What are the "little things" the accountants think we'll never miss when they're gone

[azdmelani]

After finally becoming Elite in my 30s I can honestly say that I think that Princess has not gone far downhill from my first cruise on the Grand in 1999. Do i miss some things? Sure.

Will it stop me from cruising Princess? Nope. After all, being on a ship is so much better than working.

 

All of the below are things that are "nice to have" but not vital to my cruising experience

- Crab legs

- tableside caesar salad/bananas foster prep

-fruit soups that are actually soups, not virgin drinks

-the crew show including If I were Not Upon the Sea (hasnt happened on my past few cruises, but understand it's CD driven)

 

I had to brainstorm rather hard to come up with these items. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[yoyosma]

Here's something I really miss on Caribbean cruises. The first evening seafood buffet with mountains of king crab legs, lobster claws, scrimp and other things. It was a delightful thing. And several consecutive years in a row they served king crab at least twice, sometimes 3 times in the MDR. I love crab lots but not lobster so much. Those days are long gone but they were a big wow factor for me. And the Love Boat theme they played in the theater and at sail away. And I remember a million years ago when they decorated inside the terminal - streamers and balloons.

 

At least I can still get honeydew sorbet on the first night.

 

I miss the streamers and confetti too, but that was environmentally bad so really have no complaints there. Not to mention a real mess.

Edited November 12, 2015 by yoyosma

[mr green]

After finally becoming Elite in my 30s I can honestly say that I think that Princess has not gone far downhill from my first cruise on the Grand in 1999.

 

I began cruising with Princess at about the same time, however IMO Princess, like most other cruise lines, has, to use an Olde English term, gone so far down the drain that Harpec could not reach it.

 

john

[MJSailors]

My DH and I are Platinum level on Princess.

Our first Princess cruise was on the Sapphire to Alaska in 2004.

Yes,we have seen changes on the Princess ships over the past few years,but I do not think changes in quality are limited to the Princess line.

I think change is happening on most cruise lines.

For example, we cruised on the original NCL Dawn in the 1980s from NYC to Bermuda.

We enjoyed that cruise very much.

There was a Promenade deck where we took our daily walks,a large pool area.,passengers dressed nicely for dinner every evening in the MDR (no shorts,jeans or baseball caps).

On one of the formal nights, the Captain was in the MDR during the traditional dining time and offered a toast ,encouraging the guests to join him in drinking the Aquavit (sp?) a Scandinavian drink that was served at each guest's place.

It was a convivial.and memorable moment.

Fast forward to a recent cruise we took on the NCL Breakaway to Bermuda a few months ago.

The Promenade deck is now the Waterfront,a place of bars and restaurants. The pools were very small.

Areas that could have been used for larger pools were given to a rock wall.,a ropes course and waterslides.

We never saw the captain.

As for passengers' outfits, I can say that we ate at Cagney's ,which is a specialty restaurant that had a dress code of cruise casual-collared shirts and slacks for the gentlemen.

Most guests followed that dress suggestion.

However,at a table near us a family came to the table with the father in well worn jeans and the son in a tee shirt with a logo on most of the front of the shirt.

I do not want to start a thread about dress codes here,I am trying to show the difference from dining in the 1980s and the present.

Why these changes.?

I think there are a few reasons.

Cruise lines are businesses focused on the bottom line.

They are filling ships with revenue producing venues.

Cruise lines are also looking at demographics.

Let's face it- the Baby Boomers are aging. (I am one of them).

Cruise lines are looking to appeal to younger cruise customers and families so that they will have customers in future generations.

it seems that rope courses ,water slides,and ice bars are appealing to cruisers over formal night dress codes,bridge games,and napkin folding demos.

Change is a reality.

It is obvious in our culture, it is reflected on what cruise lines offer.

We will continue to cruise.

It is a relaxing,affordable way for us to travel.

Do we like the changes we observe ? Some yes,some no.

But, flexible people do not break,so we will try to be flexible.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Norris, I'm sorry to tell you on my first Celebrity cruise in Nov. 2014 the only pillow chocolate we received was on the first formal night. According to our steward that is the policy now. Pillow chocolates were sorely missed!

 

We don't plan on taking any more Celebrity cruises in the future - not because of chocolate. We just didn't care for that line.

Just got off the Star 3 hours ago and had chocolates on the pillow every nite during the cruise. If no chocolates is now "policy" it must be on a ship-by-ship basis.

 

Tom

[Bimmer09]

Just got off the Star 3 hours ago and had chocolates on the pillow every nite during the cruise. If no chocolates is now "policy" it must be on a ship-by-ship basis.

