Not choosing Princess for next cruise…..

[Itchy&Scratchy]

11 hours ago, suzyed said:

The shows on MSC are top notch!

and this one was simply epic!  

watch the video. It'll speak for itself. 🙂

[caribill]

26 minutes ago, RNRcruisers said:

 

I agree that the first night there are usually lines. However, these are lines every night. Again, I am happy that this is working for you but it would be nice to figure out a way to work better for all of us.

 

The problem in general is that unless you are dining when the dining room first opens each evening, there is no way that Princess can be sure a table will be available at the time you have reserved.

 

People can complete a meal in different amounts of time, so the reservation you had for xx:xx PM may find no table available since people have not completed their meals.

 

Princess will not rush someone to finish eating because the table is needed for a reservation.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We tried, hard to do just that on the Emerald Princess in late 2021. We decided to spending the evening in port and went into the app to cancel our dinner reservation. The next night we were told that they had no idea we had cancelled and that feature on DMW on the app doesn’t work.  

But the medallion makes for a perfect experience and is the wave of the future. I know this because I have read it on every ad Princess sends us. 🤦‍♂️😒

[Paula_MacFan]

When I read all this angst over meal times I wonder how people function in their daily lives. Do you have a rigid set dining time every single day at home? When you go to your local restaurant do you demand the same table with the same wait staff?  We cruise for the ports & ocean views. I truly can't understand basing your vacation schedule around meal times in the same venue every night. 

[FLAlaska]

On 3/8/2023 at 1:58 AM, DrSea said:

The wifi was pretty bad. If they didn't tie so much to the crappy app, it would be less of an issue. 

I hate that you had bad criuses. However I was on the Sky last week and it was amazing. The service was wonderful.

I lost my phone and Guest Services actually went looking for it and called me. Any issue was quickly resolved.

I found the WIFI worked really well. I even streamed Netflix and Hulu on board.,

I did Club Dining so I can't attest to the long lines, but Club Dining was pretty perfect.

And no one did any pressure selling at the spa after my seaweed wrap

Service great., crew great, food was fine. I have no complaints

 

Beyond that, inflation is hitting everyone. I am not sure why anyone expects companies to absorb it. They are affected to. Their food costs are up, everything is up. And as it is, these costs will always trickle down to customers. 

Thing are expensive for everyone .

 

[PMGS247]

Interesting.  I took last year "off" from princess and tried Royal & HAL for the first time.  It was my first non-Princess experience.  Some good & some bad, the details of which are neither here nor there, but suffice it to say I found myself missing Princess so this year we're back with our only 2 cruises this year on Princess. Discovery in a few weeks, Caribbean Princess in November.  November plans are more flexible and there's lots of time still for things to change, but that's the plan for now. 

 

Historically, the experience on board has far exceeded my expectations after reading tales of woe from here on cruise critic, so I'll be curious how it goes.  I'm expecting Discovery to be like a busy walmart on a saturday morning, and the CB, well, everything laid out here.  I also intend to try Celebrity at some point but haven't quite pulled the trigger yet.

[malba2366]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The problem in general is that unless you are dining when the dining room first opens each evening, there is no way that Princess can be sure a table will be available at the time you have reserved.

 

People can complete a meal in different amounts of time, so the reservation you had for xx:xx PM may find no table available since people have not completed their meals.

 

Princess will not rush someone to finish eating because the table is needed for a reservation.

 

I think the problem is more the way they are handling the reservations.  There are pictures on here of the reservations line being multiples longer than the no reservations line.  They should move through the reservations line and seat those guests first.  Since they have the medallions and apps they can come up with a pager system where someone with no reservation can register at the desk and they will be sent a message on their phone when their table is ready.

[Cruise5life]

15 hours ago, suzyed said:

The shows on MSC are top notch!

Lolol. Worst shows I’ve ever seen on MSC.   
spent most my life in the entertainment industry.  And these shows were merely a high school talent show at best.    
I live in Las Vegas and if you want to actually see a Cirque du Soleil type show here’s where you go to see them.   Not on a cruise ship.  
 

case closed.  

[Z0nker]

On 3/7/2023 at 10:35 AM, dandonna said:

We are Elite status so obviously love Princess but this was by far our worst cruise experience. We sailed 2/20 for a 10 day Panama Canal cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

Onboard we met a first time Princess couple who are Celebrity cruise regulars and after our experience on this cruise we committed to May cruise on Celebrity. I will post that review once we return.

So why was this bad cruise bad?

1) This ship looks and feels old. Our balcony & cabin furniture were all beaten up in L256. The room smelled very musty and just needed to be refreshed.

2) Dinner waiting times were a joke. If you had a 6pm in the main dining room you stood in a line of 30 people for a minimum of 20 minutes. Here is the kicker if you didnt have reservations you could go to the 

line on the right and be seated immediately? Why make reservations??? 
3) The medallion app is a joke. It says you can order a drink and have it delivered anywhere in the ship. No not true! We tried it at the spa outdoor pool, we tried it on deck 7 walking area, we tried it on the putting green we tried it in club fusion. It doesnt work and not only that but it self cancels???

