Potential evidence Princess has made too many cutbacks?

[Steelers36]

On the Regal in Baltic, June 01-12, noticed some things.  In Horizon, the "jams" seem more like jellies with very little fruit the 2-3 times I was looking for some.  Apples were very tiny, but could be the market area.  I know the scrambled eggs are not real made from fresh eggs, but I found them to be unpalatable on this trip - like mashed up paper or something.  Went with fried eggs.  The Always Available Burger wasn't just a plain burger as I noticed in the past - most of the time it was a variation and an Ernesto of one type or another.  We did appreciate seeing lots of new menu offerings at dinner and not just the same-old-same-old.  I just don't see the hoopla anymore for formal night menu.  I was unimpressed with the Beef Wellington (and think I told myself LAST time not to order it again).  The lobster tails are tiny and nothing to get excited over. 

 

[geocruiser]

6 hours ago, Ombud said:

I had 2 barrel chairs on the Star in March 2019 + desk chair + 2 balcony chairs. Frankly I only need 1 chair, had 5. On a thread shortly after that I asked people who had recently cruised if they had 1 or 2 chairs not interested in recent rumors of whether there were chairs or not. Almost everyone had a chair. Most said they were still in the room (balcony & above) but some had to ask for a 2nd chair. 

What type of cabin did you have?  On our Royal cruise in Dec. we had to ask for a second chair, the same with our Jan Regal cruise.  Our March Regal cruise there were two in our cabin.  These all were the same type of balcony cabin.  I just can't risk that there may or may not be two chairs in a cabin.

[Ombud]

13 minutes ago, geocruiser said:

What type of cabin did you have?  On our Royal cruise in Dec. we had to ask for a second chair, the same with our Jan Regal cruise.  Our March Regal cruise there were two in our cabin.  These all were the same type of balcony cabin.  I just can't risk that there may or may not be two chairs in a cabin.

Star Princess Room B302, category BB

Edited June 11, 2019 by Ombud

[Paula_MacFan]

3 hours ago, pris993 said:

Our take all the cruise lines have become too similar.  They try to hook us on there product  promoting what ever is the latest gimmick.  We ignore most of it and avoid most it.  We go on board to enjoy time at sea, the ports and our mini suite cabin, relaxation and focus on what we like and skip the rest.    Approaching cruising this way, makes it a very enjoyable way to travel... we don't do the mdr any more, enjoy the buffet, room service and the Crown grill on Princess... take in a few shows,  explore the ports, bring on our own wine and spend lots of time on our balcony and walking the main deck, avoid the newer Princess ships as much as possible.  Next cruises will be on the Coral and Grand Princess.  

 

Our style of cruising sounds very similar to yours.  We don't care at all about the MDR/set dining times or production shows.  We spend a lot of time on our aft balcony, walk the decks, enjoy live music venues, and explore the ports.  We were sorry they did away with BOGO happy hour, but have been able to book under Sip and Sail promo, so that negates the BOGO somewhat.  

[ceilidh1]

For those having difficulty believing that Princess pricing is increasing while these cutbacks are happening...I just pulled up my confirmation from the Hawaii cruise I took. This is comparing apples to apples - same ship / same date / same itinerary / same cabin:

 

Star Princess LA-Hawaii RT

Dec 19 2017 - Jan 3 2018 (15 nights)

2 BD aft balconies: B736 / B740

PER PERSON: $1,758.40 CAD

TAX/FEE: $209 CAD

Total Paid: $7,869.60 CAD

 

Above was booked approximately 8 months out and included no perks at booking. Switched to 3 for free promo for no extra cost and received $150 OBC per person, plus paid gratuities for all pax

 

TODAY

Star Princess LA-Hawaii RT

Dec 19 2019 - Jan 3 2020 (15 nights)

2 BD aft balconies: B736 / B740

PER PERSON: $3,591.70 CAD

TAX/FEE: $234.01 CAD

Total cost: $15,302.84 CAD

 

Add to this the cost of gratuities ($1,131 CAD) and the $600 OBC and the total is $17,033.84 today compared to $7,869.60 in 17/18.

