Princess' latest PR, to position themselves as a more mainstream (non Carnival/RCI) family cruise.

[Roatanfans]

Our kids are currently 15m and 11f twins.  They are platinum level and are pushing for us to take them on enough cruises to be elite by the time they turn 18.  My girls still love the kids club and my son enjoys the lectures, the pool and the food (he wants to go to the Chefs table with us).  They all get soda packages and we also buy coffee cards for hot chocolates and teas, we also end up buying photo packages that we wouldn't have if they weren't with us.  

We would love Princess to have more room options for families, especially for the families that have more then 4.  The ships that have family suites only have 2.  More options like this at different price points would be lovely.

  When my kids were 9 and 6 we spent a few days at Disneyland then did a California Coastal on the Ruby.  When we got home all three of them announced they would much rather go on a cruise then go to Disneyland!

[cruisequeen4ever]

They have been trying to do this for a while, and thankfully, the experience has not changed for us…yet at least. We value the adult oriented, upscale, traditional cruise experience, that Princess gives. It’s fine if there are some children, but if there are a ton, it really changes the experience. Princess can market to younger adults without making it a heavily frequented by families cruise line. We started out cruising Princess in our 20s. There are plenty of adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s without kids who would be a prime market to get hooked for life.

[texswamper]

On 11/17/2022 at 5:46 PM, Wishing on a star said:

To the post just above that quoted me.  Ummmmm.....  all-righty then.   No further comment.

Isn't that the truth!  You shouldn't be allowed to book the cabin/location you want just because Princess put a sofa in it to accommodate a 3rd passenger?  Ridiculous 

[Happiest when cruising]

On 11/16/2022 at 2:37 PM, dreaminofcruisin said:

The video also states "Room for 4 in all stateroom types"....

ummmm.....yeah they have a FEW.....and maybe the new Sun Princess will have that, but the existing fleet has a pathetic selection of rooms for 4. I just booked a family trip and had to book mini-suites because there were so few rooms that accomodated 4. Not a last minute thing either....it's in 2024!!!

 

🤷‍♀️

Don’t the balcony rooms sleep 4? I’m confused…

[Happiest when cruising]

On 11/17/2022 at 12:23 AM, MissP22 said:

Which is basically nothing. Over all they years with newer designs Princess has never once included anything that would appeal to the younger generations.

We shall soon see.

I just don’t understand your view. There are so many excellent things for the kids to do at the kids clubs. They are really amazing and so is the staff. Are you speaking of something other than the kids clubs? 

[dreaminofcruisin]

7 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Don’t the balcony rooms sleep 4? I’m confused…

 

Only a small number of them.

If you look at the deck plans and put in the number of people, you only find a small number of balcony cabins that allow 4 people. 

[villauk]

On 11/20/2022 at 12:32 AM, Roatanfans said:

Our kids are currently 15m and 11f twins.  They are platinum level and are pushing for us to take them on enough cruises to be elite by the time they turn 18.  My girls still love the kids club and my son enjoys the lectures, the pool and the food (he wants to go to the Chefs table with us).  They all get soda packages and we also buy coffee cards for hot chocolates and teas, we also end up buying photo packages that we wouldn't have if they weren't with us.  

We would love Princess to have more room options for families, especially for the families that have more then 4.  The ships that have family suites only have 2.  More options like this at different price points would be lovely.

  When my kids were 9 and 6 we spent a few days at Disneyland then did a California Coastal on the Ruby.  When we got home all three of them announced they would much rather go on a cruise then go to Disneyland!

 

We started cruising quite a few years ago, in fact, our DS celebrated his 5th birthday on our first cruise and he’s now just turned 20. We started off with RCI and then progressed to X (Celebrity) when they were tweens. In the last few years we turned to Princess, so we’ve experienced a few lines. As someone else stated previously, it’s more about evolving with your family and your tastes may change over time. Not all children like the constant stream of activities on some lines either.

