Princess Please Read This!

[caribill]

Would love to see Princess offer a regular size of liquor for sale. The Gordon's gin (375) is less than $4 here in Michigan & Princess charges $17:eek:. Not very fair, I think if they charged a resonable fee more people would pay for the pleasure.

 

And that $4 includes Federal liquor taxes.

[Pam in CA]

And here I always thought the expression was get off your high horse.

I'm old enough to have had a hobby horse as a kid. I pretended I was riding with Hop-along Cassidy. :) My favorite mode of dress was a "gen-u-ine" cowgirl outfit my parents made the mistake of giving me for Christmas, much to their regret and often embarrassment. Entertaining kids was a whole lot simpler back then. :)

[JPRLHR]

I believe the term "Hobby Horse" is referring to a subject (or complaint) that you "ride" over and over. "High Horse" is referring to a prideful attitude. Actually, both are seen frequently on CC.;)

 

Correct... If you're on your "Hobby Horse" then your perceived as complaining or making the same point over an over again on a subject you have strong views on. There's an awful lot of Hobby Horses ridden on this forum..!!

[Dan Tanna]

One more to add..Why not have ship charges available for view on your cabin TV?

[Chesie]

I'm old enough to have had a hobby horse as a kid. I pretended I was riding with Hop-along Cassidy. :) My favorite mode of dress was a "gen-u-ine" cowgirl outfit my parents made the mistake of giving me for Christmas, much to their regret and often embarrassment. Entertaining kids was a whole lot simpler back then. :)

__________________

 

 

WOW what a blast from the past. I too had one with the "cowgirl" outfit. That was when a holster with guns wasn't a big deal.

[Dachsie5]

This forum is full of people who love to cruise with you. We have some issues that seem to be consistent problems that we need you to fix. Among those concerns are the following:

1. Whats with the coffee cards?? Are they or are they not good on future cruises? We don't want to be embarassed by ship staff that also don't seem to know this answer either.
   
2. Why can't you fix the A/C issues. I should not have to pay $9,000 for a cruise and then buy a fan for my room.
   
3. What is with the potatoes? There is no excuse for soggy fries. The oil is not hot enough that you are frying them in.
   
4. Why is the pool shut down on the last night?
   
5. Anytime dining is wonderful but not if you have to wait 40 minutes to be seated because the room is half filled with traditional time diners.
   
6. Does MUTS have to be on during the day? No one seems to appreciate the noise during the day. Please use it at night for what it originally was intended for.
   

Thank you for your consideration of these issues.

After just returning on Sunday, I can safely say that not all Princess customers have problems with these issues. Many, were laying around in the morning watching Muts while we were on our way to Breakfast in HC, all afternoon and in the evening. I had French Fries once and they were just fine, our AC was fine on our Balcony. I didn't hear of any complaints about the coffee card, besides, you can't bring your soda cup back from cruise to cruise and get refills, pay for a new one! And what is the big deal about waiting in line for dinner? You are on vacation............Why are people in such a hurry to eat?

[jwave]

So many people agree about the beds. Really for a vacation a floating hotel the beds should be at least as good as a Holiday Inn. They could really use upgraded mattresses OR bed frames or whatever makes them so awful.

 

I agree that it is hard to get the rooms cool enough for me. MUTS is too loud during the day. But the other issues are not deal breakers to me.

[Abercrombie2007]

This forum is full of people who love to cruise with you. We have some issues that seem to be consistent problems that we need you to fix. Among those concerns are the following:

1. Whats with the coffee cards?? Are they or are they not good on future cruises? We don't want to be embarassed by ship staff that also don't seem to know this answer either.Yes, Princess should make this policy clear - unfortunately if they address it, it will probably be to make the cards only good for the current cruise.
   
2. Why can't you fix the A/C issues. I should not have to pay $9,000 for a cruise and then buy a fan for my room. I've been lucky enough to not have a problem with this. Noticed a sign on the sliding door to please keep the door shut - so I did.
   
3. What is with the potatoes? There is no excuse for soggy fries. The oil is not hot enough that you are frying them in.Didn't experience soggy fries on either of my cruises, but the idea makes me gag.
   