 

Someone mentioned I must have got a killer deal - maybe I did, but given the time of year it's unlikely. In fact, the sailing was sold out and we were offered a move over (which we didn't take)

[dweeb]

14 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

For those having difficulty believing that Princess pricing is increasing while these cutbacks are happening...I just pulled up my confirmation from the Hawaii cruise I took. This is comparing apples to apples - same ship / same date / same itinerary / same cabin:

 

Star Princess LA-Hawaii RT

Dec 19 2017 - Jan 3 2018 (15 nights)

2 BD aft balconies: B736 / B740

PER PERSON: $1,758.40 CAD

TAX/FEE: $209 CAD

Total Paid: $7,869.60 CAD

 

Above was booked approximately 8 months out and included no perks at booking. Switched to 3 for free promo for no extra cost and received $150 OBC per person, plus paid gratuities for all pax

 

TODAY

Star Princess LA-Hawaii RT

Dec 19 2019 - Jan 3 2020 (15 nights)

2 BD aft balconies: B736 / B740

PER PERSON: $3,591.70 CAD

TAX/FEE: $234.01 CAD

Total cost: $15,302.84 CAD

 

Add to this the cost of gratuities ($1,131 CAD) and the $600 OBC and the total is $17,033.84 today compared to $7,869.60 in 17/18.

 

Someone mentioned I must have got a killer deal - maybe I did, but given the time of year it's unlikely. In fact, the sailing was sold out and we were offered a move over (which we didn't take)

I'm curious.  What was the USD - CAD exchange rate at each of these dates?  I don't know.  Usually sell these cruises at the USD rate, then convert it to CAD $ for which you paid. 

Still more expensive today than what it was a few years ago.

Edited June 11, 2019 by dweeb

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, dweeb said:

I'm curious.  What was the USD - CAD exchange rate at each of these dates?  I don't know.  Usually sell these cruises at the USD rate, then convert it to CAD $ for which you paid. 

Still more expensive today than what it was a few years ago.

No idea - I'm in Canada so never see the US pricing.

[miagirl]

On 6/10/2019 at 10:55 AM, mreasier said:

.... It is sad that there is no covered place to get an up close view of the sea (Promenade Deck) and not a single spot to get a forward view, either inside or outside, except the extra cost Sanctuary. ...  As they continue to retire their Grand Class ships, we will no longer have a Princess ship we enjoy except the Pacific which frequently ends up being as expensive as a premium cruise.

 

We love to cruise because we love being on the ocean.  As larger and larger ships are built the ocean experience is getting reduced to the point that one might as well be at some land based resort.  We enjoy the Princess product and still think it's a good value, but when the smaller ships are gone from the fleet so will we be.  

[SargassoPirate]

Every mass market cruise line that we have used (HAL, RCI, Celebrity, NCL, and Princess) has cutback.  The question is, how much cutback pain are we willing to bear to remain loyal to a particular brand? 

 

For She Who Must Be Obeyed and me, it's down to the itinerary and the per person, per day cost. Beyond that, we'll take advantage of every OBC we can garner and try to avoid every upsell attempt as possible.  

 

As long as we can enjoy being on the ocean, enjoy the ports of call, find enough palatable food to keep body and soul together, avoid the deafening loud venues, we are good.

[Heyref]

On 6/9/2019 at 12:50 PM, jwattle said:

Actually, I think that most do, they just don't ask. I didn't put much through the casino, but I had read on here about ASKING for the casino rate, and VOILA, it worked.

Who do you ask for this 'casino rate'?

[karatemom2]

19 minutes ago, Heyref said:

Who do you ask for this 'casino rate'?

 

You ask the Princess booking agent when you are making your reservation. They can tell you if you qualify. It's pretty much a mystery sometimes as to how they determine if you are eligible. My DH has been receiving Casino offers for years as he is pretty much an itinerant gambler! Well that's an exaggeration, but he does love to play Craps onboard. We get some smoking good deals thanks to his play. However, it seems lately it doesn't take logging much time or money into the Casino to get the advantage of these rates. My son plays at a much lower level and now qualifies which is great because we generally book two rooms and now can get them both at the preferred rate. So, the key is to partake of the Casino while you are onboard, make sure they are tracking your play, which happens automatically if you are a slot player, and then make sure you are asking for the casino rate when you book your cruise.

