princess nickle and diming has gone too far

[phillipahain]

Just got off Emerald Princess Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale

UGHH

The ship is tired and all the chairs in Explorers lounge in dire need of a truly good upholsterer as all are like sitting in a ditch

Hot food selection in the Lido resembled pig swill and lacked any taste beyond 2 days when they actually served Fish and chips

Food was seldom more than luke warm across both lido and dining room and choices extremely uninteresting

Lots of things to do with a lovely group of Australian assistant cruise staff but the crescendo of noise of musak belted out in all venues denied any level of conversation before events and was with one exception being "Its a swell party"ear splitting

The lowly cabin and serving staff were great but officers,pursers etc were condescending and downright useless

As for Lee Childers Cruise Director you never saw him apart from his brief visits on stage with "MAKE SOME NOISE " Every performer was drowned out by extreme orchestra noise no doubt engineered by deaf sound techs which only those able to turn off hearing aids could tolerate

 

Elite benefits have been whittled away with laundry now taking 72 hours and elite bathroom amenities destroyed by a pathetic little bag and awful squirty shampoo and shower gell in the shower in place of the lovely Lotus Spa Eucalyptus bottles

 

Charges for port shuttles were $10 or even $15 yet a taxi was way cheaper

The Alcohol policy has become ridiculous

The coffee is pure dishwater

and the food very little better in many instances

even the most travelled passengers with over 2000 days were not impressed

 

 

All in all if Princess hope the way they treat passengers especially loyal cruisers is going to reap benefits they need to think again

 

Cannot see us cruising with them again until an entirely different attitude and quality re emerges

and yes we have over 400 days of previous happy cruising on many different Princess Ships inc Emerald

[cruiseryyc]

None of your complaints have anything to do with "nickle and diming" but an overall decrease in the entire cruise experience (food, staff, coffee, drinks, etc.).

[AKman2495]

None of your complaints have anything to do with "nickle and diming" but an overall decrease in the entire cruise experience (food, staff, coffee, drinks, etc.).

 

You took the words right out of my keyboard....

[cruisinfanatic]

Just got off Emerald Princess Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale

UGHH

The ship is tired and all the chairs in Explorers lounge in dire need of a truly good upholsterer as all are like sitting in a ditch

Hot food selection in the Lido resembled pig swill and lacked any taste beyond 2 days when they actually served Fish and chips

Food was seldom more than luke warm across both lido and dining room and choices extremely uninteresting

Lots of things to do with a lovely group of Australian assistant cruise staff but the crescendo of noise of musak belted out in all venues denied any level of conversation before events and was with one exception being "Its a swell party"ear splitting

The lowly cabin and serving staff were great but officers,pursers etc were condescending and downright useless

As for Lee Childers Cruise Director you never saw him apart from his brief visits on stage with "MAKE SOME NOISE " Every performer was drowned out by extreme orchestra noise no doubt engineered by deaf sound techs which only those able to turn off hearing aids could tolerate

 

Elite benefits have been whittled away with laundry now taking 72 hours and elite bathroom amenities destroyed by a pathetic little bag and awful squirty shampoo and shower gell in the shower in place of the lovely Lotus Spa Eucalyptus bottles

 

Charges for port shuttles were $10 or even $15 yet a taxi was way cheaper

The Alcohol policy has become ridiculous

The coffee is pure dishwater

and the food very little better in many instances

even the most travelled passengers with over 2000 days were not impressed

 

 

All in all if Princess hope the way they treat passengers especially loyal cruisers is going to reap benefits they need to think again

 

Cannot see us cruising with them again until an entirely different attitude and quality re emerges

and yes we have over 400 days of previous happy cruising on many different Princess Ships inc Emerald

Where are you going then?

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Now I was on the same cruise,

 

the entertainment was not to my liking, but the fact that shows were packed out with folks going to see the same performer more than once means that some folks were happy,

 

take the piano player in crooners bar, for me I would have used him for man over board practice, but every night it was packed out, with folks singing along.

