Princess is Not What it Was in the Past

I could afford a Lexus but in fact drive a Hyundai since everything I need is within a mile radius and I drive about 1,500miles a year. When I leave the city I do so by plane. As a famous home town figure, Warren Buffett’s license plates say, “THRIFTY”. Mike

 

 

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Well said and I couldn't agree more. I drive a Hyundai as well and will drive it until it dies. It's been a great car and gets me from point A to point B just as well as any luxury vehicle. We too can afford a Lexus and like you we choose not to.

Yes I can see a deterioration in the product. I blame the Carnival Corp as a whole and see it as a poorly run and managed company more interested in profits and making passengers uncomfortable in order to rake in more cash. Princess and P&O the company that ran Princess was never like this in the days before the Carnival merger.

If you think your cruise is bad then look at this video of how bad maintenance is on the Diamond Princess that the showers do not even work -

There have been years when Princess has been good but it is always the directives and changes from the top "Carnival" that seem to want to demand that they dumb down their product at the expense of passengers to make it more mediocre and mainstream and not a cut above the rest like they used to be.

Truly!

 

 

 

We are very grateful for every cruise we’ve taken - all on Princess. It suits us.

 

 

 

My first Princess cruise was 1986, and yes, things have changed. But the joy I feel when I embark is still there. I know how lucky I am to be there.

 

 

 

My DH and I love spending time together, so we have a great time at sea or in port. We always try to focus on the positive, and the now, not the past.

 

 

 

I wish all of you a wonderful next cruise, on whatever line and to whatever destination you choose.

 

 

 

Lyssa

Thank you so much for your positive post. I feel the same way and love my Princess ship and the wonderful staff and the old world charm of travelling on the seas..wish you a wonderful next cruise too. My glass is always half full but not necessarily my wine glass..

Danny

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Yes I can see a deterioration in the product. I blame the Carnival Corp as a whole and see it as a poorly run and managed company more interested in profits and making passengers uncomfortable in order to rake in more cash. Princess and P&O the company that ran Princess was never like this in the days before the Carnival merger.

 

If you think your cruise is bad then look at this video of how bad maintenance is on the Diamond Princess that the showers do not even work -

- Yet customer relations the department of cowards who do not have telephone numbers and imbeciles trained to disrespect you and make you out to be a liar have good spin by saying that this is normal and full pressure and quote "shower pressure on ships are not the same as on land".

 

There have been years when Princess has been good but it is always the directives and changes from the top "Carnival" that seem to want to demand that they dumb down their product at the expense of passengers to make it more mediocre and mainstream and not a cut above the rest like they used to be.

I am curious. Do you still sail on Princess? We are about to for the first time in several years. I have to think that your observations that Carnival ownership has impacted the product/services to a degree, however If I walked away with all this as my impression, I might sail elsewhere.

I have every intention of enjoying our upcoming trip and looking forward to it, along with gratefulness. That what we will take on board with us. My goal is to purchase Future cruise credits because we enjoy our experience enough to want to. We board knowing nothing is perfect, and that in all of our travels (whether land or sea) something somewhere is bound to happen.

By the end of the cruise, if the myriad of disappointing observations on this thread turn out to be the overriding feelings of what we walk off with, we will know that there are other options out there and move on. But that is simply not our goal. I appreciate reading this, as it will set my expectations a little differently, but we are excited to travel on Princess in a month.

Just off Royal Princess on a British Isles cruise, and I have to say the food was the worst in the buffet we have ever had on any cruise we've taken in the past 20 years, including several with Princess. Not only poor quality, but unimaginative and unappetising, often overcooked (especially the fish, which was probably a third the size it probably was when raw) and often only lukewarm, or even cold, including hot breakfast items, including eggs - yuk. Woe betide also if you were in the Horizon Bistro, as you could be in the middle of breakfast and they would shut off the place, meaning you had to traipse all the way up to the end of the adjoining Horizon Court. OK if you are fit and healthy but, for many elderly passengers, it was a slog, and often the items you wanted had gone and not replaced, so you ended up with yet another cold breakfast.