4. Why is the pool shut down on the last night?We didn't notice if the pool was shut down, but the water was definitely much colder on the last day of our mediterranean cruise in the lotus pool - so we figured they must have changed the water overnight.
   
5. Anytime dining is wonderful but not if you have to wait 40 minutes to be seated because the room is half filled with traditional time diners.I've only waited once to be seated at anytime dining and we usually request a table for 2. I know that we have been lucky - also probably because we tend to eat earlier and haven't experienced the new earlier Trad Dining time.
   
6. Does MUTS have to be on during the day? No one seems to appreciate the noise during the day. Please use it at night for what it originally was intended for.I get why this bothers people, but there must be people that like it
   

Thank you for your consideration of these issues.

 

I'm sure that Princess listens to all of the complaints that it receives and when it can do something to increase your enjoyment of your cruise without taking away from someone else's enjoyment - they will probably try.

 

They mostly have done good by me. No complaints so far that would make me want to go somewhere else.

[we2cruze]

I didn't hear of any complaints about the coffee card, besides, you can't bring your soda cup back from cruise to cruise and get refills, pay for a new one!

The soda card is designed to pay a price and receive unlimited sodas for that cruise. The coffee card is designed to pay a price for a set number of coffees (I can't remember the exact number.. perhaps 15.) Therefore if someone does not use all of the coffees that they paid for, it is reasonable that the card could be used on a later cruise. (I said reasonable, not automatic.) I have only purchased the coffee card on longer cruises, so I have never had this problem.

[Coracii]

The soda card is designed to pay a price and receive unlimited sodas for that cruise. The coffee card is designed to pay a price for a set number of coffees (I can't remember the exact number.. perhaps 15.) Therefore if someone does not use all of the coffees that they paid for, it is reasonable that the card could be used on a later cruise. (I said reasonable, not automatic.) I have only purchased the coffee card on longer cruises, so I have never had this problem.

 

That's only half of the design for the coffee card. The other half is free, unlimited brewed coffee (as opposed to the syrup coffee that doesn't require the card) and that's more than likely what most people are bringing the card cruise after cruise for. That part of the coffee card is exactly the same as the soda card, so why should it be valid for multiple cruises while the soda card isn't? And, for full disclosure, I've never bought either one so I have no vested interest in the cards.

[Mom33]

You can't please all the people all the time, but you can please some of the people some of the time.

 

Nothing in life is perfect and when you board a ship of 1500 to 3000 or more people, you should be aware that those other people have likes and dislikes also. You share this vacation with all aboard.

 

Bon voyage!

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

For the OP,

 

Why not write direct to Princess, while it can take a while for a reply, it is

 

amazing some times who replies, have sent letters to customer services,

 

then months later an e mail from CEO saying letter had reached him and

 

my point was of interest, another time a letter from a VP,

 

 

yours Shogun

[Denny01]

I realize having MUTS during the day can be off-putting for some, but for others, enjoyable. Agree with the 'can't please all 2000'.

 

But I did want to say about the play on words that since it's called 'Movies Under the Stars', it shouldn't be during the day.......well, there are 'stars' out there, you just can't see them because of the very large 'star' shining during the day, so it is still MUTS!!

 

Couldn't help myself!

 

Denny

[Woobstr112G]

Good questions but far too general. For instance, what A/C problems? Should Princess eliminate balconies so passengers aren't inconsiderate and leave them open? What, when and where are the fries soggy? The wait times for Anytime have been that way since the beginning so that's nothing new but I do think that Princess should do what HAL does, i.e., if you have fixed dining and want to go to the open seating dining, you have to make the request and be approved before you can go. And, it's a permanent switch.

 

The pool is emptied to clean and have it ready for the next passengers. Would you rather they shut it down during the cruise to clean?