 

I found volume levels to high,

 

As to main dining room food always hot, some time service slow, only once did I find a meal not to my liking,

 

As to my table mates I had new as well as top 40 most cruised, they praised the quality of food very highly,

 

we ate at chefs table and crown grill, folks said they would pay between $500 and $800 on land for such a meal.

 

the ship is due a major dry dock, so things looking a bit worn is not an issue just now, but might well be if not replaced,

 

as to cd Lee do not need to see or hear him, he has a job of organisation to do

 

again knitting is not my thing or making paper hats but others were happy to see such things

 

I did not like the selection on muts, skyfall to me is an evening movie and cartoons are during the day, to much US sports but others were happy to see such things.

 

no issues with coffee,

 

room service fast, burger grill as good as ever

 

some outstanding pizza

 

did not use horizon court, but others liked evening themed meals,

 

crab shack well attended

 

elite benefits just not there

 

yours Shogun

[eandj]

Sounds like a god awful cruise. :o Was there anything good besides the "fish and chips" onboard? If I had luke warm food in the dining room, I would return it. I hope the OP thought to say something about things that could be corrected while on board.

 

Some things have, indeed changed on ALL lines. over the years. Each line seems to hit different areas.

Edited October 18, 2015 by eandj

[Pam in CA]

elite benefits just not there

Steve, are you saying that Elite benefits weren't honored? Were they reduced or eliminated on your cruise.

 

About the only thing I agree with the OP is that Lee Childers is not a visible CD nor is he as organized as well as he should be. Generally, a CD won't affect your cruise experience but if he or she is a poor manager or disorganized, they do.

 

Food is very subjective. One person's "Yuck!" is another's "Yum!" I was on a cruise and met some ladies who thought that lamb was disgusting and weird. I happen to love lamb, preferable done medium rare.

[GUT2407]

Sounds awful.

 

Next time you pay I'll sail.

[Shogun]

Hi Pam,

 

I was late boarding but folks told me that standard boarding was faster than elite

 

due to numbers,

 

no tendering on this cruise, so not used

 

bathroom amenities, none they ran out

 

wine tasting ran out of the good wines, but still held.

 

internet very slow some folks never got on,

 

laundry was three or four days,

 

as to afternoon snacks in skywalkers with 2000 plus folks it was full

 

the couple of days l visited

 

mini bar not a problem,

 

so overall no real benefit to being elite on this cruise

 

yours Shogun

[icat2000]

How many elites were on board?

 

TA I did on the Caribbean Princess also had a 72 hour laundry turnaround for Elites.

Edited October 18, 2015 by icat2000

[Shogun]

Hi

 

As to elites depends on who you spoke to either 800 or 1200 all agreed on total of plat elite just not break down.

 

Most travelled was measured in years, you needed around 50 cruises to make top 50

 

 

yours Shogun

[Cruise Raider]

We had a similar cruise on the Star a few years ago. Had another cruise on her booked at the time and were past final payment but weren't really looking forward to this vacation.

The following year, we were on another Princess ship and ran into somebody that we met while on the Star. We told him our feelings about that ship and he said he had heard that from many passengers.

Well, we chose the Star again and loved it ... have another one booked on her as a matter of fact. I think a lot of this has to do with who is in charge at the time. That first cruise, we just couldn't even see to eat anything they had onboard. There were actually days we went without eating at all ... it was just that bad. I ordered room service one morning and got one of those egg muffins and an orange. The muffin was replaced by a dried out hamburger bun, the egg was obviously prepared the previous week ... ice cold and like hard rubber and you couldn't even squeeze one drop of juice from that thing they called an orange. Our waiter at dinner looked drenched with sweat and obviously did not feel well. He actually asked one of our table mates how she wanted her turkey cooked.

Boarding was a nightmare and didn't recognize anybody's captain's club status.

Our room steward on that cruise was absolutely the best ever, though.

My point being, we have had a cruise or two when everything has been a FAIL but gone back with a different staff / crew and had amazing vacation memories afterwards. Cannot explain the disparity other than some captains, some CD's, some chefs, some entertainers, some room stewards, some waiters are just better than others. The good and great have so far outnumbered the bad ones....and thank goodness for that!!