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, dweeb said:

I'm curious.  What was the USD - CAD exchange rate at each of these dates?  I don't know.  Usually sell these cruises at the USD rate, then convert it to CAD $ for which you paid. 

Still more expensive today than what it was a few years ago.

If the first cruise was booked in April 2017 the USD-CAD exchange rate was around 1.34, against 1.32 today.

 

Sourced from my XE app history graphs.

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, Heyref said:

Who do you ask for this 'casino rate'?

When I make our reservation, I ask if there is a casino rate available; they transfer me, and if there is availability (it's one of those "capacity controlled" things) then we get it. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, miagirl said:

 

We love to cruise because we love being on the ocean.  As larger and larger ships are built the ocean experience is getting reduced to the point that one might as well be at some land based resort.  We enjoy the Princess product and still think it's a good value, but when the smaller ships are gone from the fleet so will we be.  

Especially as the larger ships seem to be reducing the amount of outdoor spaces - no promenade decks, no forward viewing areas other than the Sanctuary, tiny balconies with uncomfortable chairs, extra cabins on upper decks and so on. It's such a shame. 

[500adverbs]

5 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

For those having difficulty believing that Princess pricing is increasing while these cutbacks are happening...I just pulled up my confirmation from the Hawaii cruise I took. This is comparing apples to apples - same ship / same date / same itinerary / same cabin:

 

Star Princess LA-Hawaii RT

Dec 19 2017 - Jan 3 2018 (15 nights)

2 BD aft balconies: B736 / B740

PER PERSON: $1,758.40 CAD

TAX/FEE: $209 CAD

Total Paid: $7,869.60 CAD

 

Above was booked approximately 8 months out and included no perks at booking. Switched to 3 for free promo for no extra cost and received $150 OBC per person, plus paid gratuities for all pax

 

TODAY

Star Princess LA-Hawaii RT

Dec 19 2019 - Jan 3 2020 (15 nights)

2 BD aft balconies: B736 / B740

PER PERSON: $3,591.70 CAD

TAX/FEE: $234.01 CAD

Total cost: $15,302.84 CAD

 

Add to this the cost of gratuities ($1,131 CAD) and the $600 OBC and the total is $17,033.84 today compared to $7,869.60 in 17/18.

 

Someone mentioned I must have got a killer deal - maybe I did, but given the time of year it's unlikely. In fact, the sailing was sold out and we were offered a move over (which we didn't take)

 

They did seem to be selling the Christmas 2017/New Year's 2018 cruises for a deeply discounted rate, at least for a time.

 

We snapped up a $1,749 per person balcony on the Grand from SF to Hawaii 12/18/17 to 1/2/18, which we thought was a good deal having kept close track of fares from SF for a year or more, but yours appears to have been even better.

 

Our 2016 and 2017 cruises aren't exactly apples to apples, but the 2017 fare appears to be comparatively low even given the difference in cabin type:

 

SF to Hawaii 11/23/16 to 12/8/16
(D204 mid-forward mini-suite, perfectly fine stateroom, but awful location directly above the smoking area on Promenade deck and very choppy in rough seas - our only non-aft cabin in 5 cruises)
Booked 8/21/16, about three months out

Fare: $2,699.00 USD (per person) [equivalent to $3,521.93 CAD on 9/9/16, the day final payment was due]

Vacation Protection:  $188.93 USD (per person) for $377.86

Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses:  $215.00 USD (per person) for $430.00

Total: 3,102.93 USD (per person) for $6,205.86

SF to Hawaii 12/18/17 to 1/2/18
(B732, aft balcony - we love aft cabins)
Booked 7/20/17, about five months out

Fare: $1749.00 USD (per person) [equivalent to $2,126.26 CAD on 9/8/17, the day before final payment was due]

Vacation Protection:  $39.00 USD (per person) for $78.00

Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses:  $230.00 USD (per person) for $460.00

Total: $2018.00 USD (per person) for $4,036.00

 

No big conclusion. It's indeed possible 2017 may have been a low point for fares... but no matter what, it's hard to argue that they're not going up.