The dining room (Symphony) food was better, but not the best, and service in both areas was patchy. In addition, the Anytime Dining didn't work out as well as in the past, most times we were given a pager (which has been fine on other cruises), even when there were plenty of tables available - far fewer wait staff seemed to be the problem. Also, tables for two were often seated in blocks and treated as tables for six or eight, meaning there was no individual service as in the past, you had to wait until everyone else had been served before you could even order a drink, or your meal. Not exactly what anytime dining is about - there were lots of grumblings and even angry words as we waited in line.

Disembarkation at the ports was poorly organised and the shuttles expensive, and Princess misled us on one occasion by saying you had to get shuttle tickets onboard, as you couldn't once off the ship, which was totally untrue - you could pay on the bus. We ended up paying for two returns that we didn't need to use, as a tour we took dropped us back at the terminal. One elderly American guest was fuming that she and her husband were told they had to pay in euros, which caused some inconvenience for her, having to get dollars changed, and then she found out not only could she have paid on the bus, she could also have charged it to her room. Miscommunication seemed to be the order of the day.

The evening entertainment was mediocre at best, the only thing that got people excited was a guest spot by the Backbeat Beatles, who packed out the theatre (people were literally standing and sitting in the aisles) and Atrium on their two performances. Yes, there were a lot of senior guests onboard, but even they can boogey with the rest of them if you provide the right music. Not every old codger likes piano and violin playing and string quartets. Princess really should bring in more outside bands, rather than rely on their in-house group every night. It got boring very quickly. NCL offer fabulous live shows in various venues throughout the ship every night, and the atmosphere is so much better because of it.

This ship has been the subject of a reality TV show in the UK, it seemed to me that, once the cameras disappeared, they decided they didn't have to try as hard. Pity. Another American lady said they would have to try a lot harder once the ship relocates to the US next month but, ironically, most passengers on this cruise were American.

On a positive note, the ship was in a lovely condition, the Atrium was beautiful, and the bed very comfortable. Not enough to ever make me want to sail on here again though, sadly.

Just off Royal Princess on a British Isles cruise, and I have to say the food was the worst in the buffet we have ever had on any cruise we've taken in the past 20 years, including several with Princess. Not only poor quality, but unimaginative and unappetising, often overcooked (especially the fish, which was probably a third the size it probably was when raw) and often only lukewarm, or even cold, including hot breakfast items, including eggs - yuk. Woe betide also if you were in the Horizon Bistro, as you could be in the middle of breakfast and they would shut off the place, meaning you had to traipse all the way up to the end of the adjoining Horizon Court. OK if you are fit and healthy but, for many elderly passengers, it was a slog, and often the items you wanted had gone and not replaced, so you ended up with yet another cold breakfast.

 

The dining room (Symphony) food was better, but not the best, and service in both areas was patchy. In addition, the Anytime Dining didn't work out as well as in the past, most times we were given a pager (which has been fine on other cruises), even when there were plenty of tables available - far fewer wait staff seemed to be the problem. Also, tables for two were often seated in blocks and treated as tables for six or eight, meaning there was no individual service as in the past, you had to wait until everyone else had been served before you could even order a drink, or your meal. Not exactly what anytime dining is about - there were lots of grumblings and even angry words as we waited in line.

 

Disembarkation at the ports was poorly organised and the shuttles expensive, and Princess misled us on one occasion by saying you had to get shuttle tickets onboard, as you couldn't once off the ship, which was totally untrue - you could pay on the bus. We ended up paying for two returns that we didn't need to use, as a tour we took dropped us back at the terminal. One elderly American guest was fuming that she and her husband were told they had to pay in euros, which caused some inconvenience for her, having to get dollars changed, and then she found out not only could she have paid on the bus, she could also have charged it to her room. Miscommunication seemed to be the order of the day.

 

The evening entertainment was mediocre at best, the only thing that got people excited was a guest spot by the Backbeat Beatles, who packed out the theatre (people were literally standing and sitting in the aisles) and Atrium on their two performances. Yes, there were a lot of senior guests onboard, but even they can boogey with the rest of them if you provide the right music. Not every old codger likes piano and violin playing and string quartets. Princess really should bring in more outside bands, rather than rely on their in-house group every night. It got boring very quickly. NCL offer fabulous live shows in various venues throughout the ship every night, and the atmosphere is so much better because of it.