[timtrek]

 

Charges for port shuttles were $10 or even $15 yet a taxi was way cheaper

The Alcohol policy has become ridiculous

The coffee is pure dishwater

and the food very little better in many instances

even the most travelled passengers with over 2000 days were not impressed

 

What has changed with the alcohol policy or what was it that bothered you?

[satxdiver]

Sounds like the OP needs to move to Seabourn or HAL for their next cruise. In the MDR I have never had cold or inedible food on any ship and would send it back if I did. The HC is a buffet and serves food on a hot table which is notorious for not so hot or fresh food. When you go to the HC expect buffet level food not to say it is not good. As others have pointed out though food is highly subjective and what I like is not what you like. I am not sure what elite bennies the OP is talking about. Really there are only a few IMO. The mini-bar setup, free laundry and ability to board first are about it for us. We have always brought our own soap and shampoo including hand soap as this is the brand we like. I can understand the problem with hundreds of elite on board overloading the system and the inability to restock once the ship leaves the European port. There will inevitably be a shortage of certain items since they cannot always forecast what a particular set of pax might like. My last suggestion to the OP is if you want to sail on a new ship, try the Regal.

[OCruisers]

phillipahain (OP) ... Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your recent cruise. Hate it was a bad one for you.

 

Sad, because Emerald has always been one of our favorite ships.

Hopefully, things will improve after dry dock.

We are booked on her for 19 days in January.

 

LuLu

[BMP57]

Just got off Emerald Princess Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale

UGHH

The ship is tired and all the chairs in Explorers lounge in dire need of a truly good upholsterer as all are like sitting in a ditch

Hot food selection in the Lido resembled pig swill and lacked any taste beyond 2 days when they actually served Fish and chips

Food was seldom more than luke warm across both lido and dining room and choices extremely uninteresting

Lots of things to do with a lovely group of Australian assistant cruise staff but the crescendo of noise of musak belted out in all venues denied any level of conversation before events and was with one exception being "Its a swell party"ear splitting

The lowly cabin and serving staff were great but officers,pursers etc were condescending and downright useless

As for Lee Childers Cruise Director you never saw him apart from his brief visits on stage with "MAKE SOME NOISE " Every performer was drowned out by extreme orchestra noise no doubt engineered by deaf sound techs which only those able to turn off hearing aids could tolerate

 

Elite benefits have been whittled away with laundry now taking 72 hours and elite bathroom amenities destroyed by a pathetic little bag and awful squirty shampoo and shower gell in the shower in place of the lovely Lotus Spa Eucalyptus bottles

 

Charges for port shuttles were $10 or even $15 yet a taxi was way cheaper

The Alcohol policy has become ridiculous

The coffee is pure dishwater

and the food very little better in many instances

even the most travelled passengers with over 2000 days were not impressed

 

 

All in all if Princess hope the way they treat passengers especially loyal cruisers is going to reap benefits they need to think again

 

Cannot see us cruising with them again until an entirely different attitude and quality re emerges

and yes we have over 400 days of previous happy cruising on many different Princess Ships inc Emerald

 

I hope you completed your Survey upon cruise completion, complaining to us won't rectify the problems.

[OCruisers]

Let's all please keep in mind the OP has been a member or CC since 2003 with over 1,000 posts and is Elite on Princess with good experiences until the last cruise.

 

LuLu

[jbobst]

I agree these are first world problems, but the OP paid quite a bit of money for their cruise and I believe entitled to their opinion and complaints. We may not all see things the same way, but Princess advertising is hardly ever the product you actually get. I appreciate reading the opinions and think it is part of the way we consumers have for recourse to a bad experience. Obviously the post cruise survey and communication to Princess is the first line of recourse, but I am glad to have cruise critic to read critiques both pro and con.

Edited October 19, 2015 by jbobst

[mr green]

As of late Princess has not done that well on C.C.'s latest polls, the overall product appears to be slipping.

