kathy49

I thought they began August 2nd?

I say "bake it" all into the cruise fare and end this maddness.

I think Princess management is being very unfair to agents and onboard staff and customer service desk will be a moving side show...especially in the first weeks of implementation on each ship. People are calling Princess direct and their phone people are at a loss to explain it.

I tip cash and make sure the server gets it..if they share as a group great..up to them. Also where I live there are many added fees now including health fee for the servers. It is getting so crazy. Just pay them a livable wage and raise the cost of our meals.

Clearly I don't think that will continue.

I honestly did not realize that the tips were not per voyage and distributed however they do. I find this then just paying the wages that Princess as a company should be paying. My guess is doing it this way gives them some tax and corporate advantages. I am therefore not that offended if people are opting out of that and tipping as they wish on the voyage.

i would say yes

No but if you prepaid months in some cases a year or more in advance you might think differently?

To take this back to the discussion at hand....no doubt cost of living is UP...I think a once a year decision by the top brass at Princess or Carnival or whoever makes the pricing decisions to just raise the price of the cruise and leave the stupid packages alone. This is confusion for passengers and agents. Those that are booked and paid for stay the same. Going forward say for bookings after xxx date the new prices go into effect. This does not penalize or confuse those who booked ahead and budgeted for a vacation (yes not everyone cruises 10 times a year...it can be a big investment), I think booking ahead should be rewarded and not subject to all this crap. Generally that is the way things used to work and there was always a surge of bookings to beat the price increase...everyone considered it fair and agents had their sanity.

I don't think that is their thinking at all...in fact I think the first time cruiser is who they are marketing to with all of the changes...their loyal customers are dwindling for many reasons.

Also on many ships it seems that a very high % are first time Princess cruisers...so their marketing is working with that group. Some have described the Elite lounges as almost empty. I predict more loyalty perks going by the wayside as this approach continues.

Hum how is that...expecting the cruise and associated packages to be as purchased is "nickel and diming" Princess?

Be interesting to take a tally on how many come to Alfredos for a meal only to find out no longer included. Not everyone reads cruise forums or will have been informed. Probably have a desk right at Alfredos where passengers can upgrade their packages and get that "value added" feature of the new plans. Good luck.

I would say look at other cruise lines where they are known for having higher quality cuisine on a consistent basis in all venues? To me that would be Celebrity or HAL.

agree I think most are responding who have have many changes since booking. Have to take this in the context of the last couple of years and all the changes. I look for a thread on here as to experiences with the transition and first sailing on a ship under new plans. It will be interesting.

I think one thing is totally missing from any discussion of cruises these days....some people speak of some of the basic inclusions like they are "free".....cruises are not the cheap vacation they once were...at least not on many of the lines. There is NOTHING free on a cruise ....you are paying for everything and now little by little those "free" things are going away. From many reports unless you go premium or plus you will have many fewer options without paying what $40 to eat in a speciality restaurant with the hopes of getting a better meal?

TA;s have been aware of this for some days now and I would consider finding another one for your next booking....have you verified that your ship is due to roll out prior to your sailing date?

Yes you got it right. I am shocked that more don't put this together. Many agents push or even just add the packages in....the commission the agency gets depends on total $$$ sold and packages sure do count...probably some override bonus too for selling xxx number of premium packages etc. Ask your agent...they can't deny it. And from the TA point of view cruise lines have slashed commissions over the years and encourage with promos direct bookings and take them right on the ship....thus cutting out the TA for most. And what agent has the time to go thru and do a detailed cost analysis for their customers of the various options and what would be cost effective for them? Can't make any money doing that and TAs are not non profit organizations.

can you just see "guest relations" desk??? The confusion as they roll out ship by ship. Top brass at Princess has missed the mark in "adding value" to their product. With all the competition out there and some looking elsewhere if business drops they will just put sales on and end up in the same financial mess they are obviously in.

I think people should start shopping around. Have done so for some time now and Celebrity offers a much better experience and often price is not that different. They have some great sales. Food is excellent and service tops. Also some other lines such as Azamara that are perceived as luxury when you start comparing $ for $ as to what you get included price is again comparable and experience more personal. Time to branch out folks.

fabulous report...looking forward to more.Thanks so much. Helpful info.

Ok thanks for pointing out my stupid question but seriously I wonder...they have every motivation to get sail as at least they will capture some revenue out of this debacle but lots could change. I wonder how many elected to continue after Sunday.

Is there any guarantee that the Ruby will sail on Sunday?

It seems like your visit to Marseille was well timed....don't think cruise ships will be there today.