 

This ship has been the subject of a reality TV show in the UK, it seemed to me that, once the cameras disappeared, they decided they didn't have to try as hard. Pity. Another American lady said they would have to try a lot harder once the ship relocates to the US next month but, ironically, most passengers on this cruise were American.

 

On a positive note, the ship was in a lovely condition, the Atrium was beautiful, and the bed very comfortable. Not enough to ever make me want to sail on here again though, sadly.

Before I say anything, please note that I am not disputing any of the points that you have made. That said, however, I'm going to ask one question. That question is did you speak to anybody in authority, maitre 'd, ships officer, etc. onboard the ship about your concerns? I'm not saying the end of cruise survey but someone on the ship. The reason I say that is that by the time the survey makes it's way thorugh the various levels within theorgainization and gets down to the ship level where something could actually be done in a timely manner to solve such problems, it is really too late in many cases, to actually do something about what may be at the root of the problem. Too many times, the person reporting the problem doesn't want to actuallly "get involved" in the solution or meet face-to-face with someone but only wants to remain "back in the shadows." I'm not saying that this is the case here at all, but that has been my experience when speaking with someone who has voiced a complaint. When I ask them did they talk to someone about it the reply, 9 times out of 10 is something along the lines of "Oh, I didn't want to get involved talking to someone, I just mentioned it on the survey." That's really to late in many cases.

Again, I'm not trying to minimize the problems you encountered in any way and I'm sorry that you didn't have a better cruise experience. Hopefully, you'll never have a repeat of such a situation.

Tom

Truly!

 

We are very grateful for every cruise we’ve taken - all on Princess. It suits us.

 

My first Princess cruise was 1986, and yes, things have changed. But the joy I feel when I embark is still there. I know how lucky I am to be there.

 

My DH and I love spending time together, so we have a great time at sea or in port. We always try to focus on the positive, and the now, not the past.

 

I wish all of you a wonderful next cruise, on whatever line and to whatever destination you choose.

 

Lyssa

Very well said. My wife and I feel much the same way...it is a blessing to be able to cruise (or vacation in general) in different parts of the world. We always take it slow, relax, and enjoy the moment. Amazing how it seems so many people aren't relaxing...I'm sure that's just a perception. When we spent time in Rome we realized the joy in a slow and relaxing dinner...so we have no issues with sitting and chatting between courses or during courses. I also understand that is a personal preference and many others want to sit, eat, and move on. I'm sure a quit word with the staff will make that happen. Happy Cruising!!

I am curious. Do you still sail on Princess? We are about to for the first time in several years. I have to think that your observations that Carnival ownership has impacted the product/services to a degree, however If I walked away with all this as my impression, I might sail elsewhere.

 

I have every intention of enjoying our upcoming trip and looking forward to it, along with gratefulness. That what we will take on board with us. My goal is to purchase Future cruise credits because we enjoy our experience enough to want to. We board knowing nothing is perfect, and that in all of our travels (whether land or sea) something somewhere is bound to happen.

 

By the end of the cruise, if the myriad of disappointing observations on this thread turn out to be the overriding feelings of what we walk off with, we will know that there are other options out there and move on. But that is simply not our goal. I appreciate reading this, as it will set my expectations a little differently, but we are excited to travel on Princess in a month.

Hey Vineyard View,

I can give you my 2 cents worth and maybe that will help calm the nerves. I had never been on Cruise Critics until 6 months prior to our last cruise on the Crown Princess. We had cruised on Royal Caribbean and Princess before and definitely preferred Princess...every cruise was enjoyable...great food, entertainment, and port experiences. However, when I got on this site and started ready about the Crown, there were so many people saying it was a rust bucket, it was showing it's age, there were so many things wrong with the ship, the food, the service, and everything else, we began to get a little concerned. Luckily a few folks came on and said some nice things and we went on the cruise with an open mind. We had a large party and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The food was incredible (except Sabatini's), the entertainment was what we have come to expect on Princess, and the service was great...awesome attitudes by all those we interacted with. Well, one exception...we weren't happy with the sales pitches after going to the Spa (but that's a different story).