 

Tom

 

Tom I don't think anyone has said that the chocs have gone- I said they could go as a cost-cutting measure...

 

Norris

[wmwmarmstrong]

Instead of a top sheet, they have a duvet.

 

If you want a top sheet, just ask your cabin steward.

 

Thanks so much caribill, I was thinking about packing my own!

[suzyed]

Midnight Mass for Christmas pretty much fills the Princess Theater. The Christmas morning Mass was a little over half filled in the same venue.

 

My wife and I once led the music for the Midnight and Christmas morning Masses while on a cruise, and being on stage by the altar, we could see the theater population which contained both crew and passengers.

The priest also conducted Protestant services on Sundays and had a separate Christmas early morning Mass in the crew area. The Cruise Director onboard had been seminary trained in the Church of England, and conducted a midnight service for other Christians while Mass was in progress, using the Fusion Lounge.

 

And maybe that's the answer to those wondering why Princess would supply a Catholic priest for the major feasts of the church year: Christmas and Easter.

There is a significant population aboard for which the Mass or the Christian service at these times makes the cruise more meaningful, as these are the feasts of life - birth and resurrection.

 

Christmas, especially, is a family event, and brings in additional revenue due to families cruising. Church services are part of the tradition (and meaning), without which fewer families would sail, or pay extra for a holiday cruise. Having clergy aboard is simply good business for the cruise lines.

 

Working with the priest for Christmas we found he celebrated Mass twice daily (one for crew, once for passengers), three Masses on Christmas, and extra non-denominational services on Sundays. That was at least 23 services for a 10 day cruise.

 

Personally, we found cruising at Christmas to be fun, when we could get away from our choir obligations at home. Having cruised the week before Easter, we found the season to have a more somber mood (with liturgies containing the stories of the Crucifixion), and conflicted with the fun of cruising for us. We've decided this didn't work. Since then I've noticed a great many low cost sailings around Easter, possibly reflective of the lower attendance during this season. So here, with us at least, is a case where our religious convictions conflict with cruising - so we don't cruise at that time.

 

I hope that answers some questions without being preachy.

 

Well done!

[Womble99]

Conditioner!!! I am actually happy that Princess has gone with the more environmentally friendly option of shampoo and body wash dispensers but conditioning shampoo is not a functional substitute for my long(ish) hair. I really liked their old products but they can save so much plastic with the dispensers. Granted, we have only been cruising for about 5 years but the lack of conditioner is the only amenity that I've seen go away that irks me. I don't like that I have to remember to bring my own. Conditioner is something you tend to find in most 2.5* hotels and I would consider Princess hotel services to be nicer than your average 2.5* hotel and thus I expect their amenities to reflect that. But, it is what it is and it certainly won't stop me from sailing Princess.

 

 

Agree, this is one thing I miss though I am puzzled why since so many people seem to not like it they persist? Yes it is cost saving and environmentally friendly, but then again so is three dispensers......

[suzyed]

After finally becoming Elite in my 30s I can honestly say that I think that Princess has not gone far downhill from my first cruise on the Grand in 1999. Do i miss some things? Sure.

Will it stop me from cruising Princess? Nope. After all, being on a ship is so much better than working.

 

All of the below are things that are "nice to have" but not vital to my cruising experience

- Crab legs

- tableside caesar salad/bananas foster prep

-fruit soups that are actually soups, not virgin drinks

-the crew show including If I were Not Upon the Sea (hasnt happened on my past few cruises, but understand it's CD driven)

 

I had to brainstorm rather hard to come up with these items. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

They had that Crew show on our Princess sailing last year.

[SteerageJack]

I support a strict separation of cruise ship and church.

[Griller]

I support a strict separation of cruise ship and church.

 

I'm sure you do, so cruise an American flagged cruise line.

You may find your choice of ship somewhat limited.

[phabric]

Someone should send this thread to Princess to show them what passengers miss on the cruises.

[seapals2]

Same old ...same old .... in the end the whole cruise industry has changed and some may argue not for the better. Its no longer luxury liners its huge monsters of ships holding thousands of passengers all expecting to get that luxury cruise experience. Sorry folks that just isn't going to happen, well perhaps if you can afford a penthouse suite. But on the plus side in general you wont have to pay the old prices either.

We have tried in the past to recapture the quality of service and food by dining in the speciality restaurants by avoiding the crowded sun deck and the sun bed wars by paying more to use the Sanctuary/Retreat (P&O) but there is no escaping the fact when you are on board you are one of thousands and inevitably the changes are apparent. Surprisingly the quality of food has remained quite high in most cases but the buffet is slowly taking over with dining rooms closing for lunch on port days.

