRED was e-mailed about 2 weeks before our sailing.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

I'm on the eclipse cruise, too. We all received that same notice on March 22.

Shower puff for the bath gel.

On 2/11/2024 at 1:37 PM, keys-prig said:

I will be cruising on the Eurodam in March.We booked a shore excursion in Jamaica. My husband is concerned about our safety. I believe the current status is a level 3. Should we cancel our excursion?

Which port? Ocho Rios is a ghetto, I wouldn't get off the ship there.

On 1/20/2024 at 5:07 PM, charliedalrymple said:

 

Unfortunately, we have to travel during school holidays, as DH is a teacher.

 

If you must travel only during school breaks, I think you have some good choices:

1) HAL, the geriatric line

2) A very expensive line like Crystal, Oceana or Viking.

3) Virgin, which doesn't allow kids at all.

24 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Face washers were supplied in our mini suite last cruise. I don't use them anyway. I prefer to take my own mesh sponge ball. Fits in a ziplock bag, so even if it's wet on the last morning it can still go safely in my carry on luggage.

Those are the bomb!  Can’t properly use shower gel without one. Also known as a shower puff? 

7 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think sometimes they get short supplied by the laundry on embarkation day, or just forget to put them out in the rush to turn the cabins over. I vaguely recall noticing they were missing on one cruise but our steward brought us some very quickly. I think it's only happened once in 15 or so Princess cruises.

That’s exactly what we were told by our excellent room steward. Back up in the laundry. First time for us, too.

On 1/8/2024 at 1:09 AM, OzKiwiJJ said:

We've always had face washers, in inside cabins through to suites. If they aren't in the bathroom already just ask your cabin steward 

We had to ask on our recent Crown Princess cruise. Balcony room. 

On 1/6/2024 at 11:06 AM, MMDown Under said:

Oh dear my prized blue Princess Cruises "escape completely" bag just disintegrated in my hands. 

Was my bag meant to last longer than me?

Do  they still give bags to passengers?

I'm going on Virgin Voyages on Friday.  Does Virgin Voyages give bags? 

 

The last time I got such a shock was when the soles of my almost new English "hotter concept" shoes, started to fall to pieces in my hands.  I have four other pairs still living which this hasn't happened to.  Note to self write to company for replacement pair of their "made in England" shoes. Does anyone know why this happens?

I've seen the blue Princess bags but have never been offered one. You might have to try eBay.

On 1/2/2024 at 7:47 PM, d9704011 said:

I am currently on Emerald Princess.  Ship in good condtion, food and service good, amenities are good, entertainment fair; I am completely satisfied and I think you will be too.

We sailed Emerald in September. Ship was in great shape, food and entertainment were fine. Crew was friendly and hardworking. Maybe I should look back at our photos to make sure we were really on the Emerald? 

3 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Doesn't the Princess Cruises Rewards Visa Card go a long ways towards addressing this?

For sure. Good point. And so does any other rewards card if you use it to pay for your cruise and related expenses. 

On 12/27/2023 at 12:05 PM, pamps2801 said:

It’s time for Princess to add another tier above Elite, as do other cruise lines. Perhaps Elite Plus or some other name. Also, would add more Perks to this new tier. Maybe the new tier would be something like, 30 cruises or 300 cruise days. 

A lot of Elite passengers are seriously invested in their status. Adding a new level above them could set off a firestorm. 

On 12/27/2023 at 5:21 AM, mrell345 said:

Tries the rejuvinator this morning, they put fresh pieces of fruit and veg in a juicer and you get a drink with about 3oz of liquid.  It wasn’t too bad.

The elusive Juice Bar. Where did you find it? 

On 12/3/2023 at 3:02 AM, Mary229 said:

thanks for the list😉
 

Noordam and its sister ships make the table for two awkward.  You are seated so close to the next table you feel obligated to say something.  They really aren’t tables for two.  

HAL isn't the only one to place the two tops close together. I generally don't mind but right after the pandemic it was a bit creepy.

On 11/15/2023 at 11:16 AM, XBGuy said:

My wife’s regular Crown Grill entree order is the Mussel Pot.  
 