Take this with a grain of salt...and I may tick off some people...but I think some posts you read, those that are complaining are usually the type that complain about everything. I'm not saying things aren't sometimes bad or bad things don't happen, but it seems like what we read and what we experienced were worlds apart. I hope you have an incredible time. Remember: attitude is the driving force behind our experiences and it is dependent on us...whether it's a good attitude or a bad one. I always go in positive and so far have not been disappointed in Princess!!

Apparently I am easily satisfied. 4 Princess cruises this year...35 lifetime plus other ships as well. I have never had a bad cruise but I ignore minor things put so well in last paragraph above from USCcruisecrazy. A major problem which I would notice and mention such as no air conditioning, no food, or toilet running over I have never had occur. Only good thing to say about all 35. Mike

PS I occasionally mention a minor problem but I keep going back!

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Cruising has changed over the years. Regardless of cruise line.

Food quality has declined. Entertainment is different now than before. Before we had people we recognized by name from TV, Vegas and/or the movies.

Prices of drinks were very inexpensive. Now you buy a bev pkg at $70/day on Princess. Other lines charge less and others charge more.

Specialty restaurants were non existant.

Yes, the cruise price is the same. Now you pay for what you desire instead of it being all inclusive. That is good!

Service is not the same on any line. They have cut the amount of staff in the dining rooms, bars, cabins and entertainment staff.

Why if people voice their dissatisfaction, do we blame them? Unless you experienced their event, then you can't say they ar complainers.

We have eaten in the steak house and our steaks were well done even though we asked for medium rare. Our friends were cooked properly, well done.

So, example, same time, same place, same meal. One Ok, other disaster.

Some people never complain/find fault and everything is the best we ever had.

Others give you their honest opinion. Nothing is always perfect or the best. Impossible!

Others are treated as Kings and Queens on their cruise. LOL

It is all in the eyes of the beholder!

Again, ALL CRUISE LINES HAVE CHANGED AS WE HAVE, TOO!

Before I say anything, please note that I am not disputing any of the points that you have made. That said, however, I'm going to ask one question. That question is did you speak to anybody in authority, maitre 'd, ships officer, etc. onboard the ship about your concerns? I'm not saying the end of cruise survey but someone on the ship. The reason I say that is that by the time the survey makes it's way thorugh the various levels within theorgainization and gets down to the ship level where something could actually be done in a timely manner to solve such problems, it is really too late in many cases, to actually do something about what may be at the root of the problem. Too many times, the person reporting the problem doesn't want to actuallly "get involved" in the solution or meet face-to-face with someone but only wants to remain "back in the shadows." I'm not saying that this is the case here at all, but that has been my experience when speaking with someone who has voiced a complaint. When I ask them did they talk to someone about it the reply, 9 times out of 10 is something along the lines of "Oh, I didn't want to get involved talking to someone, I just mentioned it on the survey." That's really to late in many cases.

 

Again, I'm not trying to minimize the problems you encountered in any way and I'm sorry that you didn't have a better cruise experience. Hopefully, you'll never have a repeat of such a situation.

 

Tom

Hi Tom, in answer to your question, which is a worthy one, yes and no. In the buffet, everyone was in a rush, both passengers and crew. As a passenger, it was such a port intensive itinerary, that your time to track senior staff down was very limited, and they were certainly not in view while we are up there. In addition, a complaint to the correct person would not necessarily have had the desired effect anyway, as the problems seemed systemic, unlike, in the dining room, where you could point out an under or overcooked piece of meat, in the buffet a lot was down to an apparent lack of hotplates or, at least, of them being switched on, so I can't see one complaint changing that. Maybe they relied on the heavy footfall to ensure food stayed warm, it just didn't.

From the wait staff perspective, they went from breakfast to lunch to dinner almost without a break, so you can imagine the stress they were under. Like the dining room, the problem appeared related to the shortage of staff.

On the Anytime Dining issues, we did address our concerns at the time, and were led to an empty table on the fourth occasion we were offered a pager, but the matter of tables for two being served as larger tables was just an annoying observation we made and put up with, but which we addressed in the post-cruise survey. We did not see the maitre d until the penultimate night, which was disappointing and, after that, we were in going home mode.