 

Pam;

 

Very good points.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

Hi There

 

For the OP,

 

Why not write direct to Princess, while it can take a while for a reply, it is

 

amazing some times who replies, have sent letters to customer services,

 

then months later an e mail from CEO saying letter had reached him and

 

my point was of interest, another time a letter from a VP,

 

 

yours Shogun

 

If the OP wants to, she can email me the letter. I start my new job on Monday which is about a quarter mile from Princess Corporate HQ. I could drop it off to Mr. Buckelew(sp) myself.....:D:):D

 

Bob

[gooch47]

Or they could clean the pool in the middle of the cruise because a passenger had an "accident." They actually had a sign posted explaining this. This happened on our most recent Grand Princess cruise.

[2pbears]

Good questions but far too general. For instance, what A/C problems? Should Princess eliminate balconies so passengers aren't inconsiderate and leave them open? What, when and where are the fries soggy? The wait times for Anytime have been that way since the beginning so that's nothing new but I do think that Princess should do what HAL does, i.e., if you have fixed dining and want to go to the open seating dining, you have to make the request and be approved before you can go. And, it's a permanent switch.

 

The pool is emptied to clean and have it ready for the next passengers. Would you rather they shut it down during the cruise to clean?

 

Pam, I read your posts faithfully and always gain good information from what you have to say but on this point I have to beg to differ. The Anytime dining situation in September on the Crown was no where near what it has been in our previous experience on other Princess ships. I don't know if it was the addition of the additional traditional dining time or the dining room management but IMO something DEFINITELY (yes, I know I am shouting) needs to be tweaked there.

[we2cruze]

That's only half of the design for the coffee card. The other half is free, unlimited brewed coffee (as opposed to the syrup coffee that doesn't require the card) and that's more than likely what most people are bringing the card cruise after cruise for. That part of the coffee card is exactly the same as the soda card, so why should it be valid for multiple cruises while the soda card isn't? And, for full disclosure, I've never bought either one so I have no vested interest in the cards.

 

Sorry, I forgot about that aspect, since I have only used my coffee cards for the specialty coffees. In that respect, I agree with it only being good for the one cruise, though I certainly won't argue if Princess honors it for subsequent cruises.

[navychop3]

Or they could clean the pool in the middle of the cruise because a passenger had an "accident." They actually had a sign posted explaining this. This happened on our most recent Grand Princess cruise.

 

I'm not interested in pools. Now I'm definitely not interested in pools, and am rethinking the hot tub!

[BurBunny]

That's only half of the design for the coffee card. The other half is free, unlimited brewed coffee (as opposed to the syrup coffee that doesn't require the card) and that's more than likely what most people are bringing the card cruise after cruise for. That part of the coffee card is exactly the same as the soda card, so why should it be valid for multiple cruises while the soda card isn't? And, for full disclosure, I've never bought either one so I have no vested interest in the cards.

 

The soda card you are paying a set amount per day of your cruise. The coffee card you are paying a set amount for a certain number of specialty coffees. Big difference.

 

As for the unlimited brewed coffees, that's a perk of the card, not the intent. While there are people who may buy it for that reason, that's not what Princess intended. They're giving us a bonus for purchasing the specialty coffee card.

 

I, for one, bring the card cruise after cruise because I don't always use 15 punches per cruise. I'm completing the use of the card for that, and in fact don't think I've ever used it for the brewed coffee as I prefer espresso to traditional drip brewed.

[Coracii]

The soda card you are paying a set amount per day of your cruise. The coffee card you are paying a set amount for a certain number of specialty coffees. Big difference.

 

As for the unlimited brewed coffees, that's a perk of the card, not the intent. While there are people who may buy it for that reason, that's not what Princess intended. They're giving us a bonus for purchasing the specialty coffee card.

 

I, for one, bring the card cruise after cruise because I don't always use 15 punches per cruise. I'm completing the use of the card for that, and in fact don't think I've ever used it for the brewed coffee as I prefer espresso to traditional drip brewed.

