I can't imagine the circumstance where we will sail Princess again

[satxdiver]

We did two PC cruises on the Island before (thankfully) Princess decided to butcher it. From what I have read on CC and what I know about the butcher job, I will not go on the Island ever again. It was a beautiful ship but not any more. For my two cents worth on the OP, it sounded like they wanted it their way and had to deal with fellow cruisers who evidently reading the OP's comments all had one foot in the grave. ;) At least I would fit into that demographic but I assure you I don't have one foot in there yet. ;p

[Hlitner]

If you don't show up at leat 30 minutes prior you'll probable not have a seat together (al least for the more popular shows).

At best the remaining seats will be in the first row or way off to the sides.

Good luck.

 

Ok, so here is the confusion. Everything depends on when they have the shows (which varies from cruise to cruise). There is always one show aimed at the majority of passengers who dine early. It they have shows at 8:15 and 10.00 then it would be the 8:15 show. If the CD decides to put on a show at 7 (a pre dinner show for late diners) this will be easy to get a seat. If they do have an 8 or 8:15 and a 2nd show later (usually at 10....then it will be relatively easy to get a seat at the later show. But that 8 or 8:15 will usually be a madhouse where the early diners will rush through dinner to have a chance at a seat...of send somebody to save lots of seats (which caused a minor fist fight on our most recent Regal cruise).

 

I used to think about writing a book on "queue avoidance" so my advice is simple. Avoid the shows geared towards the early diners (those who eat by 6:30). This rule will hold for any cruise that has a large majority of passengers from North America. But if you are on a cruise that is packed with Europeans or Asians....then everything changes. It is a USA/Canada thing to eat dinner early. Europeans and Asians have a different point of view. We recall a post here on CC (a few years ago) where a poster complained that they tried to go out to dinner in Madrid at 5:30 and the restaurants were either closed or empty. An hour later (they complained) it was the same. There are exceptions here in the USA. When we visit our DD in NYC....we might not go out to dinner until after 9pm (not unusual in NYC). But the new trend among older North Americans is to eat dinner at what used to be called cocktail time.....or even late lunch time :).

 

Hank

[cruzsnooze]

Princess has some issue's they won't address. The shows are supposed to be available to anyone who wants to see then but there aren't enough seats. I have been upset getting to a show and there is no seating even coming a bit early. Anytime dining is another area Princess has failed. They stated you can eat "ANYTIME" you wanted but you can't. I still sail with Princess but there are legitimate complaints, they're not perfect you know.

[Birdieman1]

Princess has some issue's they won't address. The shows are supposed to be available to anyone who wants to see then but there aren't enough seats. I have been upset getting to a show and there is no seating even coming a bit early. Anytime dining is another area Princess has failed. They stated you can eat "ANYTIME" you wanted but you can't. I still sail with Princess but there are legitimate complaints, they're not perfect you know.

I hear you loud and clear, even the Head Waiters will tell me that there some serious issues and they just can’t get them right, another issue I have issues with is the tipping program, We prepay our gratuities and we also give give extra tips to some staff, it sure is funny how the passengers are paying for the employees wages, Princess pays them very minimally, I know some posters will say, so have Princess remove the tips and then we will have higher cruise costs, no one wins at that game, Sure looks nice though, when you first walk on the ship. You can always get anytime Dining in the Horizon Court

[floridalover5623]

Princess has some issue's they won't address. The shows are supposed to be available to anyone who wants to see then but there aren't enough seats. I have been upset getting to a show and there is no seating even coming a bit early. Anytime dining is another area Princess has failed. They stated you can eat "ANYTIME" you wanted but you can't. I still sail with Princess but there are legitimate complaints, they're not perfect you know.

It's interesting that we don't seem to have the problems your describing.

We choose to eat early & never ever had a problem in getting seated for a show.

Could it be that you're choosing to eat only at peak times & then expect to be seated at the last moment?

Why don't you go to the show first & dine later?

Why not eat at the Horizon for dinner & you'll finish early & get choice seats in the show lounge?

[GlamorousGirl]

I sailed on the Crown and didn’t experience any of these problems - sorry to hear you did. There was never a line at peak dining times for us and we had a table within a minute or two. The comedian was the only standing room only show for us, but I didn’t think he was very good. I would be furious about sailing a day late, and I don’t think the discount adequately makes up for it, so I can’t say I’d blame you for not sailing with them again. I have had a positive experience with them but if this had happened to us I’d probably be done with them. Sleeping accommodations for that first night sound completely unacceptable - expecting a cruise cabin and sleeping in what amounts to a glorified shelter? Hotel rooms should have been the least they should do.