The International Cafe food was fine, but the best by far of the catering venues was Alfredo's Pizzeria. The food, the staff, the service, was top notch, and what I remember ship's dining to be. Yes, it was poorly patronised, compared to other dining options, although I think some of this is down to Princess not advertising it enough as complimentary, but it still stood out as a beacon in the darkness of mediocrity! More staff generally equals better service, so that's something for Princess to consider.

On the shuttle tickets issue we spoke to passenger services at the time, and were told to contact Princess when we got home, to try to get a refund.

No amount of moaning at the entertainment would have had any impact whatsoever, as they schedule months beforehand so, again, we addressed that in the survey.

We do feel the post cruise questionnaire is of value - so long as enough people fill it in - not for our benefit, obviously, but for the benefit of future cruisers. And, if enough people did that on a ship we'll be sailing on in future then we'll maybe have a better cruise.

We are Platinum with Princess, and we have another two cruises booked, so it's not a question of finding another cruise line to try, although we have sailed with many others. There was just something not quite right about this particular ship. Maybe when she gets into US waters, she will resume higher standards. I hope so, for the guests' sake, the crew's sake and Princess's sake.

Cruising has changed over the years. Regardless of cruise line.

 

Food quality has declined. Entertainment is different now than before. Before we had people we recognized by name from TV, Vegas and/or the movies.

 

Prices of drinks were very inexpensive. Now you buy a bev pkg at $70/day on Princess. Other lines charge less and others charge more.

Specialty restaurants were non existant.

 

Yes, the cruise price is the same. Now you pay for what you desire instead of it being all inclusive. That is good!

 

Service is not the same on any line. They have cut the amount of staff in the dining rooms, bars, cabins and entertainment staff.

 

Why if people voice their dissatisfaction, do we blame them? Unless you experienced their event, then you can't say they ar complainers.

 

We have eaten in the steak house and our steaks were well done even though we asked for medium rare. Our friends were cooked properly, well done.

So, example, same time, same place, same meal. One Ok, other disaster.

 

Some people never complain/find fault and everything is the best we ever had.

 

Others give you their honest opinion. Nothing is always perfect or the best. Impossible!

 

Others are treated as Kings and Queens on their cruise. LOL

 

It is all in the eyes of the beholder!

 

Again, ALL CRUISE LINES HAVE CHANGED AS WE HAVE, TOO!

Well said. I'm very new to cruising so I can't really comment on how the industry has changed, but I think others who have commented on aspects that they didn't like or how their experiences were less than what they were expecting are valid as well. I don't think they are complainers or nit picking. There are often times where small things can be very irritating to one person but yet to another not a big deal. For some those small things can add up over a period of time that they are on the ship and in the end it will leave them with a negative view of that cruise line. For example, some people care about how often the room steward makes up the room or if they come in for turn down service. Me I don't care, I prefer them not to be in my room everyday and normally just ask for fresh towels and make the bed up every now and then. What was more of a big deal on my last cruise was dealing with smoke, the food and not being able to access certain activities or amenities because they were either too crowded or not working. Others may comment and say did you speak to anyone while you were on the ship and my answer was yes and no. Yes, I did complain when their were now loungers in the spa and the sauna was broken a few times. Was there any change or the situation rectified, no. To me that sends me a signal, you aren't really concerned about the satisfaction of the passengers or I'm not getting what I paid for. My thinking was if I paid $400 for 2 spa packages to use the spa sauna everyday and it's broken 2-3 days out of 7, shouldn't their be some kind adjustment? Something besides an "I am sorry, try back later" Could I have yelled and screamed about it louder maybe, but that's not really me or I shouldn't have to go to that level to get things changed. Now the smoke and the food I didn't say anything because what are they going to do close off the whole casino or go to every balcony to see who's smoking? As far as the food, I doubt the waiter and waitress can change the entrees and make them taste better or change out the overall food at the buffet. So I just make mental notes and decide if I will cruise on that line again or if I will vacation on a cruise ship in general.