We are still cruising ... our expectations are lower but value for money its still overall the best vacation deal to be had. Thank goodness the accountants can keep finding ways to hold down the cost and still attract new customers.

[SteerageJack]

I'm sure you do, so cruise an American flagged cruise line.

You may find your choice of ship somewhat limited.

 

Or...and stay with me here...I could just continue to cruise with Princess and agree not to whine about them not accommodating my every religious whim.

 

Cruising on a religious holiday is a choice you make. Don't expect Princess to turn the ship into a veritable Noah's Ark of religious practitioners, in order to cater to every passenger's particular brand of the supernatural.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

What about doing away with the different coloured carpets port or starboard side,

 

 

yours Shogun

[nattie]

I would challenge this group to ask if all the "little" items are things anyone under 50 would want. This is the generation Princess has to attract to survive. I suspect this demographic never even considers picking a cruise for bridge, captain circle nibbles, on board florist etc. In fact they don't want traditional dinning, would rather go to a specialty restaurant or gastropub than sitting with the same people at the same time every day, etc. It's a different world out there for the good or bad, but this is the future and woe to those businesses who ignore it. Especially if this is the group that pays for the ancillary revenue generating activities, bars, casinos, specialty restaurants, excursions etc.

 

This is an interesting observation. Princess is our preferred line (still Platinum on the way to Elite) and we have tried all the mass market ones except for Holland. I prefer Princess for small things that are offered/done that are not included elsewhere - for me they are cold washcloth on the way back from hot excursion, real ice cream, popcorn, tasteful entertainment, qualified kids club personnel, etc. I could care less about all the items listed by previous posters (I do agree it is a demographics thing, I am late thirties, DH forty something). However, we have been thinking about switching lines too, but for different reason - lack of cruises catering to still working crowd. We cant take off 2+ weeks at a time! I miss the days when they had a ship in San Juan and NY almost full time. The Southern itinerary was awesome... To me it feels like Princess caters to retiree crowd and according to posts here they are not doing so well...

[moki'smommy]

Interesting thoughts since there is a piece in Bloomberg's today focusing on the new (in the last few years) heads of the various lines under the Carnival umbrella and their goal to reach out to younger cruisers to expand their clientele as well as to "reinvent" the product. The article does say that the average age on Princess is 53.

[Delphi38]

I would challenge this group to ask if all the "little" items are things anyone under 50 would want. This is the generation Princess has to attract to survive. I suspect this demographic never even considers picking a cruise for bridge, captain circle nibbles, on board florist etc. In fact they don't want traditional dinning, would rather go to a specialty restaurant or gastropub than sitting with the same people at the same time every day, etc. It's a different world out there for the good or bad, but this is the future and woe to those businesses who ignore it. Especially if this is the group that pays for the ancillary revenue generating activities, bars, casinos, specialty restaurants, excursions etc.

 

 

Excellent points. I'm platinum with princess and in my 30's. I have never been to a captain's circle function, I have no interest in little finger foods, canapes int he stateroom, etc. Most of the things mentioned on this thread, I'm happy to see go.

 

I don't see much value to live music all day by the pool. A few hours a day of that is nice, and then time to relax in the sun with my own music is very welcome.

 

People are actually complaining about printed TV guides? Who goes on a cruise to watch TV? They could remove the TVs entirely from the staterooms and I wouldn't care. Other than showering and sleeping, I'm not even in the stateroom. I really don't get all the people who say they spend hours in their little 300 square foot room. I'd rather stay at home where everything is nicer than spend more time in the stateroom. Being cooped up in the little room for the minimum time possible is one of the prices I have to pay to do all the other stuff on the ship outside the room. I guess that ties into the smaller balconies, smaller mini-suites complaints. I don't care because I'm just not spending time in the room.

 

I don't think I've ever used the in-room shampoo, soap, etc. I prefer to bring my own. Doesn't matter how good or bad what they provide is, I want to stick with what I'm used to. Slippers, photoframe name tags on your dining table, luggage tags? Waste of money for no purpose.

 

I've never been to the wine tasting, and I can't imagine I would go even when I get to the point where it's free. If they did away with that, I wouldn't miss it.

 

And laundry service? On a 7-day the concept just seems silly. On a 15-day Hawaii cruise, I still managed to bring enough clothes to get through it. I suppose on the superlong ones it might be an issue, but I'd still prefer to do it myself in the coin-op machines.