[SeeJennyCruise]

Thank you, OP, for sharing your experience and for your follow up posts. I have not had a reason to read the Island Princess reviews and I appreciate the information shared in this thread. Having sailed 20+ times, I have had more than one unfortunate experiences during a cruise vacation. Probably the worst was when I had to spend a port day in bed and then in a wheelchair for a day after a fall on the ship. Thankfully, I have always had more positives than negatives and never felt the whole cruise was ruined. I'm sorry that was your experience.

[CI66774]

I apologize for the passenger comment - I did not mean to say that the ship was filed with bad people. We met many nice people, many like ourselves. What I meant was that there was less diversity than other cruises, and I like to meet people from other countries, people who help me learn more about the world. Is it elitist to think that my own point of view is limited, and I like to learn more? That is a hypothetical question. I was sad all last night because of some of the reactions to my initial post which was -admittedly- angry. I was upset with Princess, and the review was written accordingly.

 

Today is a new day, and a new year. I am not feeling keen about cruising as much at the moment, and thinking about more land-based travel. I wish I'd had a better experience, and perhaps didn't do as much research as I should. You probably won't believe this, but most of the time my husband and I "go with the flow." It likely was a tsunami of issues, but particularly compounded by my husband being stepped on, and then being offered a couple dinners - well, it struck a dozen nerves.

 

I wrote something negative, and in response I've received much negativity. It's really all just a shame, and I'm planning to move on and try to forget all the bad stuff, and focus on the good stuff. However, I still doubt I'll sail Princess again.

 

Apology accepted. Sometimes our written words convey messages we don't intend.

[cruzsnooze]

It's interesting that we don't seem to have the problems your describing.

We choose to eat early & never ever had a problem in getting seated for a show.

Could it be that you're choosing to eat only at peak times & then expect to be seated at the last moment?

Why don't you go to the show first & dine later?

Why not eat at the Horizon for dinner & you'll finish early & get choice seats in the show lounge?

Your suggestions are to Princess' advantage NOT mine, the paying customer. I eat when I want and what fits my schedule, that's what is supposed to be a VACATION. I also would NEVER eat dinner at the Horizon court, I want a sit down serviced dinner. If Princess can't fix some of the problems they will loose customers, people have choices where to spend their vacation dollars. Princess is the one making promises about their cruises that they can't deliver. Keep in mind we are customers of a service. So far the cons have not outweighted the Pro's for me but I do cruise with other lines and look at other lines frequently.

One thing I prefer about RCL is the reserved seating for their D+ and higher tier guests which I take advantage of.

Edited January 5, 2018 by cruzsnooze

[huskerdan25]

Your suggestions are to Princess' advantage NOT mine, the paying customer. I eat when I want and what fits my schedule, that's what is supposed to be a VACATION. I also would NEVER eat dinner at the Horizon court, I want a sit down serviced dinner. If Princess can't fix some of the problems they will loose customers, people have choices where to spend their vacation dollars. Princess is the one making promises about their cruises that they can't deliver. Keep in mind we are customers of a service. So far the cons have not outweighted the Pro's for me but I do cruise with other lines and look at other lines frequently.

One thing I prefer about RCL is the reserved seating for their D+ and higher tier guests which I take advantage of.

 

Clearly plenty of people disagree with you and find the Princess product to be worth spending their vacation dollars on.

 

Again, it's great that we have options. No one is forcing you or anyone else to cruise with Princess. If you feel there are more cons than pros, then you have other choices. We continue to cruise Princess because we get what we are looking for in a vacation and have never been disappointed. We have also cruised on Celebrity and while a bit different experience, we get what we are looking for. Princess isn't perfect and we have experienced some of the same issues that have been brought up in this thread and others but none are enough to make us sour on Princess. We make adjustments so that the issues are easier to deal with and don't ruin our vacation.

 

I don't see the benefit of people like you who seem to post often in the Princess forums with the same gripes. Clearly this product is not for you so fine, spend your vacation dollars somewhere else and move on. If I got sour on Princess, I would just cruise other lines and move on, not constantly come to these forums to whine about why I don't like the product. And I certainly wouldn't go to other cruise line forums and tell people to never cruise Princess. Just because it might not be the right product for me doesn't mean it isn't a good product for everyone else. I don't assume to know what is best for everyone and can only share if it is best for me or not.

Edited January 5, 2018 by huskerdan25

[Kingofcool1947]

Your suggestions are to Princess' advantage NOT mine, the paying customer. I eat when I want and what fits my schedule, that's what is supposed to be a VACATION. I also would NEVER eat dinner at the Horizon court, I want a sit down serviced dinner. If Princess can't fix some of the problems they will loose customers, people have choices where to spend their vacation dollars. Princess is the one making promises about their cruises that they can't deliver. Keep in mind we are customers of a service. So far the cons have not outweighted the Pro's for me but I do cruise with other lines and look at other lines frequently.