Being new to cruising my initial impression/complaint is that the cruise lines market an image about how "everything is perfect" "made just for you" "you'll be pampered" "get this package and have an even better experience, you deserve it"..... blah blah to justify the price of the cruise or the extra charges for this and that and lure you in. When in reality not so much. They fall pretty short on the delivery of the hype ;)

I can start this with....I grew up so poor.......

That I am so thankful, I can book a cruise and pay for it in installments, and pre pay as much as I want and have a very enjoyable cruise. I have never had a bad cruise, but then, I'm not a person who goes looking for "trouble"

This ship sails in salt water, its used 365 days a year, in different climates. Yes, after a couple of years, rugs wear out, rust appears. I don't get on the ship with a magnifying glass and check for lint on my cabin carpet, take a black light to my bathroom, take photos of rust on the balcony or other parts of the ship.

I don't have to make my bed, clean my cabin, cook my meals, then clean up...I can relax, go to the casino, shows, eat when I want or not, AND I don't have to drive anywhere.

With the ships being made bigger and bigger every year, I feel the companies keep the same number of staffing (more $$ in their pockets), and with that being said, staff is doing more with less. I am not high maintenance, nor require things above and beyond the norm, therefore, YES, I KNOW, I do what I can to make my cabin stewards job easier, so those who need his/her assistance more than I do, he/she can focus on them.

Food is subjective, to each their own. After so many years of cruising, I have found ways to make myself a wonderful meal out of what's available on the buffet.

We were always MDR people, until the meals started dragging out, we checked out the buffet, and are happy with it, eat at our own pace, have what we want and finish our evening at the show, casino or on the balcony.

IF we do encounter a problem, we don't wait until we are home to address it...you do it right then and there, start with the PSD, and escalate it from there.

Nothing is ever what it was, just move forward with what we have.

Hi Tom, in answer to your question, which is a worthy one, yes and no. In the buffet, everyone was in a rush, both passengers and crew. As a passenger, it was such a port intensive itinerary, that your time to track senior staff down was very limited, and they were certainly not in view while we are up there. In addition, a complaint to the correct person would not necessarily have had the desired effect anyway, as the problems seemed systemic, unlike, in the dining room, where you could point out an under or overcooked piece of meat, in the buffet a lot was down to an apparent lack of hotplates or, at least, of them being switched on, so I can't see one complaint changing that. Maybe they relied on the heavy footfall to ensure food stayed warm, it just didn't.

From the wait staff perspective, they went from breakfast to lunch to dinner almost without a break, so you can imagine the stress they were under. Like the dining room, the problem appeared related to the shortage of staff.

 

On the Anytime Dining issues, we did address our concerns at the time, and were led to an empty table on the fourth occasion we were offered a pager, but the matter of tables for two being served as larger tables was just an annoying observation we made and put up with, but which we addressed in the post-cruise survey. We did not see the maitre d until the penultimate night, which was disappointing and, after that, we were in going home mode.

 

The International Cafe food was fine, but the best by far of the catering venues was Alfredo's Pizzeria. The food, the staff, the service, was top notch, and what I remember ship's dining to be. Yes, it was poorly patronised, compared to other dining options, although I think some of this is down to Princess not advertising it enough as complimentary, but it still stood out as a beacon in the darkness of mediocrity! More staff generally equals better service, so that's something for Princess to consider.

 

On the shuttle tickets issue we spoke to passenger services at the time, and were told to contact Princess when we got home, to try to get a refund.

 

No amount of moaning at the entertainment would have had any impact whatsoever, as they schedule months beforehand so, again, we addressed that in the survey.

 

We do feel the post cruise questionnaire is of value - so long as enough people fill it in - not for our benefit, obviously, but for the benefit of future cruisers. And, if enough people did that on a ship we'll be sailing on in future then we'll maybe have a better cruise.

 

We are Platinum with Princess, and we have another two cruises booked, so it's not a question of finding another cruise line to try, although we have sailed with many others. There was just something not quite right about this particular ship. Maybe when she gets into US waters, she will resume higher standards. I hope so, for the guests' sake, the crew's sake and Princess's sake.