 

It's funny in a sad way that two big complaints are not enough sugary snacks and not enough accommodation for people with diabetes. They don't need to provide sweets every 2 minutes, I think they need to cut back a lot more not for cost savings, but for the health of their guests. I mean I pig out on soufflés, cake, etc at dinner. Tiramisu and those chocolate peanut butter cups at the IC and so many other things. I really have to laugh at the people complaining they're cutting back on the amount of chocolates and snacks. I do love my first hours on each cruise though, it's like having the ship to myself while everybody rushes to the buffet like they haven't seen food in a week.

 

I really think all these "cutbacks" are princess trying to appeal to a younger demographic. I am very much expecting to continue cruising for the next 60 years, and a loss of canapes and wine tastings, and non-stop live music, just makes my cruising experience better. And cruises are cheaper across the board now than when I started cruising just 10 years ago. It's absolutely win-win for me. Now if only they would start catering more of the entertainment to people who were born after the Beatles split up they'd be perfect.

[Opua Kiwi]

Last year was the last of the Baby Boomers turning fifty ie born in 1964 therefore there is at least another 30 plus years of disposable income that this group who are seen as the largest and wealthiest to date who have yet or about to start cruising. They are the group that are only now retiring and are the ones who will be taking the longer cruisers. I think perhaps cruising will divide it self into the shorter and longer amount of cruise days with the older being present on the 3 plus week cruises and the younger set who are still working in the 7-14 day cruise. Perhaps we will see and increase in the longer cruises. There is certainly an increase in the amount of world cruises on offer for the coming couple of years over the industry.

[Delphi38]

Interesting thoughts since there is a piece in Bloomberg's today focusing on the new (in the last few years) heads of the various lines under the Carnival umbrella and their goal to reach out to younger cruisers to expand their clientele as well as to "reinvent" the product. The article does say that the average age on Princess is 53.

 

That is very welcome to hear. I was on Grand Princess for Hawaii in the spring. I'd say the average age that sailing was about 80. It was impossible to move for all the scooters and people backed into me on them several times while I was standing.

 

It was a depressing atmosphere, people mostly talking about past cruises how things were different when they were younger, and it had the feeling they were just going through the motions because they had nothing better to do. There was a huge number of people who couldn't be bothered getting off the ship in Hawaii because they'd done it all before.

 

A younger, fresher group of passengers would have made the whole experience more fun and exciting. As it was, the overall vibe of the ship was just "blah".

[mr green]

Hi All

 

What about doing away with the different coloured carpets port or starboard side,

 

 

yours Shogun

 

IMO the 'Port/Starboard carpeting is a great asset!

I might add one other type carpet that I have only seen once, but it saved us some walking. The old Norway,[ in her day was the longest ship afloat] had 'Bow/ Stern' carpeting.

 

john

[Shogun]

Hi Mr Green

 

Princess no longer does different coloured carpets,

 

yours Shogun

[Shoalwater]

That is very welcome to hear. I was on Grand Princess for Hawaii in the spring. I'd say the average age that sailing was about 80. It was impossible to move for all the scooters and people backed into me on them several times while I was standing.

 

It was a depressing atmosphere, people mostly talking about past cruises how things were different when they were younger, and it had the feeling they were just going through the motions because they had nothing better to do. There was a huge number of people who couldn't be bothered getting off the ship in Hawaii because they'd done it all before.

 

A younger, fresher group of passengers would have made the whole experience more fun and exciting. As it was, the overall vibe of the ship was just "blah".

 

When I started this thread I was simply wondering what had been eliminated aboard ship without placing a value judgement on them. Many of the posters have done just that, while others (understandably) strayed into whether this or that was good, useful, etc. I thought the posters who commented about the lack of a priest made their points with little prejudice showing one way or the other. However, you madam have gone over the top with your self centered, age discriminating babble about how the presence of "old" people ruined your "vibe" and what not. Are they any less because they stay aboard the ship while its in port and don't head out to Jimmy Buffet's or Senior Frogs to get hammered or whatever, or climb hills and go mountain biking? Are you serious? Did you really mean to denigrate those folks who have worked hard all their life and are looking to enjoy their golden years with travel? Should we simply consign them to the back pasture, tell them to get out of my way, to get off the ship and stay home because their presence is offensive to the 30-ish crowd? Remember madam, if you are so fortunate as to enjoy long life there, but for the grace of God, could go you.

[mr green]

Hi Mr Green

 

Princess no longer does different coloured carpets,

 

yours Shogun

 

If that is the case, then, IMO Princess is getting stupid.

 

john