One thing I prefer about RCL is the reserved seating for their D+ and higher tier guests which I take advantage of.

 

Interesting perspective. I agree on most. Especially when you say “I eat when I want and what fits my schedule, that's what is supposed to be a VACATION. I also would NEVER eat dinner at the Horizon court, I want a sit down serviced dinner.“

 

So, as a paying customer, since you never eat dinner at the H.C. do you have an opinion on the Dress Code for dining in the MDR? And, on Formal Nights, do you dress up or stay in comfortable clothes?

Enjoy your cruise.

[CI66774]

Princess has some issue's they won't address. The shows are supposed to be available to anyone who wants to see then but there aren't enough seats. I have been upset getting to a show and there is no seating even coming a bit early. Anytime dining is another area Princess has failed. They stated you can eat "ANYTIME" you wanted but you can't. I still sail with Princess but there are legitimate complaints, they're not perfect you know.

 

I've been on five Princess cruises (two dozen cruises on various lines) and always choose anytime dining. I've never once been turned away or made to wait.

[nukesubsailor]

OK. So everyone wants a cruise ship with dining rooms and theater big enough that everyone can get a nice seat at anytime. I suppose that you also want these features without any increase in passenger fares. Nice dream. Too bad that the cruise line has to make a profit in order to stay in business.

Just as a cruise line must make compromises to stay in business, a passenger must also face the reality that you can't get everything you want at a price you like. We just need to be thankful that we have the option to pick which cruise line and which ship we sail on.

[floridalover5623]

Your suggestions are to Princess' advantage NOT mine, the paying customer. I eat when I want and what fits my schedule, that's what is supposed to be a VACATION. I also would NEVER eat dinner at the Horizon court, I want a sit down serviced dinner. If Princess can't fix some of the problems they will loose customers, people have choices where to spend their vacation dollars. Princess is the one making promises about their cruises that they can't deliver. Keep in mind we are customers of a service. So far the cons have not outweighted the Pro's for me but I do cruise with other lines and look at other lines frequently.

One thing I prefer about RCL is the reserved seating for their D+ and higher tier guests which I take advantage of.

Unfortunately you'll have to bend a little & conform to other people's desires as well. I can understand that you need to be served but if everyone was that demanding the ship couldn't possibly cater to them.

Why don't you simply opt for traditional dining & your table will be waiting at a specific time or better yet spend a little extra & go with Club Class & then you can arrive when you want to be seated and your table will be waiting.

[huskerdan25]

Clearly plenty of people disagree with you and find the Princess product to be worth spending their vacation dollars on.

 

Again, it's great that we have options. No one is forcing you or anyone else to cruise with Princess. If you feel there are more cons than pros, then you have other choices. We continue to cruise Princess because we get what we are looking for in a vacation and have never been disappointed. We have also cruised on Celebrity and while a bit different experience, we get what we are looking for. Princess isn't perfect and we have experienced some of the same issues that have been brought up in this thread and others but none are enough to make us sour on Princess. We make adjustments so that the issues are easier to deal with and don't ruin our vacation.

 

I don't see the benefit of people like you who seem to post often in the Princess forums with the same gripes. Clearly this product is not for you so fine, spend your vacation dollars somewhere else and move on. If I got sour on Princess, I would just cruise other lines and move on, not constantly come to these forums to whine about why I don't like the product. And I certainly wouldn't go to other cruise line forums and tell people to never cruise Princess. Just because it might not be the right product for me doesn't mean it isn't a good product for everyone else. I don't assume to know what is best for everyone and can only share if it is best for me or not.

 

I should clarify that what I have said above is rhetorical, not necessarily directed at cruzsnooze since you made it clear that the cons aren't greater than the pros for you at this point. It is more in reference to some who seem to constantly complain about the Princess product and go as far as to try to warn everyone not to cruise with them, as if everyone would feel the same about the issues they complain about and therefore should take their advice to not cruise on Princess. We all have different tolerance levels and what may be an irritant to some isn't for others.

 

As for the OP, I was fine with most of the issues brought up. What put the whole thing in perspective for me was the complaint that Princess did not refund the medical cost which just isn't reasonable. We have experienced some of the issues the OP has (though we always do traditional dining so haven't had the experiences with AnyTime and we haven't been on the Island which does seem to have many issues in the opinion of most that post here) but we just make adjustments to our expectations and how we handle, for example, getting to a show we really want to watch. All the issues mentioned to us would be very minor and we would work around those to continue to enjoy our vacation.

[Steelers36]

Your suggestions are to Princess' advantage NOT mine, the paying customer. I eat when I want and what fits my schedule, that's what is supposed to be a VACATION. I also would NEVER eat dinner at the Horizon court, I want a sit down serviced dinner. If Princess can't fix some of the problems they will loose customers, people have choices where to spend their vacation dollars. Princess is the one making promises about their cruises that they can't deliver. Keep in mind we are customers of a service. So far the cons have not outweighted the Pro's for me but I do cruise with other lines and look at other lines frequently.