Edited June 12, 2019 by 500adverbs
clarity

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, 500adverbs said:

 

They did seem to be selling the Christmas 2017/New Year's 2018 cruises for a deeply discounted rate, at least for a time.

 

We snapped up a $1,749 per person balcony on the Grand from SF to Hawaii 12/18/17 to 1/2/18, which we thought was a good deal having kept close track of fares from SF for a year or more, but yours appears to have been even better.

 

Our 2016 and 2017 cruises aren't exactly apples to apples, but the 2017 fare appears to be comparatively low even given the difference in cabin type:

 

SF to Hawaii 11/23/16 to 12/8/16
(D204 mid-forward mini-suite, perfectly fine stateroom, but awful location directly above the smoking area on Promenade deck and very choppy in rough seas - our only non-aft cabin in 5 cruises)
Booked 8/21/16, about three months out

Fare: $2,699.00 USD (per person) [equivalent to $3,521.93 CAD on 9/9/16, the day final payment was due]

Vacation Protection:  $188.93 USD (per person) for $377.86

Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses:  $215.00 USD (per person) for $430.00

Total: 3,102.93 USD (per person) for $6,205.86

SF to Hawaii 12/18/17 to 1/2/18
(B732, aft balcony - we love aft cabins)
Booked 7/20/17, about five months out

Fare: $1749.00 USD (per person) [equivalent to $2,126.26 CAD on 9/8/17, the day before final payment was due]

Vacation Protection:  $39.00 USD (per person) for $78.00

Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses:  $230.00 USD (per person) for $460.00

Total: $2018.00 USD (per person) for $4,036.00

 

No big conclusion. It's indeed possible 2017 may have been a low point for fares... but no matter what, it's hard to argue that they're not going up.

I should mention that this particular cruise was, hands down, one of the best we have ever taken - on ANY line! That's why I've been watching pricing like a hawk, as I really want to do it again!

 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Especially as the larger ships seem to be reducing the amount of outdoor spaces - no promenade decks, no forward viewing areas other than the Sanctuary, tiny balconies with uncomfortable chairs, extra cabins on upper decks and so on. It's such a shame. 

There are plenty of other options where you can cruise on luxurious smaller ships with plenty of deck chairs, nice balconies, lots of free deck space, etc.  The trade-off is that you are going to pay a lot more money.   When you make the choice to cruise on a "mass market" cruise line you are going to usually get a "mass market" product.  We cruise both mass market lines and some ultra luxury lines and enjoy both types of products.  But we understand that when we go on Princess, at a price that is actually much less (in real dollars) then we paid in the 70s and 80s, we are not going to get a luxury product.    

 

Hank

[ceilidh1]

For me, it is the loss of the little things (and I stress LITTLE as to many they wouldn't be a consideration) that used to make Princess stand out from other "mass market" lines. Some examples that come to mind (and I'm sure there are many more):

 

1. Bathrobes automatically in the room if requested in personalizer. Now, you are lucky if you get them on day 2 or 3 and forget them completely if you are sailing less than 3 days!

 

2. Invites to Elite Grapevines wine tasting - used to be a printed invite in the room. Now you have to search for it in the patter.

 

3. Fresh fruit order form in cabin - now you have to specifically request it (who wants to bother their steward with that - and that's assuming you even know it's available)

 

4. Fresh flower corsage for formal night - can't recall if this was for elite or suite, but either way I haven't seen it in some years

 

5. Next day free elite laundry. Now it is standard to have a note saying to allow 48 hours (admittedly it is often turned around quicker, but maybe this is to deter you from using the perk?)

 

6. Steak on the everyday items on MDR menu

 

7. Shakes included in the soda and more (or what used to be ultimate kids package)

 

8. BOGO happy hour

 

9. Ability to pay excursions once onboard rather than pre-paying

 

10. Ability to order more than one entree in MDR or specialty dining without incurring extra charge - now it is hit or miss whether they charge you

 

11. Loss of chair in stateroom

 

 

As I said, just a few SMALL things (added together make for a bigger thing) and I'm sure not all will bother everyone. Feel free to add!