 

We’ve enjoyed every one of our cruises, all over the world, and our kids have always come with us. Even now, both of them want to still cruise with us - that may have something to do with the fact that we’re still paying for them 😁. We do place much attention on itineraries, though, and have always considered them when we took any excursions. The culture and experiences they have gained over the years has been worth all the pounds (dollars) spent - what memories to cherish.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/18/2022 at 4:45 PM, WoodstockGirl said:

 

What is it about RCI and Celebrity that your kids don't like?

 

my kid loves all and every cruise ship. 🙂

My friends (with kids) hated the food served on RCI's Allure and disliked the food on whatever Celebrity cruise they went on.

On 11/17/2022 at 5:44 PM, ldubs said:

We took our SIL (mid 60's) on her first Princess cruise last month.   While she enjoyed many things about it, she categorized it as "Everyone is really old".  

we almost always sail on Princess during Thanksgiving, and there is always a ton of kids on the ship. I must say, though, that on our 10 day TG cruise which ended yesterday the vast majority was pretty old. Very few kids, since it was a 10 day cruise as opposed to a 7 day cruise. I don't think I've ever been on a Princess cruise before where pretty much everyone was an old fart. No offence to older people, but the crowd looked geriatric at best.

I must also say that I was impressed by the new theater shows - they were definitely geared towards somewhat younger crowd (30-40s). The shows resembled RCI's and NCL's and we really enjoyed the younger feel to them.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/21/2022 at 11:11 PM, Happiest when cruising said:

I just don’t understand your view. There are so many excellent things for the kids to do at the kids clubs. They are really amazing and so is the staff. Are you speaking of something other than the kids clubs? 

my kid doesn't do kid's club. There is nothing else to do on a Princess ship....

[JimmyVWine]

26 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

There is nothing else to do on a Princess ship....

How about...get you to your next destination.  There are a lot of posts that contain assumptions that Princess is running 4 day cruises to nowhere out of FLL and the ship has to provide your kids with entertainment 24/7/4.  But that is not the product that Princess sells.  Instead, it takes you to Roatan where you get off the ship at 8:30, head to one of the several ziplining course, then go to a Botanical Garden with tropical animals, and then go to a West End beach to access a portion of the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere where you snorkel for a few hours.  And then you get back on the ship, have dinner, maybe catch a movie under the stars and go to bed.  Where in that day is the time (or the need) for a rock climbing wall or a go-kart track?  And the day before you were in Belize and you got off the ship at 8:00 and took a boat up river to a magnificent Mayan archeological site as part of a 7 hour excursion.  You had a bit of time for shopping and then you got back on the ship in time to shower and change for dinner.  Again, when in that schedule were kids bored? 

 

If you are a family who values travel, intent on seeing many different places and seeing many different things, then a Princess cruise is a perfect option and the lack of kiddie parks is completely irrelevant.  Those are for ships with shorter itineraries that go to Nassau, a private island, and then bob around the Bahamas with a couple of sea days.  The idea that a Princess ship needs that stuff when it is going to Mykonos, Santorini, Istanbul, Naples and Barcelona is, pardon my bluntness, absurd.  Frankly, if a child needs all that stuff on a ship to have a good time, maybe cruising isn't the best option.  Maybe take them to Cedar Point or Orlando.  Sorry for the rant.  Tough day. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[Itchy&Scratchy]

8 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

There are a lot of posts that contain assumptions that Princess is running 4 day cruises to nowhere out of FLL and the ship has to provide your kids with entertainment 24/7/4.

that is not what WE assume, and my kid and we enjoy Princess ships. We don't go on short cruises, though.

 

9 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Again, when in that schedule were kids bored? 

I didn't say my kid was bored.

 

10 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

The idea that a Princess ship needs that stuff when it is going to Mykonos, Santorini, Istanbul, Naples and Barcelona is, pardon my bluntness, absurd. 

well, excuse my bluntness, not everyone can or wants to cruise in the med or Europe. And not everyone wants to have a port rich itinerary.

 

11 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

it takes you to Roatan where you get off the ship at 8:30, head to one of the several ziplining course, then go to a Botanical Garden with tropical animals, and then go to a West End beach to access a portion of the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere where you snorkel for a few hours.

good grief, we would be dead after this kind of a trek. Our kid is not this active either, but he does like ice skating or rock climbing on occasion, or jumping on a trampoline for a bit and maybe a ropes course on a sea day very much.

