Is Princess slowly cutting St. Maarten from their itineraries?

[pcsunlover]

Looking to book our annual cruise to the caribbean, and I noticed that our favorite port of St. Maarten is only offered on 1 cruise per month Jan. - Mar. 2017. We used to have several different weeks per month from which to choose, and it also looks like they are cutting back on the number of different ships sailing to the caribbean too.

 

Does anyone know why Princess is cutting back? :confused: I sure wish they'd drop St. Thomas from a few of the 7 - 10 day itineraries instead. I'm so disappointed that we will most likely be cruising with a different cruiseline next year.

[skynight]

Looking to book our annual cruise to the caribbean, and I noticed that our favorite port of St. Maarten is only offered on 1 cruise per month Jan. - Mar. 2017. We used to have several different weeks per month from which to choose, and it also looks like they are cutting back on the number of different ships sailing to the caribbean too.

 

Does anyone know why Princess is cutting back? :confused: I sure wish they'd drop St. Thomas from a few of the 7 - 10 day itineraries instead. I'm so disappointed that we will most likely be cruising with a different cruiseline next year.

Princess has three ships in the Caribbean over the entire 2016/17 season. plus cruises to and through the Panama canal. The Royal does alternate 10 day itineraries which do not include St. Maarten. The Regal does the traditional alternate east/west 7 day itineraries and the eastern route does include St. Maarten. The Caribbean Princess does a variety of eastern, western and southern itineraries none of which include St. Maarten. Princess has had good success offering alternate.b2b cruises. I have been on cruises where there are 500 to 1,000 passengers doing the b2b. I guess various ports are a good part of their market.

The Crown Princess also has some itineraries in March and April after it returns from South America. There are also a few sailings on the small Pacific Princess.

Many Princess have been positioned to markets on the west coast, Japan/Asia and Australia which have better returns than the Caribbean market. It is all about the money.

[lake5298]

Now that St Maarten has two piers it is unlikely that cruise lines will avoid the port due to lack of pier space... but I think cruise lines are constantly looking for new ports to keep passengers interested and attracted to the itineraries.

 

We are visiting St Maarten in November (Regal Princess) and the island has a special meaning to us - we got engaged there. The proposal is still written on the wall at Dirty Sanchez' Crew Bar - but you'll need to search for it among all the graffiti... (It certainly was still there last month!)

[VibeGuy]

A stop in the USVI is almost imperative because of how it modifies the duty free allowances of passengers from $800 to $1600. Further, it extends the duty-free liquor allowance from 1L to 5L per person. Thus, we are condemned to an eternity of St Thomas stops.

Edited April 27, 2016 by VibeGuy

[fishywood]

Looking to book our annual cruise to the caribbean, and I noticed that our favorite port of St. Maarten is only offered on 1 cruise per month Jan. - Mar. 2017. We used to have several different weeks per month from which to choose, and it also looks like they are cutting back on the number of different ships sailing to the caribbean too.

 

Does anyone know why Princess is cutting back? :confused: I sure wish they'd drop St. Thomas from a few of the 7 - 10 day itineraries instead. I'm so disappointed that we will most likely be cruising with a different cruiseline next year.

 

There is exactly the same amount of passenger capacity from Port Everglades next season (2016-17) as there was in the season just ending. Only difference is the loss of departures from Houston.

 

And Princess is finally mixing up the itineraries with some seven-day cruises calling at Antigua or St Kitts, plus the new Amber Cove alternating with Princess Cays. Also there are the new 8-night sailings to all three ABC islands. No doubt the motive is to sell more B2Bs with fewer duplicated ports on consecutive sailings.

 

But the reason Princess has been hesitant to try something new like this in the past is illustrated precisely by this thread: blowback from long-time repeat passengers who wish to sail the same itinerary the same week on the same ship, year after year after year. Always accompanied by the threat to take their business to another line :rolleyes:. For once Princess is sending a message: Mix it up. Live a little. And we are calling your bluff: new destinations mean plenty of new to Princess passengers to take your place.

[pcsunlover]

The Royal does alternate 10 day itineraries which do not include St. Maarten.

 

(Yes I know, I wish they would add St. maarten to one of the 10-day Royal cruises instead. of St. Thomas.)

 

The Regal does the traditional alternate east/west 7 day itineraries and the eastern route does include St. Maarten.

 

(Yes, but St. Maarten is only included once a month for a total of only three times for winter/spring 2017)

 

 

The Crown Princess also has some itineraries in March and April after it returns from South America.

 

(Yes, but none of the itineraries include St. Maarten)

 

 

I realize that they can't please everyone, but I'm disappointed that first they pulled out most of the grand class ships from the caribbean for Regal and Royal, and now they have cut back drastically on our favorite port. We have been very loyal to Princess, but I guess this will force us to try out other cruiselines.:(

[OCruisers]

Good post! I'd also noticed the lack of port stops in St. Maarten by Princess ships for the Jan-March 2017 itineraries.