One thing I prefer about RCL is the reserved seating for their D+ and higher tier guests which I take advantage of.

 

I think it is unrealistic to think one can just eat ANYTIME at a restaurant. You cannot expect to show up at a land-based restaurant at any old time and expect to be immediately seated. We are all well aware of busy and non-busy times. Either have a reservation (TD or dine line) or accept the wait or adjust when you go to minimize the wait.

[Wishing on a star]

I think that the issues with Dining are bigger and bigger with every new cruising generation.

SET, Traditional, dining, at large tables used to be considered as a part of cruising... A 'must', or even a good thing.

But, not so much, I think, for many people today. And those numbers are only going to grow.

As long as cruise lines choose to maximize their bottom line by having many more passengers onboard in tiny cabins, with inadequate public dining/theater space... This WILL be an issue.

 

Yes, cruising is more popular than ever with many more ships and many larger ships.

Cruising is now expected to be affordable, or even cheap, for most people.

As long as this is true, and people are used to paying current prices based on this space/staff per passenger ratio, Then this is also going to guarantee that these issues continue.

[Wishing on a star]

I think it is unrealistic to think one can just eat ANYTIME at a restaurant. You cannot expect to show up at a land-based restaurant at any old time and expect to be immediately seated. We are all well aware of busy and non-busy times. Either have a reservation (TD or dine line) or accept the wait or adjust when you go to minimize the wait.

 

TRUE!

However, if I am thinking correctly, there are other lines and other ships that seem to be able to handle the Anytime/Freestyle type dining situation much better than Princess. I do know that there have been MANY complaints about the situation and how it is handled on Princess Ships.

[floridalover5623]

TRUE!

However, if I am thinking correctly, there are other lines and other ships that seem to be able to handle the Anytime/Freestyle type dining situation much better than Princess. I do know that there have been MANY complaints about the situation and how it is handled on Princess Ships.

We have never experienced extensive delays when eating in the DR.

What do the cruise lines that don't have delays do differently?

[Bill B]

We prepay our gratuities and we also give give extra tips to some staff, it sure is funny how the passengers are paying for the employees wages, Princess pays them very minimally...

 

Princess doesn't pay them at all (unless you count food and accommodation). Princess guarantees crew paid from a tip pool a 'minimum wage' if the tip pool falls below a certain amount. However, now they have a fleet-wide tip pool (it used to be per ship, per voyage) if a ship were to come up 'short', due to say an unexpected dry dock, they simply reduce the amount paid to crew on the other ships.

[vmom]

TRUE!

However, if I am thinking correctly, there are other lines and other ships that seem to be able to handle the Anytime/Freestyle type dining situation much better than Princess. I do know that there have been MANY complaints about the situation and how it is handled on Princess Ships.

 

I was on the RCCL board this morning and noticed the same complaints about RCCL's version of anytime dining which they call my time dining.

 

People are saying it is a Princess problem, but I have read similar complaints about other cruise lines.

 

I think whichever cruise line you are on, if a large portion of the ship shows up to dine at the same time, there will be a problem. This is more noticable on cruises with primarily Americans, who tend to dine early. I have not noticed a problem on European, S. American or cruising around New Zealand cruises due to the large number of Brits, Aussies, Latinos, and Europeans. .

[zogrand]

I have always considered anytime dining to be like showing up at a restaurant without a reservation, sometimes we’re seated right away and sometimes we get a pager. We always ask for a table for two which limits our options. I only wish the pagers had a further range. It would be nice to go to any lounge to wait. Now we have to stay nearby on the same deck.

[gwhitti]

"This crowd was primarily American, and older than ourselves - and we are retired. In contrast, I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting Europeans and Australians and Canadians –and Americans- aboardRoyal/Celebrity/Silversea/Cunard, and we have friends across the world because of it! I so enjoy different points of view."

Making judgements about people based on their country of residence is narrow minded at best. There are good, bad, interesting and boring people from all countries.

[earlydiner]

The difference between Princess and RCL is that even months before you get on a Royal ship, you can get reservations online. This makes it traditional dining with more flexibility. Different time every night? So be it.

You can get reservations on Princess the morning of, but not easy and not always available.

I'm not complaining because I don't mind standing in line for a few minutes visiting with others.

[GUT2407]

I have always considered anytime dining to be like showing up at a restaurant without a reservation, sometimes we’re seated right away and sometimes we get a pager. We always ask for a table for two which limits our options. I only wish the pagers had a further range. It would be nice to go to any lounge to wait. Now we have to stay nearby on the same deck.

Agree with both your attitude to ATD and your opinion re pagers