h-sar Posted September 29, 2019 #1 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Just read on another thread that Princess is doing away with the piazza balloon drops due to environmental reasons almost immediately. Can anyone else confirm this? Didn’t want to start this line of questioning on that other thread as it has little to do with the original poster’s question. We’ve been on a Princess ship every Christmas or New Yrs for the past dozen yrs and it was one of my favourite things. Don’t want to turn this into an environmental debate...just looking to see if anyone else has heard this or if it’s a rumour at this point. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted September 29, 2019 #2 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Sounds reasonable. You will see a number of changes since the agreement regarding environmental practices was reached with the courts earlier this year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltd Posted September 29, 2019 #3 Share Posted September 29, 2019 For what it's worth we had one on the Star a few weeks ago in Alaska. Maybe they are just using up the balloons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffysmom Posted September 29, 2019 #4 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I think it’s a great idea to do away with the balloon drop. Balloons are deadly to wildlife, especially birds.👍 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanecindy21403 Posted September 29, 2019 #5 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Well we won't miss it at all. We went to one of them years ago and it was total chaos and mass confusion. The people act like they are dropping free cruise and OBC credit certificates. If anything we'll watch the pandemonium from afar seeing other people get drinks spilled on them and feet stepped on. Actually saw people get in a shoving match over an empty balloon. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms4104 Posted September 29, 2019 #6 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Maybe they're planning to replace it with an Edible Confetti Drop ... festivities plus a late-evening snack in the piazza. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potstech Posted September 29, 2019 #7 Share Posted September 29, 2019 11 minutes ago, Duffysmom said: I think it’s a great idea to do away with the balloon drop. Balloons are deadly to wildlife, especially birds.👍 How many birds on a cruise ship? Wildlife? 7 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted September 29, 2019 #8 Share Posted September 29, 2019 31 minutes ago, shanecindy21403 said: Well we won't miss it at all. We went to one of them years ago and it was total chaos and mass confusion. The people act like they are dropping free cruise and OBC credit certificates. If anything we'll watch the pandemonium from afar seeing other people get drinks spilled on them and feet stepped on. Actually saw people get in a shoving match over an empty balloon. 👍 We've never gone down in the crowd. Watched one from above and thought, "is this all there is?". Now we don't bother. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted September 29, 2019 #9 Share Posted September 29, 2019 22 minutes ago, Potstech said: How many birds on a cruise ship? Wildlife? Might be thinking about the ones that are in the ocean. Plus sea turtles, whales, etc. Balloon trash has been found the in the stomachs of all of the above. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voljeep Posted September 29, 2019 #10 Share Posted September 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said: 👍 We've never gone down in the crowd. Watched one from above and thought, "is this all there is?". Now we don't bother. same for us - is/was there ever anything in the balloons that was worth anything ... free cruise, OBC, drinks ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jeter02 Posted September 29, 2019 #11 Share Posted September 29, 2019 2 hours ago, h-sar said: Just read on another thread that Princess is doing away with the piazza balloon drops due to environmental reasons almost immediately. Can anyone else confirm this? Didn’t want to start this line of questioning on that other thread as it has little to do with the original poster’s question. We’ve been on a Princess ship every Christmas or New Yrs for the past dozen yrs and it was one of my favourite things. Don’t want to turn this into an environmental debate...just looking to see if anyone else has heard this or if it’s a rumour at this point. Thanks! Sadly it's true. It's also one of favorite things on board both weekly and for New year's! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satxdiver Posted September 29, 2019 #12 Share Posted September 29, 2019 The balloon drop is in the piazza and not anywhere near the ocean so I am rather perplexed as to the effect on the environment unless the ship gathers the spent balloons and tosses them overboard. We were on the Sapphire in June and they had the balloon drop on both cruises (b2b). I do watch it most of the time from the upper decks overlooking the piazza and enjoy it but have not seen any of the things mentioned above. Sorry to hear they are eliminating it but it has run its course and needs to be replaced by something else. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombud Posted September 29, 2019 #13 Share Posted September 29, 2019 No balloon drop on the CB July 27, 2019 cruise and no balloons on my door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcalcruzr Posted September 29, 2019 #14 Share Posted September 29, 2019 There was a balloon drop on the Grand Princess Sept 3, 2019 r/t San Francisco to Alaska cruise. Last sea day of the 10 day cruise, in the Piazza, waiters served trays of Champagne on decks 5 and 6. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers36 Posted September 29, 2019 #15 Share Posted September 29, 2019 1 hour ago, shanecindy21403 said: Well we won't miss it at all. We went to one of them years ago and it was total chaos and mass confusion. The people act like they are dropping free cruise and OBC credit certificates. If anything we'll watch the pandemonium from afar seeing other people get drinks spilled on them and feet stepped on. Actually saw people get in a shoving match over an empty balloon. I thought "years ago" that one balloon contained a free cruise certificate. Maybe I misheard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MishelleMcc Posted September 29, 2019 #16 Share Posted September 29, 2019 We will be on Princess for the first time in December. (Grand Princess to Hawaii) I'm sorry to see this tradition go away because it was unique to Princess and we looked forward the experience. But I am sure there other things unique to Princess that we will also love experiencing. The thing is, times are changing. We all (human race) need to become more environmentally aware/responsible. These things - billions of rubber pieces - end up in landfills (at best) and in the waterways. I know we will still enjoy our cruise... I am lucky to even be on the ship! Peace to all! Happy cruising!🥳 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24639 Posted September 29, 2019 #17 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I just got off the Royal this morning and last night was the last balloon drop on Princess per the announcements on board. The reason cited was a commitment to eliminate single use plastics. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CineGraphic Posted September 29, 2019 #18 Share Posted September 29, 2019 29 minutes ago, satxdiver said: The balloon drop is in the piazza and not anywhere near the ocean so I am rather perplexed as to the effect on the environment unless the ship gathers the spent balloons and tosses them overboard. Well, if they all stayed inside, we wouldn't be finding them inside of whales, turtles and birds, would we? But we are. People take them, they blow away, etc.... Glad to see them go. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted September 29, 2019 #19 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I'm currently on the Crown's transatlantic cruise. There was a balloon drop last week on the first or second night of the cruise. We did not go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pstcrik Posted September 29, 2019 #20 Share Posted September 29, 2019 1 hour ago, Potstech said: How many birds on a cruise ship? Wildlife? They all come out after mid night. 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers36 Posted September 29, 2019 #21 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I can live without a balloon drop. Most of the time, just skip it anyway. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mek Posted September 29, 2019 #22 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I skipped it last week on Grand Princess, but had I know it was going away I would have attended. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted September 29, 2019 #23 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Did any of the balloons actually contain anything? Anything at all? We've seen the folks popping balloons but have never taken part in the scrum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted September 29, 2019 #24 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Balloon drop on Coral Princes in August. Doing away with such seems so petty, if that happens, in my opinion. I believe in global warming and I don't want to see our oceans warming and polluted, but properly disposing of the plastic from the balloons diminishes the cruise experience, particularly if it does not occur on New Year's Eve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverbeenhere Posted September 29, 2019 #25 Share Posted September 29, 2019 We were never into the balloon drop, it was barely a real event. Participated a few times and never have seen the rumored prizes. But some enjoyed it. if the elimination of it has anything to do with pollution, I believe you can thank Princess and their problem for it being removed. Next, the Midnight Bacon Drop!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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