 

You see it as the difference between the two cards because of the way that you use the card. Princess specifically advertises the card as a combination of specialty coffees and free brewed coffees, it's not just a throw-in to the 15 punches. Most of the people that post here claiming to use the cards over the course of many voyages speak almost exclusively about the benefit of getting the brewed coffee for free using the card. Some even go as far as bragging about leaving one or two punches on the card just so they can continue using it for additional voyages to get the free brewed coffee. From someone who doesn't buy the cards and has no interest in coffee, I see this as abusing the system just the same as people that buy one soda card and share it with other people. Your experience with the card differs from what other people do to make us of it.

[Bowie MeMe]

Or they could clean the pool in the middle of the cruise because a passenger had an "accident." They actually had a sign posted explaining this. This happened on our most recent Grand Princess cruise.

 

Any pool on land or at sea that is a public pool has to have the water tested pretty much hourly. If the pool or hot tub has more bacteria than is allowed the pool has to be closed to users and chemicals put in to counter the bacteria. My SIL is a buildings manager and he has to do this and has to sign that he has tested and is in compliance. Health department can close pool down and fine the company and pool manager big time. This is also the reason for rules on no children under the age of 2 in pools and no diapers. If you watch you will see the pool attendant dipping and then recording the results about once an hour. If someone is sick or does something in the pool all must leave the pool immediately (so don't spread disease). Health club that has about 50 kids at a time doing swim lessons this happens way too frequently:mad:

 

YOU CAN USE THE POOL IN SAFETY BECAUSE THE POOL IS BEING MANAGED PROPERLY!

[Pam in CA]

Pam, I read your posts faithfully and always gain good information from what you have to say but on this point I have to beg to differ. The Anytime dining situation in September on the Crown was no where near what it has been in our previous experience on other Princess ships. I don't know if it was the addition of the additional traditional dining time or the dining room management but IMO something DEFINITELY (yes, I know I am shouting) needs to be tweaked there.

I can only share from personal experience. Maybe it's just the Crown but this September was my third cruise on the Crown in just over two years. Each time, the waits for Anytime were over 45 minutes and the Maitre d' was placing Anytime diners at unused tables in Traditional to handle the Anytime overflow. What I will concede is that it used to be that if you had Anytime and wanted to eat early, you were pretty much guaranteed to not have a wait. That's really what's changed, not whether there are now long lines when there didn't used to be. :)

 

A year or so ago, I had the opportunity to talk to James Deering, a very highly-respected Hotel Manager for HAL, then Princess, and now he's going back to HAL, and I asked him specifically about Traditional diners being allowed to go to Anytime any time they wanted. He said, and I'm quoting because it was "corporate speak", "They will be accommodated." So obviously, it's Princess' corporate policy to allow Tradional diners in Anytime whenever they want. IMHO, they are shooting themselves in the foot by trying to be accommodating to everyone because in being nice to Traditional diners, they're screwing Anytime diners.

[Toto2Kansas]

A year or so ago, I had the opportunity to talk to James Deering, a very highly-respected Hotel Manager for HAL, then Princess, and now he's going back to HAL, and I asked him specifically about Traditional diners being allowed to go to Anytime any time they wanted. He said, and I'm quoting because it was "corporate speak", "They will be accommodated." So obviously, it's Princess' corporate policy to allow Tradional diners in Anytime whenever they want. IMHO, they are shooting themselves in the foot by trying to be accommodating to everyone because in being nice to Traditional diners, they're screwing Anytime diners.

 

I totally agree with the above Pam. We can't choose anytime and then decide to go to the traditional dining room one evening (unless they send us there because of the overflow), it should be the same for both. Either traditional or anytime, but having it both ways for traditional diners just doesn't seem to be working at all. IMHO!

[Dachsie5]

I, for one, bring the card cruise after cruise because I don't always use 15 punches per cruise. I'm completing the use of the card for that, and in fact don't think I've ever used it for the brewed coffee as I prefer espresso to traditional drip brewed.

Thank you! My point was that it should be used for what it was intended for. On these boards, many times there is talk of always leaving one punch left so that you can go from Cruise to Cruise and get free brewed coffee. What if everyone did this? Does anyone feel that Princess should not make money at all on their brewed coffee? If that were the case, they would just serve it free everywhere. With all of the talk about saving the card forever, it is no doubt that they would change the rules at some point.