Continuing with Mrs. XBGuy’s Crown Grill habits, for her appetizer she always orders the Garlic Fries.  Invariably, the server will give her a double take, but then bustles off and she gets her fries when I get my Shrimp Bisque.  The very cool thing is that I get to reach across the table and snag all the fries I want.

 

I confess to being a red meat lover, but over the years I have tasted most of the Crown Grill entrees.  I have found the Sea Bass to be outstanding.  On the other hand, I am “one and done” with the Lobster Tails.

My wife always gets the Chilean Sea Bass. Great stuff!

23 hours ago, cruiseypop said:

Deal or no deal

 

This was really fun and I didnt even play -- just watched.  Our cruise director was awesome at this, he was better than Howie.  And they finally have a good part for Fortuna Luck.  The whole show was well produced and worked very well.  If they were taping this I think the whole thing could have been done in one take --- DuVaul and Fortuna Luck were that polished.

 

Afterwards, I popped into a presentation on the navigation of the ship.  Wow the 3rd class officer was only 23 and sharp as a tack.  I definately felt safe knowing he was working up there driving things!  Im not sure I could run a lemonaid stand at 23 let alone an almost one billion dollar ship!!  Good presentation and honest straightforward Q&A.  

Fun game for sure. Did anyone take an offer from the banker? I've watched a few Deal or No Deal shows on Princess and I've yet to see anyone yield the stage. Which can result in an outcome such as this:

On 10/10/2023 at 9:48 AM, ldtr said:

an apples to oranges comparison. You need to compare the recent Celebrity scores, to the scores for the other cruise lines for the same period. Comparing recent for one to historical for others is not good practice.

 

I expect that you will find all lines have dropped in the same period.

I, too, would like to see recent numbers for other lines.

I’ve been on CC since 2016 and one theme has been constant: “the food is getting worse”. I’m a repeat customer on two lines: Princess (7 years) and Carnival (14). i don’t think their food quality has gone downhill at all. The portions in the MDR might have gotten smaller. I haven’t measured, but I’m certainly not going hungry.

On 9/16/2023 at 4:53 PM, Thrak said:

 

The amount of OBC you get when using FCD as your deposit depends on the length of the cruise you book and the category of cabin you are in. Be aware that, if you are a couple and book using FCD as your deposits you will both get the OBC.

 

OBC From FCD

3 - 6 Days $15 Inside, $15 Outside, $25 Balcony, $25 Suite

7 - 10 Days $25 Inside, $25 Outside, $50 Balcony, $50 Suite

11 - 16 Days $75 Inside, $75 Outside, $100 Balcony, $100 Suite

17 + Days $125 Inside, $125 Outside, $150 Balcony, $150 Suite

Our VP called recently to "wish us bon voyage" and of course made a plug for the FCD.  Seems like a no brainer, especially since we live near a Princess homeport. 

On 9/17/2023 at 6:10 AM, Greytgrey said:

I've never cruised Princess before, but on other cruise lines have consistently paid the "suggested" gratuity, and then also tipped as compelled beyond that. Someone over on the Princess subreddit said that they'd talked to Princess crew and been told that the gratuities that are paid through guest services (pre-paid/suggested/mandatory whatever you want to call it) are all factored into their salary and they don't get more if you leave the tips on or less if you don't. So this person worked out a system in which they took off the suggested gratuities and instead paid the individual people they had face-to-face interactions with a certain amount per day, which they said worked out to be a lot less than the suggested gratuities, and plus it made sure that the crew member actually got the cash. 

 

From what I've read, the suggested gratuities are pooled and distributed among crew that includes folks like kitchen and laundry crew, who never or rarely see the public but who also contribute to the positive cruise experience. This person with "the system" said it's not their job to make sure that cruise lines pay people a reasonable wage (which is the same thing people who don't want to tip at restaurants say, and while it's true that corporations should pay their employees a living wage that's neither here nor there when you're actively participating in the business as it presently operates). 

 

So.

 

What say you, experienced Princess cruisers? How do you handle taking care of the people who take care of you when you're on vacation?

Best I know, everything you said is correct. We usually bring a gift for our room stew and give it to him right away. Normally it’s chocolate. We assume the guy can barter his gift if he doesn’t like it. 
 

we’ve also cash tipped our favorite bartenders (usually someone in Vines who has taken good care of us) on the last night.