4) Do not get a massage on a Princess cruise. Not only are they overpriced but the masseuse spent the entire 75 minutes trying to upsell my wife on every salon service? She paid for a relaxing massage not a sales pitch. Sorry Princess but I am sharing this scheme with everyone all the time!

5) Absolutely terrible steak quality in the Crown Grill not only did I hate my steak but the couple next to me said it was bad then the table across from me also hated their steaks? What is with the quality? I loved going to the Crown Grill in the past no more.

6) Our toliet water twice kept running? Nothing stuck in the toliet but some kind of water pressure problem. No apology no acknowledgment nothing just fixed cleaned and left. Not the Princess I am used too.

7) No deck party anymore? It would have been perfect considering the weather and the fact a crowd outdoors is safer when it comes to Covid or Noro than indoors. Instead they called it a Love Boat gold white  piazza party which consisted of live music but nothing else that ran for 40 minutes but nothing happened other than some ballroom cruise group who just danced. Didnt see anyone in gold or white?? Yawn.

So you may be reading this and saying no

problem for me and that is fine but for a 17 time Princess cruiser this was a disappointment. Yes we will go on another Princess cruise in the future but definitely a different ship. For now Celebrity and MSC will get our business for our next 2 cruises. If Princess wants us back they need to step it up if not we just move on. I filled out the survey and would welcome a conversation but that doesnt seem to happen.

I wish all of you fantastic cruises  this year and beyond.

 

Have you considered taking a break from cruising? 

[Guest ldtr]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The problem in general is that unless you are dining when the dining room first opens each evening, there is no way that Princess can be sure a table will be available at the time you have reserved.

 

People can complete a meal in different amounts of time, so the reservation you had for xx:xx PM may find no table available since people have not completed their meals.

 

Princess will not rush someone to finish eating because the table is needed for a reservation.

You can do it for about the first hour after the dining room opens.  Any reservations during that time frame will not be used prior to the reservation.  Maybe even as late as 1.5 hours after opening depending upon the ship. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by ldtr

[dandonna]

22 minutes ago, Z0nker said:

Have you considered taking a break from cruising? 

Nope why would I want to do that?

I enjoy cruising just not my latest on Princess.

That is why in May & November we have booked 2 cruises with different cruise lines than Princess.

[Z0nker]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:28 AM, PescadoAmarillo said:

We had an excellent experience with (I think it’s called) My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean nearly 10 years ago. Regardless of when we showed up in the dining room, we would show them our ship card, and were then accompanied to a table for two in the same area with the same servers and headwaiter that we had every night, and addressed by name and asked about our day on the way there. Never a wait. I tried to figure out why it was so seamless and never could, and this was on the Allure running full.

We had the same experience on Royal Caribbean in 2017. 

[stevenr597]

Crown Princess is an old ship.  There is no way of getting from this.  Certainly it should be upgraded, but the Pandemic has put a strain on the cruise industry, and they wish, if at all possible to get some money out of all their ships, before committing to costly upgrades.  

Crown Princess was designed for the Caribbean which is most cases means that it is a party ship where most of the passengers are interesting in having a good time, and they don't really mind that the ship is old and that there is a wait for many services.

If one wants to have all the "Bells and Whistles" take a newer ship and also check where it is sailing too.

 

[iceleven]

On 3/7/2023 at 3:41 PM, dandonna said:

Chose MSC because they transfer your loyalty tier to theirs so Elite on Princess gets the tops benefits on MSC.

Again wouldn’t even be trying this but Princess failed us so trying some different lines: Celebrity & MSC. 

For real? I hadn't heard that. We're Elite on Princess so I am going to give MSC another look. I've read several negative revues with MSC and their Caribbean itineraries tend to be redundant but the convenience of their local ports makes me, at least, more curious.

[iceleven]

5 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

When I read all this angst over meal times I wonder how people function in their daily lives. Do you have a rigid set dining time every single day at home? When you go to your local restaurant do you demand the same table with the same wait staff?  We cruise for the ports & ocean views. I truly can't understand basing your vacation schedule around meal times in the same venue every night. 

Some people plan around one of the entertainment options and hope to get in and out of the dining room in order to catch a show. Others need to maintain a schedule because they are diabetic and meals need to be pretty regular. I'm sure there are other reasons. Ports and ocean views are not necessarily less important to them. People can try to have it all, no?

[memoak]

48 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

Crown Princess is an old ship.  There is no way of getting from this.  Certainly it should be upgraded, but the Pandemic has put a strain on the cruise industry, and they wish, if at all possible to get some money out of all their ships, before committing to costly upgrades.  

Crown Princess was designed for the Caribbean which is most cases means that it is a party ship where most of the passengers are interesting in having a good time, and they don't really mind that the ship is old and that there is a wait for many services.

If one wants to have all the "Bells and Whistles" take a newer ship and also check where it is sailing too.

 

I have been on well over 40 Princess cruises and even a 4 day Mexico on an older ship was not what I would call a party cruise. The Crown sails everywhere. I will be doing Hawaii on her in the fall

[Lady Arwen]

53 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

Crown Princess is an old ship.  There is no way of getting from this.  Certainly it should be upgraded, but the Pandemic has put a strain on the cruise industry, and they wish, if at all possible to get some money out of all their ships, before committing to costly upgrades.  