 

john

[Hlitner]

Forgot to mention an experience with Elite benefits that happened to us at Port Everglades on the Ruby last year). When we got to the terminal (about 11:30) it was really crowded. As we entered and cleared the initial security folks we were directed to the Elite line (queue for any Brits). Because this was a TA cruise there were hundreds of Elites and the lines were very long. We glanced over at the regular lines and they were not nearly as crowded, so we got out of the Elite line and went to the regular lines (we have been Elite for many years). Overheard a lady (as we were leaving the Elite line) say something like, "I have worked hard to be Elite and will be damned to get in the regular line." So we were quickly checked-in (while the other Elites were still waiting in line) and suspect we were on the ship and at lunch before that lady (or the other Elites) even got to the "priority" check in counter.

 

Hank

Edited October 19, 2015 by Hlitner

[CTGirl]

We were on the same cruise and we had a wonderful time. We were on for 21 days. It was the sixth time I we were on the Emerald. There were some problems with elevators and public toilets being out of order but I have seen much worse so it didn't bother me. There were over 800 elite on board so I expected laundry to take a few days. We just put in a little at a time and we did just fine.

 

We had seven sea days in a row. I did not participate in a lot of activities but I was never bored. They had musical instrument lessons which was something I had never seen on Princess before. I enjoyed that. They also had a Flash Mob. I didn't participate but my friends did. They had a great time and when they performed it looked like everyone was having fun.

 

We also had an enrichment lecturer talking about various artist. She was not affiliated with the art gallery at all. I went every day to hear her speak.

 

All in all the cruise was a good one. We visited some really wonderful ports and we had seven very relaxing sea days. What more could you ask for?

[bUU]

None of your complaints have anything to do with "nickle and diming" but an overall decrease in the entire cruise experience (food, staff, coffee, drinks, etc.).

And the manner the concerns were expressed were a bit over-the-top... basically categorical condemnation rather than details about what actually happened that help the reader imagine being there and making their own determination of the quality of the experience.

 

Where are you going then?

This is critical. What's changed over the last ten years, twenty years, etc., is the industry overall. So the alternatives are changing along with each other. Lots of the aspects that the OP mentioned are things that fewer and fewer passenger place at the top of their priority list.

 

Some things have, indeed changed on ALL lines. over the years. Each line seems to hit different areas.

From my reading, even that seems to be random. They're all struggling to find the best path forward for their investors, in the face of an ever-changing marketplace, filled with increasingly price-sensitive consumers.

 

Food is very subjective. One person's "Yuck!" is another's "Yum!"

True, but I think what we're seeing - everywhere, not just on cruise ships - is a reclassification of food as part of the vacation experience. Even ten years ago there were still people who could reliably count on being able to "cruise for the food" for example. The more that consumers in general vary with regard to the value they individually place on a relatively expensive aspect of any vacation experience, the better off the provider is downgrading that aspect of the experience and offering a premium experience aside from it. I cannot believe how many arena concerts now have special seating areas with table service! That's a far cry from a muddy field on a farm in upstate New York. Airline service has cycled around itself, the economy seating getting progressively more bare bones and caustic, so much so that airlines have started offering a "premium economy" service, at a higher price, for service that is essentially what they used to offer for their standard economy service. And so on. Edited October 19, 2015 by bicker

[Ron the Rev]

None of your complaints have anything to do with "nickle and diming" but an overall decrease in the entire cruise experience (food, staff, coffee, drinks, etc.).

I's the same thru the whole of the cruise industry. Going the same way as the airlines did 40 years ago.:mad:

[flamomo]

Just got off Emerald Princess Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale

UGHH

The ship is tired and all the chairs in Explorers lounge in dire need of a truly good upholsterer as all are like sitting in a ditch

Hot food selection in the Lido resembled pig swill and lacked any taste beyond 2 days when they actually served Fish and chips

Food was seldom more than luke warm across both lido and dining room and choices extremely uninteresting

Lots of things to do with a lovely group of Australian assistant cruise staff but the crescendo of noise of musak belted out in all venues denied any level of conversation before events and was with one exception being "Its a swell party"ear splitting

The lowly cabin and serving staff were great but officers,pursers etc were condescending and downright useless

As for Lee Childers Cruise Director you never saw him apart from his brief visits on stage with "MAKE SOME NOISE " Every performer was drowned out by extreme orchestra noise no doubt engineered by deaf sound techs which only those able to turn off hearing aids could tolerate

