Changes in Princess since the 1990's

[Hflors]

We are booked on our first cruise on princess since the 1990's. What changes can we expect?

 

Do they still have the little miniature desserts?

I can't remember much of anything else, but I do remember them

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Helen

[skynight]

We are booked on our first cruise on princess since the 1990's. What changes can we expect?

 

Do they still have the little miniature desserts?

I can't remember much of anything else, but I do remember them

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Helen

Your question is very broad. What ship? Where are you going? What month?

 

Yes they still have the small finger sized desserts, but you have to ask for them. They now have the Hotel Charge (auto-tip) added to your account each day. No running around on the last day with tips for the staff. You can, of course, tip extra. You have a choice of Anytime Dining or Traditional Dining. Lots of alternate free and surcharge dining venues to choose from. Movies Under the Stars (MUTS).

[jsiegel]

The little desserts sound like the petite fours and mignardises (spelling is wrong) which is now only offered on formal nights. If you loved the dessert souffles on your past Princess cruise with a different flavor each night, sorry to say that they are only served a couple of times now.

 

The ships are a lot bigger now than the old Regal. More public areas devoted to revenue generating venues (such as the wine bar) The libraries are smaller with a smaller selection of books. The internet is better with wi-fi now available in cabins to some extent.

 

The menus are less adventuresome. Gone is the venison I used to love.

 

The beds are softer now with the pillow-top mattresses.

 

Lemonade in the buffet at lunch is a nice new addition since the 90's. Soft-serve ice cream for free also added since then. Gone is the mid-afternoon scooped house-made ice cream offered in the buffet.

 

Other than the dessert, what do you especially remember about your Princess cruise in the past?

 

Jackie

[paul929207]

Smoking is restricted to a few areas. Not in cabin or balcony.

 

You can only carry on 2 bottles of wine per cabin. For any extras you pay $15 corkage fee.

 

Dress code is not enforced.

 

Retired and Active Military are eligible for OBC. Must apply

[Astro Flyer]

Without knowing the ship it's difficult to give a complete answer to your question.

 

In addition to the changes others have posted they now have several types of drink packages which you can view at http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

 

They've added other fee based options such as specialty dining & gelato but have also added some good free options such as the International Café & on some ships a sitdown Alfredo's Pizzeria. Unless you have any specific questions I'd suggest also searching the Princess website to see what they now offer decades after your last Princess cruise.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Astro Flyer]

Retired and Active Military are eligible for OBC. Must apply

Thankfully Princess also includes veterans who received an honorable discharge with a minimum of two years of military service or six months in an active war zone.

 

http://www.princess.com/military_benefit_program/#.U7XGbmK9KSM

Edited July 3, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

The beds are softer now with the pillow-top mattresses.

 

Have to call your bluff on that one! :eek:

[pablo222]

We are booked on our first cruise on princess since the 1990's. What changes can we expect?

 

No separate pasta course.

 

No longer is wait staff entirely italian.

[fishywood]

According to your signature your last Princess cruises were 20 years ago on the previous Star and Regal Princess--pre-dating the Grand class and even the Sun class of ships. It is best to not even try to recollect your dining experience on those ships as today's will be unrecognizable by comparison.

 

Mignardises may be offered on one of the formal nights; if you ask your waiter the first night he might be able to secure them other nights.

You can request the Fettuccine Alfredo or the pasta of the night as a separate course, but more than likely they will bring it as a side dish with your entree.

Dress code has changed from three well-defined categories (Elegant Casual, Semi-Formal and Formal) to either "pretty much anything goes" or "let's pretend to dress nicely tonight" and does not apply to any other public areas than the MDR.

 

And as others have said, it would help to know which Princess ship you are planning to sail. The new Royal and Regal Princess are distinctly different from the others consisting mainly of a pastiche of the most popular features cribbed from RCI and NCL.

Edited July 3, 2014 by fishywood

[Hflors]

As you can see in my signature we will be sailing the crown next year. Thanks for the info on the little disserts. I loved them. Didn't know they existed until a woman at our table folded her menu and said "I'll have one of each" I couldn't believe my ears and then I saw the plate they put before her. After that evey night I ordered "one of each"!

 

I guess we will just need to wait and see. We are looking forward to this new adventure.

[Astro Flyer]

As you can see in my signature we will be sailing the crown next year.

Many of us view CC on smartphones or tablets and disable signatures to save space & thus do not see things listed there.

[lovevacadays]

We are booked on our first cruise on princess since the 1990's. What changes can we expect?

 

Do they still have the little miniature desserts?

I can't remember much of anything else, but I do remember them

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Helen

 

My first Princess cruise was in 1997 on the then new Sea Princess. I thought the ship was beautiful, food great, etc. Yes, there are changes since the 90's but I like a lot of them. I love the International Café and the Specialty Restaurants. As much as I loved the Sea Princess I really like the Grand Class ships including the Crown because of the aft pool area, the mid-pools are better, I don't remember there being a SkyWalkers when I sailed the Sea Princess, many things.

 

No separate pasta course.

 

No longer is wait staff entirely italian.

 

There are a couple of pastas and the left side of the menu each evening. If I want a Pasta meal I have them double it as my entrée and add a salad. Perfect Dinner! I'm hoping that the Bow Tie Pasta is on my 3 day cruise in November so I can have it as my main entrée.:):):)

[Hflors]

Many of us view CC on smartphones or tablets and disable signatures to save space & thus do not see things listed there.

 

Thanks for telling me that. I am not very update on phones and I didn't know it. I kept thinking "why don't people see my next cruise on the crown???"

[paul929207]

Thanks for telling me that. I am not very update on phones and I didn't know it. I kept thinking "why don't people see my next cruise on the crown???"

