Is there no quality control on Princess?

[Loonbeam]

Agreed, but at least in this case there is a clear written policy, which gives me hope.

 

I am almost certain that come January, enforcement will start out being a bit more gentle...

 

Your point is exactly why I think all the cheering and huzzahs regarding the new smoking policy may be somewhat premature....

[Astro Flyer]

I don't think its a matter of quality control. Actually to me what their problem, no lets call it an issue is, is an attempt at too much customer service.

 

A lot of the issues reported (food and entertainment quality aside - that's subjective) descend from Princess not having clear written policies about things, and sometimes lax enforcement. Things that fall into this category include standing reservations (or any reservations) for AD, letting TD into AD, chair hogs, the list goes on.

 

Princess tries to give its staff the flexibility to handle situations to keep the customer happy, but that unfortunately results in inconsistent experiences across not just the fleet but sometimes on the same ship and that can impact people's opinion.

I agree with your thoughts & it is a dual edge sword.

 

If they're inflexible they get criticized; if they use discretion then it's inconsistency to those who may want the same thing but didn't get it. In some situations, they're damned if they do & damned if they don't...with no way to have everyone happy :rolleyes:

 

I'd rather have Princess give their employees the ability to solve a situation & to have some flexibility to deviate from some procedure when it's best for a passenger. That list of issues could be endless (we've all read about them & have our own opinions) but I'm glad they give them some flexibilty to do what's best to seek a solution. I'm certainly not suggesting to frequently bend the rules, however sometimes it's the best thing to do in certain situations. As long as those situations are handled the same way for every passenger, then it doesn't bother me. :p

 

If you take away that discretion, then you end up with situations like dealing with the TSA...the rules are in cement with no room for discretionary action resulting in the well publicized instances where there's a lack of common sense...one not permitted by TSA directives. :rolleyes:

[wristband]

I think these are valid points, esp life cyle differences between passengers and qualitative differences the same passenger may experience at different stages of their life. I noted a couple that was fighting quite openly and had unhappy faces throughout the cruise. Their relationship certainly had an impact on their evaluation of the cruise.

 

Though I am not especially sensitive to salt, I thought soups were consistently inedible due to oversalting. I could not finish several soups due to heavy handed salting but, alas, it comes out of the same tub so no substitution. So...I stopped ordering soup. I found entree meats and chicken heavily salted. Those with high blood pressure might have a health concern here so I am surprised lower/no salt options are not available for the same dish. Sugar free cakes are offered so no salt options might be welcome.

 

Perhaps the prevalence of oversalting is to enhance flavor of the same basic dishes served for 3,000 passengers?

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

I have been lucky to do a number of chefs tables all were prepared by different head chefs.

 

No two were the same, some were beter than others, this does not mean I had a bad meal, only different,

 

There is nothing wrong with this, now some one sitting next to me could have been doing their first and thought it outstanding, while I could have thought it the poorest,

 

The only real question is are we getting value for our money.

 

yours Shogun

[Astro Flyer]

Hi All

 

I have been lucky to do a number of chefs tables all were prepared by different head chefs.

 

No two were the same, some were beter than others, this does not mean I had a bad meal, only different,

 

There is nothing wrong with this, now some one sitting next to me could have been doing their first and thought it outstanding, while I could have thought it the poorest,

 

The only real question is are we getting value for our money.

 

yours Shogun

Well said Shogun...with dozens of cruises I feel that we get a good value for our money & so must many others who continue to fill up cruise ships. Our experience has been that we've never had a bad cruise...only some that were better than others. :p

[Pia1913]

Well said Shogun...with dozens of cruises I feel that we get a good value for our money & so must many others who continue to fill up cruise ships. Our experience has been that we've never had a bad cruise...only some that were better than others. :p

 

Exactly.

[Pam in CA]

Well said Shogun...with dozens of cruises I feel that we get a good value for our money & so must many others who continue to fill up cruise ships. Our experience has been that we've never had a bad cruise...only some that were better than others. :p

 

Exactly.

Ditto. :)

[gargoyle999]

a cruise is not a mass-produced thing like the 6 billionth McD's cheeseburger, but the range of comments and alleged inconsistencies in service is... mystifying.

 

I think mainstream cruise lines are sort of like a mass produced thing. Some people just shouldn't go on them just like some people shouldn't go to McDonald's. I like both of them. :D

[PrincessMelody]

Interesting thread! Obviously, you can't please everyone all the time...but I think Princess does pretty well overall! My DH and I aren't extremely picky eaters, but we enjoy good food. After seven Princess cruises on various ships, We have found the food quality really good overall.

 

I know there are people who complain that Princess food is inferior to the luxury lines, but that is an unfair comparison. Princess offers quality plus a good value for the money...that's why we keep coming back. :)

[PescadoAmarillo]

I am almost certain that come January, enforcement will start out being a bit more gentle...