[pris993]

St Marten use to be a favorite port, it has become so over developed no so much any more... I can still remember stopping there in the mid l980s and tendering in, then it was very enjoyable. But tendering today off big ships is not really fun.

[baronessk]

No more St. Martin - St Marteen is a WONDERFUL thing in my book! Love that Princess is mixing it up a bit. Will take St. Thomas over St. M ANY DAY. To each his own.

[pcsunlover]

There is exactly the same amount of passenger capacity from Port Everglades next season (2016-17) as there was in the season just ending. Only difference is the loss of departures from Houston.

 

And Princess is finally mixing up the itineraries with some seven-day cruises calling at Antigua or St Kitts, plus the new Amber Cove alternating with Princess Cays. Also there are the new 8-night sailings to all three ABC islands. No doubt the motive is to sell more B2Bs with fewer duplicated ports on consecutive sailings.

 

But the reason Princess has been hesitant to try something new like this in the past is illustrated precisely by this thread: blowback from long-time repeat passengers who wish to sail the same itinerary the same week on the same ship, year after year after year. Always accompanied by the threat to take their business to another line :rolleyes:. For once Princess is sending a message: Mix it up. Live a little. And we are calling your bluff: new destinations mean plenty of new to Princess passengers to take your place.

 

Not sure why my post about disappointment warrants an eyeroll, but whatever.

 

I appreciate them trying something new and giving different options. But cutting back on St. Thomas for some of these other ports would be nice. Every eastern caribbean cruise makes a stop there. Not really what I call mixing it up.

 

We don't necessarily cruise the same week year after year, but do have a specific month that we prefer to cruise. Some of us are not retired yet, or have limited vacation time so it's difficult to branch out to longer or more exotic cruise locations. We choose the caribbean because we have always enjoyed our cruises there so we keep coming back.

 

Not a bluff - if we are going to spend thousands of dollars on airfare and a cruise, we will take our business to the cruiseline that goes to the ports we enjoy. Until now, that has always been Princess. Hopefully we can make our schedules work to take 1 of the only 3 cruises offered by them next spring that stops in St.Maarten, but if not, we will choose to "live a little" and try a different cruiseline. Hopefully the new Princess cruisers that may take our place will be as loyal to them as we have been.

[pcsunlover]

St Marten use to be a favorite port, it has become so over developed no so much any more... I can still remember stopping there in the mid l980s and tendering in, then it was very enjoyable. But tendering today off big ships is not really fun.

 

We have never had to tender in St. Maarten since we started going there in 2006.

[pcsunlover]

Good post! I'd also noticed the lack of port stops in St. Maarten by Princess ships for the Jan-March 2017 itineraries.

 

I wish they would include it in place of St. Thomas on one of the 10-day cruises.

[OCruisers]

We have never had to tender in St. Maarten since we started going there in 2006.

 

They do still tender there from time to time. A NCL ship tendered in January.

Our daughter's family tendered on a Celebrity two years ago.

Edited April 27, 2016 by OCruisers

[OCruisers]

I wish they would include it in place of St. Thomas on one of the 10-day cruises.

 

So do we!

[skynight]

We have never had to tender in St. Maarten since we started going there in 2006.

Not since 2006, but yes, St. Maarten was once a tender port. I remember tendering to Bill's Marina in the mid 90's. Bill's is still there. Also interesting back then Front St, which is now a promenade, was actually a street. Also, in the 90's Orient Beach had very few houses on the slopes around it, and the beach was not so crowded. Things do change when cruise ship money invades.

[riclop]

Looking to book our annual cruise to the caribbean, and I noticed that our favorite port of St. Maarten is only offered on 1 cruise per month Jan. - Mar. 2017. We used to have several different weeks per month from which to choose, and it also looks like they are cutting back on the number of different ships sailing to the caribbean too.

 

Does anyone know why Princess is cutting back? :confused: I sure wish they'd drop St. Thomas from a few of the 7 - 10 day itineraries instead. I'm so disappointed that we will most likely be cruising with a different cruiseline next year.

Not good for us because that's by far our favorite island .

[satxdiver]

A stop in the USVI is almost imperative because of how it modifies the duty free allowances of passengers from $800 to $1600. Further, it extends the duty-free liquor allowance from 1L to 5L per person. Thus, we are condemned to an eternity of St Thomas stops.

 

Good point. I also have been told the ship takes on some supplies since they are cheaper in St Thomas than in port everglades. We do appear to be condemned to St Thomas stops.

[Lucky TGO]

I was on 28 cruises with Princess and only went to St.Maarten once. It's very nice there I don't know way Princess doesn't go there more often? :eek:

Tony