I don't have to see your Crown cruise. We will be there with you!!!!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for telling me that. I am not very update on phones and I didn't know it. I kept thinking "why don't people see my next cruise on the crown???"

 

Its there.

[sonnenschein]

The nice cabin amenneties have gone away unless you booked a suite,not mini suite. We used to get little bottles of shampoo,conditioner,emery board,q-tips a loafer and eye mask but not anymore. Be for warned and bring your own hair products and also a nice bar of soap for the shower/bathtub. Princess has installed 2 pump bottles in the shower one with lousy bath soap and one with

shampoo/conditioner which will make your hair look like straw. The soap at the sink has been made very small,just big enough to wash your hands.

The lobsters on formal night a so small and tough,hardly worth waiting for. You will see a lot of cost cutting compared to your cruise in the nineties.....and still I love going on a cruise,:D I am looking forward instead of what it used to be. Go with the flow and enjoy all the new stuff Princess has to offer from the international cafe to Skywalker,Movies under the stars, the crown grill where the food is to die for,sooooo god for a small extra charge and most of all have fun on your cruise :) Happy Sailing,the Crown is a beautiful ship

[Astro Flyer]

There are a couple of pastas and the left side of the menu each evening. If I want a Pasta meal I have them double it as my entrée and add a salad. Perfect Dinner! I'm hoping that the Bow Tie Pasta is on my 3 day cruise in November so I can have it as my main entrée.:):):)

 

My 1st "Princess" cruise in 1988 was on Sitmar's Fairwind & I enjoyed the pasta course very much. Six months later on the same ship now the Dawn Princess I was happy to see that the pasta course was still an option. Most nights I have an appetizer size of the pasta & that carbo loading gives me the energy for my daily brisk walk. ;) How's that for a rationalization to have my pasta course. :p

[pablo222]

There are a couple of pastas and the left side of the menu each evening. If I want a Pasta meal I have them double it as my entrée and add a salad. Perfect Dinner! I'm hoping that the Bow Tie Pasta is on my 3 day cruise in November so I can have it as my main entrée.:):):)

 

Yum. But, there used to be a separate course on the menu

between salad and entre.

 

I remember on old crown -- waiter had big serving dish of pasta

-- maybe 12" x 24" that was for station. One passenger took

entire dish.

 

That is why they have to have chairs without arms in the dining room.

[cubfan63]

When I first started cruising Princess in 1990, the Italian waiters would serve you by first putting a empty plate down. Then they would serve you and any other with same entree from a silver-colored tray. The pasta, as noted, was also served this way.

 

Also now the vegetables are on the plate, rather than there being a tray that everyone is served from.

[geoherb]

The good thing about the vegetables being served on the plate is that there are more options now. If you see a side dish you'd like that comes with a different entree, just ask your waiter for an order of it. The big change we noticed was the charge for after-dinner specialty coffees (espresso, cappuccino, etc.) That started in late 2003. I don't drink them, but DH does. He usually buys a coffee card (or has some punches on one leftover from a previous cruise).

 

The other big change is the International Cafe. I think most ships have one now. It's a great place to grab a bite to eat and avoid the crowds of people in the buffet. They have great desserts there as well.

 

Anytime dining is available for those people who don't want to be stuck at the same table every night. We still prefer traditional dining.

[STUR]

We are booked on our first cruise on princess since the 1990's. What changes can we expect?

 

Do they still have the little miniature desserts?

I can't remember much of anything else, but I do remember them

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Helen

Our first cruise was in 1989 on the old Pacific Princess (The real Love Boat)

This is when they really took care of you Dinner was fantastic the prepared food at your table Fresh Vegies served to your plate & Posta When your entry came that is all that was on your plate All over the ship you where waited on although it may not be as glitzy you felt like the rich and famous (Formal night was a true Formal night) We always compare to our first cruise and there is no Comparison You are not nickel & dimed as you are now every thing was first class no mater what category cabin you had

We try to cruise at least once a year

The only thing we have found close to the service on our first cruise are the river Boats in Europe We are Elite level with Princess Our next cruise will be Mexico on the Crown January 2016

STUR DAYTON,OHIO

[FlynnRider78]

There is no midnight buffet anymore (we used to love that) but the international cafe is a fantastic addition.

[mr green]

In the MDRs at dinner you will no longer be served a crab dish, and 'lobster night' usually comes with steak on the same dish.

You will be charged for fancy coffees, and fruit juices at both lunch , and dinner, and if you did not pay for sodas in the 90's you will now.

You will no longer have a tray in the Buffet, just a large plate, and the food is not as attractive in either as it used to be.

The cabins have much better TVs and also nice little safes.

Shows in the main theatres now only run for half an hour.

There are no 'Bridge Directors' in the almost no existent 'games rooms' except for 'world cruises'.

There may be a few, non smoking nights in the casinos.

 

The above are just a few of the many many changes, such as showing your key card at 'Life Boat Drill'.

 

I hope that you make the very best of these, and other changes that my wife and I have.

 

john

[FlynnRider78]

Ooh your cruise card now acts as your room key and way to pay for onboard items, when I started cruising in 1990 we had a very thin piece of card as our cruise card.. can't remember how we opened the cabin door mind you..!!!!

[OCruisers]

My 1st "Princess" cruise in 1988 was on Sitmar's Fairwind & I enjoyed the pasta course very much. Six months later on the same ship now the Dawn Princess I was happy to see that the pasta course was still an option. Most nights I have an appetizer size of the pasta & that carbo loading gives me the energy for my daily brisk walk. ;) How's that for a rationalization to have my pasta course. :p

 

Love it! Our first Princess cruise was also booked on our favorite Sitmar!

Happily, pasta is one of the things Princess still has!

Like you ... we also order an appetizer size of the pasta. Works for us! :)

LuLu