 

14 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Where in that day is the time (or the need) for a rock climbing wall or a go-kart track? 

plenty on sea days. And even some time on port days: our Grenada port day ended at 1:30 pm, for example. And we didn't get to Bonaire until well after noon. Oh, and due to some technical problem with the engine we were quite a bit late getting to St Thomas.

 

16 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

  Sorry for the rant.  Tough day. 

maybe, you need a cruise to relax so you don't bite people's heads off for having a different opinion. 

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

my kid doesn't do kid's club. There is nothing else to do on a Princess ship....

If you want an amusement park, that is not Princess. There is so much to do that we have trouble getting a nap even on sea days. I do not understand the "nothing to do" comment. He is bored but does not do kids club and you seem to not want to do much in the way of excursions. Even then, there is a lot to do. Or just sit and watch the ocean go by.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, NownZen said:

He is bored

Why do you all assume he is bored? Did I say that? No.

 

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

that is not what WE assume, and my kid and we enjoy Princess ships. We don't go on short cruises, though.

 

I didn't say my kid was bored.

 

well, excuse my bluntness, not everyone can or wants to cruise in the med or Europe. And not everyone wants to have a port rich itinerary.

 

good grief, we would be dead after this kind of a trek. Our kid is not this active either, but he does like ice skating or rock climbing on occasion, or jumping on a trampoline for a bit and maybe a ropes course on a sea day very much.

 

plenty on sea days. And even some time on port days: our Grenada port day ended at 1:30 pm, for example. And we didn't get to Bonaire until well after noon. Oh, and due to some technical problem with the engine we were quite a bit late getting to St Thomas.

 

maybe, you need a cruise to relax so you don't bite people's heads off for having a different opinion. 

My post was not about you specifically. It was directed to the collective of posts on the topic. 

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

And not everyone wants to have a port rich itinerary.

Then choose a different cruise line and stop complaining that Princess doesn’t have a mini amusement park for your kids. That is not the Princess business model. Its business model is port intensive cruises where the destination is the raison d’etre of the cruise. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

29 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Then choose a different cruise line and stop complaining that Princess doesn’t have a mini amusement park for your kids.

stop assigning feelings to me which I didn't express. I noted that there was nothing else for kids to do on Princess ships aside from a kid's club, but I didn't complain about it.

We are perfectly happy to sail on Princess WITH OUR KID IN TOW and have just gotten off a 10 day cruise which we all loved.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

my kid loves all and every cruise ship. 🙂

My friends (with kids) hated the food served on RCI's Allure and disliked the food on whatever Celebrity cruise they went on.

we almost always sail on Princess during Thanksgiving, and there is always a ton of kids on the ship. I must say, though, that on our 10 day TG cruise which ended yesterday the vast majority was pretty old. Very few kids, since it was a 10 day cruise as opposed to a 7 day cruise. I don't think I've ever been on a Princess cruise before where pretty much everyone was an old fart. No offence to older people, but the crowd looked geriatric at best.

I must also say that I was impressed by the new theater shows - they were definitely geared towards somewhat younger crowd (30-40s). The shows resembled RCI's and NCL's and we really enjoyed the younger feel to them.

 

I imagine the itinerary, and like you say, the length has a lot to do with youngsters being on board.   I'm pretty much at the point where I guess I am going to be viewed as an old dude.   But even in my younger years, I liked Princess for the atmosphere and ships.      

[Westsail32]

There is a YouTube poster who does pretty good cruise line reviews.  Tips for Travellers.  In September he did one on Princess and some of the changes.  I think he makes a lot of good points.

 

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by Westsail32

[NownZen]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

stop assigning feelings to me which I didn't express. I noted that there was nothing else for kids to do on Princess ships aside from a kid's club, but I didn't complain about it.

We are perfectly happy to sail on Princess WITH OUR KID IN TOW and have just gotten off a 10 day cruise which we all loved.

YOU said he was bored. That is his problem. There are plenty of things to do on the ship. If you or he choose to ignore them, that is not Princess's fault. If you just got off a 10 day cruise which you loved, why are you complaining?