[jagoffee]

10 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

 

Our style of cruising sounds very similar to yours.  We don't care at all about the MDR/set dining times or production shows.  We spend a lot of time on our aft balcony, walk the decks, enjoy live music venues, and explore the ports.  We were sorry they did away with BOGO happy hour, but have been able to book under Sip and Sail promo, so that negates the BOGO somewhat.  

Somewhat only?  You certainly do not need the BOGO for a $1 if you have the PDP.

Edited June 12, 2019 by jagoffee

[geoherb]

59 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

 

2. Invites to Elite Grapevines wine tasting - used to be a printed invite in the room. Now you have to search for it in the patter.

 

3. Fresh fruit order form in cabin - now you have to specifically request it (who wants to bother their steward with that - and that's assuming you even know it's available)

 

4. Fresh flower corsage for formal night - can't recall if this was for elite or suite, but either way I haven't seen it in some years

 

5. Next day free elite laundry. Now it is standard to have a note saying to allow 48 hours (admittedly it is often turned around quicker, but maybe this is to deter you from using the perk?)

 

10. Ability to order more than one entree in MDR or specialty dining without incurring extra charge - now it is hit or miss whether they charge you

 

 

I miss the little shot glasses they would give passengers at the wine tasting. I don't miss the fruit. We had some when we had a suite. I had to toss a few pieces that went bad. We still got the fresh flower corsages on the first formal night when we had a suite in December 2017. In a suite, it's supposed to be same-day laundry if you get it in by 9 a.m. Our cabin steward never picked it up that early, so it was next-day service for us. And I've never been charged for ordering more than one entrée in the main dining room. I hope that was something that Princess tried out and discarded.

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

And I've never been charged for ordering more than one entrée in the main dining room. I hope that was something that Princess tried out and discarded.

Does it not say on the menu that additional entrees are charged at $10? Or is this another cruise line? I have definitely been charged at some point for having more than one entree....

[Skai]

Princess used to have 'something' that set it apart(as a premium line) from the other mainstream lines.  Lately, Princess has lost its unique identity, and has become a lower-class line suited for plebeians.

 

The last time we were on Princess, we observed on multiple separate nights, an obviously over-intoxicated passenger arguing with bar-staff/managers about reaching their 'limit'. One particular evening, we also witnessed another passenger vomiting into a waste bin, and needing to be wheelchaired back to their cabin to 'sleep it off'.  FWIW,  On the two Carnival cruises that we've taken, we've never witnessed this sort of behavior.

 

Princess really 'missed the boat' (so-to-speak), having been so reactive during the cruise industry's mega-ship arms race. 

 

We won't sail Princess unless we're getting what we pay for, which isn't as much these days <----Dictating what we're willing to pay for fares.

 

We'll prefer to spend a little more for more, than spend more(or even the same) for less.  

 

Oh...and then there's the fact that Princess is a habitual criminal polluter, despite claiming a high moral standing when it comes to being stewards of the environment...https://www.princess.com/aboutus/environmental-responsibility

Edited June 12, 2019 by Skai

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Does it not say on the menu that additional entrees are charged at $10? Or is this another cruise line? I have definitely been charged at some point for having more than one entree....

HAL tried this earlier this year, on one or a few ships, for maybe a month (?). They stopped the practice at least for now!

[kywildcatfanone]

You have to remember, decisions are made at the corporate level, and Princess is part of Carnival Corporation.  Carnival is going to try to maximize profits and minimize expenses.  I doubt they truly care about separating Princess from other brands that much as long as they are still sailing full.

[SteelMagnolia9]

Any cruise I decide to book is based on itinerary (someplace new) and price. The ship is my transportation and everything else is secondary. I’ve had good service on Princess, so I do look at its offerings along with a few other cruise lines.

 

The food on my b2b cruises this year on Princess was average to below average. I don’t take a cruise for the food, average will work for me if the price point is acceptable. On my two cruises, I wouldn’t go back to the MDR or the Horizon Court if they were land based restaurants and noted so on my post-cruises surveys. Otherwise, the cruises were both fabulous itineraries (Baltic Heritage and Norwegian Fjords). So I will continue to consider Princess in the future for the service and itineraries.

 

I agree with the poster who stated there is nothing special about the MDR on formal night.

Edited June 12, 2019 by SteelMagnolia9