Crown Princess was designed for the Caribbean which is most cases means that it is a party ship where most of the passengers are interesting in having a good time, and they don't really mind that the ship is old and that there is a wait for many services.

If one wants to have all the "Bells and Whistles" take a newer ship and also check where it is sailing too.

 

The OP sailed on Caribbean Princess, not Crown.  

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, stevenr597 said:

Crown Princess was designed for the Caribbean which is most cases means that it is a party ship where most of the passengers are interesting in having a good time, and they don't really mind that the ship is old and that there is a wait for many services.
 

 

 

I'm just not following this.   If most passengers in the Caribbean don't care if the ship is old, I wonder why cruise lines keep coming out with these fantastic new ships.  

 

The Grand Class ship designs are among my favorites. I've been on Crown many times including Europe but never in the Caribbean.     

[caribill]

12 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

 

I'm just not following this.   If most passengers in the Caribbean don't care if the ship is old, I wonder why cruise lines keep coming out with these fantastic new ships.  

 

The Grand Class ship designs are among my favorites. I've been on Crown many times including Europe but never in the Caribbean.     

 

And when the Grand came out, it was a "fantastic new ship" of a larger design.

 

And when the Crown came out, it was a "fantastic new ship" of a larger design.

[Hlitner]

The Caribbean Princess is one ship we avoid!  Why?  Take a pretty good ship design (Grand Class) and modify it by adding another passenger deck without expanding the public rooms and MDRs.  This makes for an overcrowded vessel which spurns all kinds of related problems.  

 

Hank

[Papa Yoda]

Agreed.  Saddens me that they swapped out the Star and kept the CB, 

[mowogo]

4 hours ago, iceleven said:

For real? I hadn't heard that. We're Elite on Princess so I am going to give MSC another look. I've read several negative revues with MSC and their Caribbean itineraries tend to be redundant but the convenience of their local ports makes me, at least, more curious.

If you go in expecting a Princess/Celebrity experience with MSC you will be sorely disappointed.  If you want over the top customer service, MSC will disappoint you.  If you want a decent cruise at the price of Spirit and Conquest class Carnival cruising with a touch of European flair then MSC may be an attractive cruise.  There are issues from them not quite getting the American audience, and depending on your cruising preferences those can definitely hit you.  

 

With that said, some of their 3 day itineraries just to Ocean Cay are dream cruises.  Even on an 80% full ship I was able to get a giant stretch of beach to myself on the lagoon. A trip to Ocean Cay will ruin you for Princess Cays. And they are just short enough where all the minor issues of MSC don't bother you. If you are able to status match with MSC, then you can really get an elevated cruise from your first time. The free steakhouse dinner for Diamond is even available on the short cruises.  

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, Z0nker said:

We had the same experience on Royal Caribbean in 2017. 

 

2017 and 10 years ago in the initial post.  What does this have w the situation today?

 

DON

[Hlitner]

17 minutes ago, mowogo said:

If you go in expecting a Princess/Celebrity experience with MSC you will be sorely disappointed.  If you want over the top customer service, MSC will disappoint you.  If you want a decent cruise at the price of Spirit and Conquest class Carnival cruising with a touch of European flair then MSC may be an attractive cruise.  There are issues from them not quite getting the American audience, and depending on your cruising preferences those can definitely hit you.  

 

With that said, some of their 3 day itineraries just to Ocean Cay are dream cruises.  Even on an 80% full ship I was able to get a giant stretch of beach to myself on the lagoon. A trip to Ocean Cay will ruin you for Princess Cays. And they are just short enough where all the minor issues of MSC don't bother you. If you are able to status match with MSC, then you can really get an elevated cruise from your first time. The free steakhouse dinner for Diamond is even available on the short cruises.  

We must respectfully disagree, if one cruises in MSC's fantastic Yacht Club.  That is a ship within a ship experience with a dedicated section of the ship including restaurant, expansive lounge, pool deck, buffet, butlers, etc.  The Yacht Club offers folks many of the benefits of a luxury cruise while also giving access to the rest of the ship.  As to Ocean Cay, those in the Yacht Club have a dedicated part of the island with its own restaurant, good drink service, shuttle service etc.

 

Hank

[MissP22]

14 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We tried, hard to do just that on the Emerald Princess in late 2021. We decided to spending the evening in port and went into the app to cancel our dinner reservation. The next night we were told that they had no idea we had cancelled and that feature on DMW on the app doesn’t work.  

Exactly. 

Noone seemed to care if we cancelled or not.

We just gave up on canceling on nights when we went to the buffet. 

13 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

 

We just had the most wonderful cruise on Enchanted 3 months ago. The medallion worked, ordering worked, food was great, MDR service was slow, shows were new and good, etc.

The only problem we had with the medallion system is that the billing always seemed to be applied to one account when ordering 2 drinks at the same time. 

It causes billing to happen when you go over 15 drinks a day- No matter what you tell the bartenders.