Nelly, it certainly sounds like you did your part in addressing the problems you encountered. For that, I'll certainly give you two thumbs up (y)(y) :D I'll even go a step further...when you get to the airport on your next cruise, tell them I gave you a free upgrade to first class on your flights! (If it works, let me know, 'cause I'm going to go into the flight upgrade business right away!!:o)

One other thing that I'll pass on to remember when you run into a problem. If it has to do with embarking or disembarking at the pier, remember that, at least with Princess, Holland, and the other Carnival Corp. lines, the people who are handling you on the shore-side are not employees of the cruise lines, but are 3rd party employees. If you have problems, while they do need to be mentioned to the cruise line involved on the end-of-cruise survey, please do ask to speak to a supervisor at the pier so he/she is aware of the problem you had and can take action. This is especially important if it involves rudeness, discourtesy or something like that because, just like with the survey info, by the time it gets back to the 3rd party company and down to the port involved it will be almost impossible to determine who was involved. :confused:

But, hopefully, you will never have any problems ever again on any cruise. No, I don't believe that either, but it sure sounds good!

Tom

Hey Vineyard View,

 

I can give you my 2 cents worth and maybe that will help calm the nerves. I had never been on Cruise Critics until 6 months prior to our last cruise on the Crown Princess. We had cruised on Royal Caribbean and Princess before and definitely preferred Princess...every cruise was enjoyable...great food, entertainment, and port experiences. However, when I got on this site and started ready about the Crown, there were so many people saying it was a rust bucket, it was showing it's age, there were so many things wrong with the ship, the food, the service, and everything else, we began to get a little concerned. Luckily a few folks came on and said some nice things and we went on the cruise with an open mind. We had a large party and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The food was incredible (except Sabatini's), the entertainment was what we have come to expect on Princess, and the service was great...awesome attitudes by all those we interacted with. Well, one exception...we weren't happy with the sales pitches after going to the Spa (but that's a different story).

 

Take this with a grain of salt...and I may tick off some people...but I think some posts you read, those that are complaining are usually the type that complain about everything. I'm not saying things aren't sometimes bad or bad things don't happen, but it seems like what we read and what we experienced were worlds apart. I hope you have an incredible time. Remember: attitude is the driving force behind our experiences and it is dependent on us...whether it's a good attitude or a bad one. I always go in positive and so far have not been disappointed in Princess!!

It is only by coming to cruise critic that I have gotten educated that the cruises that I have enjoyed are really mass market, nickel and dime experiences, that have been poorly managed and organized, with lousy service and poor food.

I not only take CC comment with a grain of salt, but with an entire salt mine.

It is only by coming to cruise critic that I have gotten educated that the cruises that I have enjoyed are really mass market, nickel and dime experiences, that have been poorly managed and organized, with lousy service and poor food.

 

I not only take CC comment with a grain of salt, but with an entire salt mine.

Aren't you glad that you came here and found out that you really had a lousy time? :o:confused:

Tom

Thank you USCcruisecrazy and RDC1 for your responses to my post.

DH and I are both feeling comfortable with our decision to cruise on Princess again next month. It is going to be much less ‘exotic’ and much easier than most we have been on, and that suites us just fine right now. It’s about getting away, being together, exploring ports independently, enjoying nice meals together, and making new memories.

Agree or disagree...but Princess went downhill fast. I'm so disappointed.

We do not think its nearly as bad as the OP suggests. Princess never had 1:1 waiter:assistant waiter....even when we started cruising back in the 70s. In the olden days, as I recall they had 1 assistant waiter for about every 2 waiters. As to the service being slow, the MDR is supposed to be about dining, not fast food.

The issue with food quality and prep is a real issue and we have noticed some degradation in quality and quantity on all the mass market lines (we have cruised on 14 lines). We know from experience that we can pay hundreds of dollars per passenger day more...and get much better food. That is a choice.

As to cruise line excursions, we have long thought they were ridiculous in terms of price and group size. IMHO they are more like cattle drives them tours. But like many experienced travelers we seldom to ever book any cruise line excursion. In most places we simply do our own thing. If we want a tour we join with others (often on the CC Roll Call) and book a small group private tour.