Wow. I certainly hope not. We already have "feather-light" enforcement of no saving loungers, no saving theater seats, no children in the adult pools, no bringing alcohol on board and suggested attire in the dining room. I really wish Princess would bring out the big guns on at least one of these things. Non-enforcement of rules simply tells some of us that, as passengers, we aren't as important as those people.

[doubletree07]

Wow. I certainly hope not. We already have "feather-light" enforcement of no saving loungers, no saving theater seats, no children in the adult pools, no bringing alcohol on board and suggested attire in the dining room. I really wish Princess would bring out the big guns on at least one of these things. Non-enforcement of rules simply tells some of us that, as passengers, we aren't as important as those people.

 

Couldn't have said it better. Those seat savers (pools and theater)

really chap my butt.:eek: Why do some people feel entitled to break the rules? Wish Princess would enforce them. My favorite (sarcasm here) is after sitting in the theater for 45 minutes waiting for a show and observing seat savers all around us - 5 minutes before the show there is an announcement no seat saving allowed. :mad:

[crusinbanjo]

.......

 

.......What I don't like is sharing a boat with 2500 of my closest friends. This will be the last large ship we sail on.

 

My feelings exactly! My Biggest ship experience was a mere 1500 passenger vessel. That was way to big for us, we love the small ships and plan our cruising accordingly.

[Loonbeam]

That would be my preference as well, but I would also understand a soft roll out as many people may not have seen the announcement. So, for lets say the month of January, a polite reminder in the patter might be sufficient, easy on the fines. Once March rolls around, things should tighten as word gets further afield...

 

Also, one thing to remember. The smoking policy is now a written clear policy that will be included in the cruise contract. Princess does NOT have formal written policies on seat holding, chair holding, TD diners in AD, reservations, etc. Attire is 'suggested' and therefore also not a firm policy. That's the real problem in that that ships have no standard to enforce and thus make it up themselves. There is a written alcohol policy, and if you are obvious about bringing non-grape based beverages on board they will be taken, but Princess has opted not to hand check every bag, I can see the pros and cons of that approach.

 

Wow. I certainly hope not. We already have "feather-light" enforcement of no saving loungers, no saving theater seats, no children in the adult pools, no bringing alcohol on board and suggested attire in the dining room. I really wish Princess would bring out the big guns on at least one of these things. Non-enforcement of rules simply tells some of us that, as passengers, we aren't as important as those people.

[Sailfish]

I think there are some serious issues with quality control on all cruise lines; but Princess is better than most. A lot I believe has to do with implementation. A great example is the food. Despite having a close to identical menu fleet wide, what you get differs slightly from ship to ship. Service too depends on the individual employee. But these issues are common to land based resorts too - take Sandals for example, where they pretty much have the same formula (same food, same restaurants, same activities) in all their resorts. Sandal's actually does a slightly better job of "quality control" than most cruise lines, but there too a lot depends on implementation. Disney is probably the best - but as you know, quality control does not come cheap.

 

Despite some short comings, I still feel Princess does a great job.

[homeinboca]

This is a very interesting thread, and I've read all the comments. I don't have as much experience with Cruise lines as some of the others, but we have really enjoyed our experience on Princess. We've done RCI and Celebrity also, and I think we'll stick with Princess. I just felt comfortable for us. Perhaps one day, when we do a multi-generational cruise when our kids have kids, we'll go back to RCI or even do a Disney.

 

For some, food is a very important thing they want from a cruise. They pay for all you can eat, and expect it! I expect decent quality, but understand limitations when you are cooking for thousands. I really enjoy Sabatinis and Crown Grill, but have read others who have complained about their meals there.

 

The great thing about cruising is the variety it offers, and no one tells you what to do. If you want to find a quiet spot and read - do it! It you want to party and dance the night away - do it!

 

I agree with the posters that say there is no such thing as a bad cruise, like there is no such thing as a bad round of golf. Whatever happens, it's better than being in the office. And stuff does happen, it's just how you roll with it.

[Sailfish]

Quality Control is an issue of uniformity - consistently offering the same product quality throughout the line. It has little to do with subjectivity, though most replies here are just that!

 

My issue with most cruise lines is they are not consistent; one ship will do a better job with beef, while others might have better service. It is the goal of each cruise line brand to offer the same quality fleet wide, but IMO they often fall short of that goal.

 

That said, that doesn't mean the overall product is bad. It just means that individual ships pretty much do their own thing - some better than others. Seems to be the nature of cruises.

[crusinbanjo]

Well said Shogun...with dozens of cruises I feel that we get a good value for our money & so must many others who continue to fill up cruise ships. Our experience has been that we've never had a bad cruise...only some that were better than others. :p

 

Same here. never had a bad cruise some are just kore memorable

[pakarinen]

My issue with most cruise lines is they are not consistent; one ship will do a better job with beef, while others might have better service. It is the goal of each cruise line brand to offer the same quality fleet wide, but IMO they often fall short of that goal.

 

That seems to make the most sense based on comments here.

 

I'm still very much looking forward to sailing and do intend to roll with any punches. As long as the scrambled eggs aren't runny. ;):D