Has Princess lost some of it's luster??

[lesharona]

My sister is currently on the Carnival Dream, she emailed me this morning and said they were disappointed that there were no table cloths in the dining room, your cabin is attended to only once a day, and the staff no longer have time to talk or joke with you, she asked if I noticed these things last year when I cruised on Princess in Alaska. My answer to her was no, not at all! Has it changed with Princess? We go on a cruise to feel pampered, I think it would be a big mistake for cruise lines to cut corners in this way. What are your thoughts?

[TracieABD]

I was on a 10 day in December and a 4 day in March. I did not notice any of those cut backs.

 

There were

-linens on the tables

- twice daily cabin service

- friendly cabin stewards and wait staff

 

I have a another cruise in a month. I have no worries...

[Luv my furbaby]

I think all of the lines are cutting back - forgetting that many of us cruise for the "luxury" we won't get (or can afford) anywhere else.

But I still love my cruises!!!!

[neverbeenhere]

yes some of the "luster" has disappeared But... I've lost some luster too.:)

 

 

Andy: 41 days to go

Edited May 24, 2016 by neverbeenhere

[mamkmm2]

I think all of the lines are cutting back - forgetting that many of us cruise for the "luxury" we won't get (or can afford) anywhere else.

But I still love my cruises!!!!

 

It is the sign of the times. For any industry and/or company to survive you MUST adapt. And people must adapt to the changing times as well. I wonder how many of the "old timers" really give consideration to how little most of the crew members were paid so that they could have their luxurious service. Do they really understand the other economic pressures that need to be dealt with and addressed in order to stay in business.

 

Economy of scale is what is necessary today. That shouldn't preclude well-mannered and skilled staff. Just remember the real luxurious traveling era on ships like the Titanic and similar transatlantic travel during the 1920s and 1930s. And now too is gone the "luxury" that was seen in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a new type of luxury ... and be glad it is being made more accessible to others by trimming a bit here and there otherwise you would lose out all together because either prices would skyrocket out of reach ... or the companies would fold completely.

[paul929207]

We continue to be very satisfied with the service.

[moki'smommy]

Most of the people who serve us on cruise ships are paid little by the cruise line. The vast majority of their "salary" comes from tips. I'm really not sure how the tip pool division works on Princess. I do know that a server on Disney will make $4000 per month IF no one reduces or eliminates their auto-gratuity. Of course, there are also people who increase their tip or add cash on top of the automatic. That's not a shabby take home, and these people have essentially no expenses while on the ship. Yes, I agree that they work very hard.

 

Carnival has me a bit puzzled. I'm guessing that once a day service allows stewards to work more cabins and that they probably don't see any more income from this. And I'm guessing that the auto-gratuitity didn't change. So where is the extra money going?

 

No table cloths = less laundry to do= saving for the line.

 

Staff spread more thin so no time to talk to guests also increases the take for the cruise line...but at what ultimate expense in guest satisfaction?

[jasbo49]

No loss of luster I can see on Princess.

 

I haven't sailed Carnival for two years, but I do think lack of table cloths and a reduction in cabin service would constitute a step down.

 

Jim

[mamkmm2]

Here are some quotes on payment of crews:

Salaries range from around $800 per month up to $8,000 depending on the position you work and the line for which you work. Entry-level positions such as junior waitstaff are at the bottom of the ladder, while the maitre d'hotel will be at the top. The crew from the captain on down are responsible for running the ship and getting it to each destination safely. They are full time, salaried career staff and do not work on the same contract basis as cruise ship workers. On-board entertainers are not affiliated with the cruise line at and are hired on short-term freelance contracts as well. They are paid somewhere between $450 and $2,000 on average depending on the line and the talents they bring.

 

When calculating the average salary of any cruise ship worker, it is also necessary to factor in the expenses incurred by taking the job. Cruise workers are required to pay for transportation to the ship, any visas or work permits and medical or legal permits. At the completion of your contract, the cruise line will often pay for your flight home but this is not always the case. Low-cost or budget cruise lines pay the least, and some have even been accused of mistreatment and unfair wage practices. P&O is a British line that was found guilty of paying waitstaff as little as 250 pounds or about $400 per month. When the hours and days are calculated, this can amount to as little as $1.25 an hour or thereabouts. High-end lines might pay more for a higher level of service and a more experienced staff. All cruise lines do everything possible to reduce the cost of operations, including registering ships to nations with lax labor laws that allow for long hours, low pay and few if any benefits.

[jenng1976]

On Carnival they now offer a choice - morning service, afternoon service, or you can choose both (as we did on our last cruise with them). If the OP is talking to them again you can tell them they can talk to their steward and ask for twice daily for the remainder of the cruise.

 

I do think the stewards don't make the 'both' choice obvious so people feel like they have to choose one or the other.

[IsanTom]

Carnival has changed in becoming very, very casual. I don't cruise Carnival often, but I did enjoy a TA on the Carnival Splendor when it was new and just recently on the Carnival Conquest, which was fun, but very casual. Now place mats and one time cleaning. My Conquest cruise was not cheap, so with a reduction in service Carnival

needs to become a budget cruise company! I am Elite on Princess, so I hope they

don't go cheap, too!