Hank

I am curious. Do you still sail on Princess? We are about to for the first time in several years. I have to think that your observations that Carnival ownership has impacted the product/services to a degree, however If I walked away with all this as my impression, I might sail elsewhere.

 

I have every intention of enjoying our upcoming trip and looking forward to it, along with gratefulness. That what we will take on board with us. My goal is to purchase Future cruise credits because we enjoy our experience enough to want to. We board knowing nothing is perfect, and that in all of our travels (whether land or sea) something somewhere is bound to happen.

 

By the end of the cruise, if the myriad of disappointing observations on this thread turn out to be the overriding feelings of what we walk off with, we will know that there are other options out there and move on. But that is simply not our goal. I appreciate reading this, as it will set my expectations a little differently, but we are excited to travel on Princess in a month.

For the moment I am still sailing with them. They still operate some good ships. I have always been thinking about the best time to move over to other cruise lines and with the new larger ships coming in and as soon as the ones like the original Grand class with 2,600 passengers are phased out I do not think I will be sailing with Princess after that. I think of it like Celebrity operate ships larger than Princess and carry less passengers. I like some existing ships and destinations but I would need to see some changes if I were to stay with them long term.

I love Princess and the variety offered by the fleet. Mike

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For the moment I am still sailing with them. They still operate some good ships. I have always been thinking about the best time to move over to other cruise lines and with the new larger ships coming in and as soon as the ones like the original Grand class with 2,600 passengers are phased out I do not think I will be sailing with Princess after that. I think of it like Celebrity operate ships larger than Princess and carry less passengers. I like some existing ships and destinations but I would need to see some changes if I were to stay with them long term.

Wait till those two 175K ton LNG ships are launched.....:eek::eek::eek:

Bob

For the moment I am still sailing with them. They still operate some good ships. I have always been thinking about the best time to move over to other cruise lines and with the new larger ships coming in and as soon as the ones like the original Grand class with 2,600 passengers are phased out I do not think I will be sailing with Princess after that. I think of it like Celebrity operate ships larger than Princess and carry less passengers. I like some existing ships and destinations but I would need to see some changes if I were to stay with them long term.

I would totally agree with your position on the Grand class - that would be the maximum pax size we will sail.

Passenger/ship size is a big priority for us. We all have our priorities where we need to draw the line in the sand.

It just seems after reading this thread that there are a lot of very unhappy Princess passengers who keep sailing on them. I also read those who do not feel this way and it makes sense to me why they continue. We have worked hard for our money, and if we find a product that doesn’t meet our expectations (not limited to cruise lines) to an acceptable level, I cannot imagine continuing to spend our money on that product. So yes, we are going on this next cruise with eyes open, but with a positive attitude. If it doesn’t meet the level that works for us, then no issue, time to move on. Why keep expecting change that won’t happen? Maybe it will cost more, but there are lots of options out there.

Come on cruisers, keep an open mind :). My first cruise was on a 10,500 ship that we thought was too darn big! Don't you folks understand that size does not matter :) It is what you do with all that size that matters. I will not pre judge the future Princess ships (or any other future ship) until we see the deck plans and digest some reviews. Consider some current trends with "ship within a ship" concepts. For example, one might not want to be in a normal cabin on a large MSC ship...but perhaps they would jump at cruising on that same ship in the Yacht Club. And its the same with the Haven Suites on NCL. While I have no interest in NCL, we would happily cruise in a Haven Suite if we spotted the right deal and itinerary.

Hank

For the moment I am still sailing with them. They still operate some good ships. I have always been thinking about the best time to move over to other cruise lines and with the new larger ships coming in and as soon as the ones like the original Grand class with 2,600 passengers are phased out I do not think I will be sailing with Princess after that. I think of it like Celebrity operate ships larger than Princess and carry less passengers. I like some existing ships and destinations but I would need to see some changes if I were to stay with them long term.

I love Princess, but life is too short to be unhappy. One day we are here, and the next day we are gone. We never know when our last day on earth will be. As the saying goes, "Carpe Diem." Make the most of every moment. Choose another cruise line, and you might have the best experience of your life. It is just not worth it to go cruising and be miserable the entire time. Life is way too short.