 

Elite benefits have been whittled away with laundry now taking 72 hours and elite bathroom amenities destroyed by a pathetic little bag and awful squirty shampoo and shower gell in the shower in place of the lovely Lotus Spa Eucalyptus bottles

 

Charges for port shuttles were $10 or even $15 yet a taxi was way cheaper

The Alcohol policy has become ridiculous

The coffee is pure dishwater

and the food very little better in many instances

even the most travelled passengers with over 2000 days were not impressed

 

 

All in all if Princess hope the way they treat passengers especially loyal cruisers is going to reap benefits they need to think again

 

Cannot see us cruising with them again until an entirely different attitude and quality re emerges

and yes we have over 400 days of previous happy cruising on many different Princess Ships inc Emerald

 

 

Hmmm! I was on that same cruise, and had a wonderful time, ate plenty of really good food in the Dining Room, at the buffet, from the International Café, and during 2 great visits to the Crown Grill. There was all sorts of entertainment available to choose from.

My cabin was very comfortable, clean, and well attended to every day by my pleasant, cheerful hard-working steward.

 

I found all staff and crew that I encountered to also be pleasant and helpful. I had the good fortune to get on the elevator one day to find the only other passenger was our Captain, and he too was pleasant, friendly and cheerful.

 

Yes, the turnaround time for Elite laundry was 72 hours, which is not unusual when there are roughly 1000 Elite passengers onboard. BUT it's free!! And one does not have to spend time in the self service laundry. So who cares!! In the end, everything came back clean, pressed, hanging on hangers, and in good condition.

 

I did not receive my Elite toiletries. Yes, I would liked to have gotten them, but not getting them certainly did not make me bitter toward Princess. Even without them, I had everything I really needed for personal hygiene.

 

If there was really anything to complain about, it was the internet and it's problems that the techs in the Internet Café did not seem to be able to resolve. IMO, there really is something wrong with the system on that ship, and even the manager of the internet Café himself admitted there was.

 

Otherwise it was a great cruise for me and my friends, and the Emerald is a lovely ship with a great crew, and I can't wait for my next Princess Cruise. JMHO, of course.

 

[PrincessLuver]

Just got off Emerald Princess Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale

UGHH

The ship is tired and all the chairs in Explorers lounge in dire need of a truly good upholsterer as all are like sitting in a ditch

Hot food selection in the Lido resembled pig swill and lacked any taste beyond 2 days when they actually served Fish and chips

Food was seldom more than luke warm across both lido and dining room and choices extremely uninteresting

Lots of things to do with a lovely group of Australian assistant cruise staff but the crescendo of noise of musak belted out in all venues denied any level of conversation before events and was with one exception being "Its a swell party"ear splitting

The lowly cabin and serving staff were great but officers,pursers etc were condescending and downright useless

As for Lee Childers Cruise Director you never saw him apart from his brief visits on stage with "MAKE SOME NOISE " Every performer was drowned out by extreme orchestra noise no doubt engineered by deaf sound techs which only those able to turn off hearing aids could tolerate

 

Elite benefits have been whittled away with laundry now taking 72 hours and elite bathroom amenities destroyed by a pathetic little bag and awful squirty shampoo and shower gell in the shower in place of the lovely Lotus Spa Eucalyptus bottles

 

Charges for port shuttles were $10 or even $15 yet a taxi was way cheaper

The Alcohol policy has become ridiculous

The coffee is pure dishwater

and the food very little better in many instances

even the most travelled passengers with over 2000 days were not impressed

 

 

All in all if Princess hope the way they treat passengers especially loyal cruisers is going to reap benefits they need to think again

 

Cannot see us cruising with them again until an entirely different attitude and quality re emerges

and yes we have over 400 days of previous happy cruising on many different Princess Ships inc Emerald

 

We just had good friends who we talked into taking the Regal TA from Copenhagen. They have cruised other lines but it was their first time they had cruised Princess. They kept saying that they felt "nickel and dimed to death" on Princess and would not be selling them again.....evidently you are not alone...:)