[beg3yrs]

Here are some quotes on payment of crews:

"When calculating the average salary of any cruise ship worker, it is also necessary to factor in the expenses incurred by taking the job. Cruise workers are required to pay for transportation to the ship, any visas or work permits and medical or legal permits. At the completion of your contract, the cruise line will often pay for your flight home but this is not always the case. Low-cost or budget cruise lines pay the least, and some have even been accused of mistreatment and unfair wage practices. P&O is a British line that was found guilty of paying waitstaff as little as 250 pounds or about $400 per month. When the hours and days are calculated, this can amount to as little as $1.25 an hour or thereabouts. High-end lines might pay more for a higher level of service and a more experienced staff. All cruise lines do everything possible to reduce the cost of operations, including registering ships to nations with lax labor laws that allow for long hours, low pay and few if any benefits."

 

You don't attribute the source of this quote but my experience says this is not particularly attributable to Princess. Talking directly with staff indicates to me that Princess definitely pays airfare to and from assignments, for all staff. As such, the staff likes to joke about the routings they get just to save a Princess little bit of money. Visas are another item. That's something that has changed recently, Princess is reimbursing for visas.

[moki'smommy]

I looked at those quotes and thought, "That's not the way it is on the lines I'm most familiar with."

[Hlitner]

First, we have no interest in the salary structure of Princess (or any other cruise line) any more then we care about the salary structure of hotels, airlines, restaurants, etc. Employees choose to work on cruise lines (and getting the jobs is not easy) and that is their choice! For those that care about everyone's financial situation, we have been retired for 10 years with no cost of living increases....so if you see us please hand us a big tip!

 

As to Princess, DW and I have been Elite on this line for a long time (decades) and it used to be a favorite line (among the 14 on which we have cruised). But around 2009 we became unhappy with Princess (because of cut-backs and itinerary changes) and stopped cruising on the line..even though we still cruised over 70 days a year. But about 1 1/2 years ago we decided to spend 25 days on the Ruby, and were really impressed! Unlike most other mass market lines, we thought that Princess had actually improved their product. So last October we grabbed a last minute 10 day cruise on the Regal and were again impressed (although we had several issues with the design of the vessel). So now, Princess is again high on our list of preferred cruise lines and we would go on Princess in a heartbeat when we find the right itinerary and price.

 

Hank

[GUT2407]

We had table clothes, twice daily room servicing silver on the table etc as at Nov.

 

Not sure why people think because one line cuts things another will also do so.

[umuva]

Doesn't sound like you worry about colas but social security has not gone ten years without raise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[mamkmm2]

The quotes come from a business magazine which would be a better citation than casual conversations. I'll see what else I can find.

 

http://work.chron.com/average-salary-cruise-ship-workers-1932.html

[mamkmm2]

Other articles on cruise ship salaries:

 

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Carnival_Cruise_Lines/Salary

http://www.cruiselinesjobs.com/wages/

[beg3yrs]

The quotes come from a business magazine which would be a better citation than casual conversations. I'll see what else I can find.

 

http://work.chron.com/average-salary-cruise-ship-workers-1932.html

 

Other articles on cruise ship salaries:

 

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Carnival_Cruise_Lines/Salary

http://www.cruiselinesjobs.com/wages/

 

Interesting stuff, but there's nothing there (even in the references) that contradicts my point about air fare and visa fees on Princess. It may be true for some lines, but this is the Princess board.

[OCruisers]

We most often cruise on Princess. Sure there have been changes but still provides a wonderful cruise experience! :)

[mamkmm2]

True but i haven't been able to find anything that they do pay, even on the various job boards.

 

Either way the topic came up because of the potential for economics to behaving an effect on cruising and the so-called luster of cruising. Don't want to go too OT.

[baldercash]

Other articles on cruise ship salaries:

 

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Carnival_Cruise_Lines/Salary

http://www.cruiselinesjobs.com/wages/

 

 

Wages / Salaries

 

The cruise ship staff is divided into two main groups - tipping personnel and non-tipping personnel.

Tipping personnel

 

Tipping personnel are the staff with direct contact with the guests who pay them "tips". There are specified amounts of tips per particular positions which are advised to guests prior to embarkation and which vary from one cruise line to another. Such personnel are waiters, busboys /assistant waiters, bar waiters/waitresses, bartenders, cocktail waitresses, etc. Tipping personnel have a small base salary. Most of their earnings are tips. Approximate sample earnings in this group are (in U.S. Dollars per month):

Waiter - $2500 to $4000

Busboy / Assistant Waiter - $1500 to $3000

Bar Waiter / Waitress - $1000 to $2500

Bartender - $1500 to $3000

 

Not bad when you come from a 2nd or 3rd world country, free room and board plus medical while on board and play no tax!

[Bill B]

I took my first Princess cruise in 2000. There has definitely been a loss of 'lustre' over the years. It's happened through a series of tiny, incremental changes (almost unnoticeable while happening) that add up to not quite so 'shiny' an experience.

[Lucky TGO]

I took my first Princess cruise in 2000. There has definitely been a loss of 'lustre' over the years. It's happened through a series of tiny, incremental changes (almost unnoticeable while happening) that add up to not quite so 'shiny' an experience.

 

My first cruise with Princess was in 2002 and I agree with you.

Tony

[Montrealais]

Please note: this is not a comment! (Come to think of it, it might be!)

 

How many cabins was a steward responsible for before and now?

 

How many tables in the MDRs was a waiter responsible for and now?

 

How many "waiters" were available in the buffet area before and now?

 

How many performers were on before and now?

 

How many people were responsible for activities and now?

 

How many people dedicated to information about excursions were active and now?

 

I guess those questions might sound negative but we love Princess!

 

That's the kind of questions that my DW and I have been asking each other for the last forty years so we could become better at what we were.

 

It worked:cool: