Do we become to set in our ways ?

[Cruisemeister2002]

Hi, myself and my wife are in our senior years, I am 73 and she is 67. Apart from our second cruise on Sea Princess we have always cruised P&O. Next year I have switched allegiance to Princess again due to lots of problems we had on P&O Ventura in March this year. My question really is do we go for the "Devil we know" because we are afraid to switch to another cruiseline or is it because we are just contented to plod on with same old, same old. 

[karatemom2]

This is a great question. Everyone seems to settle on a favorite line but likely for a variety of different reasons. We love Princess best but have also enjoyed our experiences on other lines too. 
 

But Princess just always felt the most like the right fit for us and thanks to many cruises we have built up benefits by being Elite that we miss on other lines. DH also gets tons of great offers and perks onboard thanks to the Casino program. Given these benefits we find we are even less likely to branch out from Princess where we feel most at home and get the most for our investment. 

[SargassoPirate]

Personally, SWMBO and I cruise for the itinerary and cost per day.  We have accumulated some loyalty status with RCI and Princess, but as the cruise lines continue to trim inclusives  and loyalty benefits erode, our loyalty to any one cruise line erodes as well.  

 

 

[mtnesterz]

There is a Gary Bembridge video that I think you would find interesting, because he mentions this very issue he had with P&O. Some Princess cruisers feel like things are changing.  @SargassoPirate touches on this in the post above.

If you haven't watched his videos, he is thorough in his observations and makes some good points.

https://youtu.be/o28f739Rq5o?feature=shared

Edited October 9, 2023 by mtnesterz

[MissP22]

😬

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Hi, myself and my wife are in our senior years, I am 73 and she is 67. Apart from our second cruise on Sea Princess we have always cruised P&O. Next year I have switched allegiance to Princess again due to lots of problems we had on P&O Ventura in March this year. My question really is do we go for the "Devil we know" because we are afraid to switch to another cruiseline or is it because we are just contented to plod on with same old, same old. 

We are also in our early 70s. In our case over the past 11 years, we've cruised on a variety of lines. But in the beginning, we were definitely HAL people and worked hard to play by the rules to reach their 4-star status and get that free laundry perk! That is until they decided to change their entertainment strategy back in 2018. In hindsight that change triggered us to branch out to see what other cruise lines had to offer. And since then, we have never remained loyal to any one cruise line, especially once we found that each line offers a few very interesting 3-5 week itinerary combinations that are not available on any of the other lines we like to cruise with.

 

The advantage of having 3-4 favorite cruise lines to book itineraries with has allowed us over time to achieve quality loyalty status with each of them, which comes in very handy on longer cruises. It also has allowed us to keep from getting burned-out by cruising exclusively on just one or two. Our favorites at this moment are PCL, NCL, HAL, and X, and in that order. X used to be our favorite until some of their more recent decisions caused us to drop them down to #4.

 

In any event, I'm glad you busted out and are trying PCL again!!

[SCX22]

Variety is the spice of life.  Never hurts to mix things up.  Also, times change.  Just because you disliked something before, doesn't mean that it hasn't changed for the better (and vice versa) and it doesn't hurt to give it a try again and make new conclusions.

 

If using itineraries as criteria, you really can't be loyal to one cruise line.  Some go to places at certain times that others don't.

[Flyinby]

I agree with the last couple of messages...You really don't need to be "allegiant" to any cruise line.  Most have their strong and weak points and offer different experiences.  While it's nice getting elevated to some "special" ranking by being faithful, that's really just a sales incentive to benefit them.  And you can tell by reading these forums that it works.

 

Besides the different cruise lines that offer similar journeys, there are river cruises, ferries, land tours on buses, trains, mixed, and they all offer things that others don't.  When I see folks that know all the ships on one cruise line, know the captains and crews by first-name, know the ship classes and dining room details for all of them and what port they're currently in (OK, some exaggeration...8^), and their posts consist mostly of acronyms, I wonder if they just really love that cruise line or if they got caught in a rut.  Which is OK if they're happy with it, but not for me.  There are lots of great experiences out there, on ships and by other means, and finding something new is exciting.

[IndyKid]

The wife & I are NOT hardcore cruisers by any measure, we are both pushing 60 and our upcoming trip on the Caribbean Princess is only our 3rd one, our 2 previous were on RCCL. We obviously don't have status with anyone, we're not beholden to any single cruise line, or even cruising at all. For the last several years we've done AI resorts, which I find are a better deal overall than cruises, except of course you're land-locked. 

 

Our first trip was on Radiance Of The Seas to Alaska, which was great. Smaller ship, not too crowded for the most part except when trying to find a table at the buffet. Second trip was on the Allure, huge ship and very crowded, lots of families with kids running around. It was just TOO busy. So this time we are trying Princess, as they seem to cater to an older crowd and the CB is not nearly the size of the Allure. 

 

Our expectations are simple - a clean & comfortable cabin, good service and food, taking in all the sights and relaxing on our balcony, etc. And if we're not completely satisfied we will try something else next year, perhaps taking a trip with Virgin Voyages or going back ashore to an AI.

[BlerkOne]

Sometimes it just feels good to come home without wondering who moved the cheese 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We are in our late 70's and have cruised a lot of different cruise lines and have really enjoyed every one--of course some more than others.  We've cruised Princess the most--just made elite last winter--but are always open to and looking at other cruise lines.  

 

We like trying something different.  Anyway, after quite a few cruises, itinerary is more important than cruise line or ship.  Also price and time of year.

[runner15km]

We book for the  itineraries and cost which led us to 6 cruise lines. 

[kamelia]

Our cruising since DH retired has been primarily itinerary-driven, and attaining status on different cruise lines was an added bonus, not the target.  Given what seems to be the recent trend in the cruise industry of gutting loyalty benefits, we're content to stick with our same old, same old "who's going where we want to go next" rut. 😊 

[nattie]

We have been on most major cruise lines, ended up loving Princess the most and have been somewhat loyal to the brand lately. We do venture to other lines (did NCL and Carnival last year, trying MSC next year for the first time), but nothing beats the feeling of stepping on Royal Class ship (our favorite class) for us. 

Just an FYI, MSC matches status (one of the reasons we decided to try them), so Elite on Princess will be matched to the highest level on MSC.

[Albinroo]

We are in our early forties and have been on several cruise lines, even if I have some favorites (dcl, ncl) that I always check first. Coming up I have celebrity cruise in october that was too cheap to pass up, and in December we are trying princess for the first time since our first princess cruise was canceled during the pandemic. 

I'd like to think that I can find something to appreciate on most lines. However, as Cruising is getting more expensive and cutbacks are increasing that might change. There are six of us in the family and me and husband have full-time jobs. Cruising used to be affordable but these days I think long and hard before spending all that money. And then it does feel a bit safer with "the devil you know", in our case NCL. 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, nattie said:

We have been on most major cruise lines, ended up loving Princess the most and have been somewhat loyal to the brand lately. We do venture to other lines (did NCL and Carnival last year, trying MSC next year for the first time), but nothing beats the feeling of stepping on Royal Class ship (our favorite class) for us. 

Just an FYI, MSC matches status (one of the reasons we decided to try them), so Elite on Princess will be matched to the highest level on MSC.

Just curious, does MSC give PCL Elites free laundry?

[BlerkOne]

25 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just curious, does MSC give PCL Elites free laundry?

MSC top level gets a whopping 15% off.

[nattie]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just curious, does MSC give PCL Elites free laundry?

I don’t think so. They give whatever is included in their highest tier (Diamond) which is only 15% off laundry, but they have other perks Elite on PCL doesn’t. Namely, discount on cruise fare, spa appt and 40% in shops. We have not sailed yet, so I really don’t know if the benefits are actually worth it.

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by nattie
Correction

[JimmyVWine]

Have I become set in my ways? Yes. Have I become "too" set in my ways?  I don't think so.  Allow me to explain.  For decades we have been promised that technological advancements would make our lives easier.  Anyone think that this has happened?  A convenience afforded us in one direction is accompanied by increased complications in the other direction.  15-20 years ago I could plan a vacation/cruise with any number of providers and there would be a certain sense of fungibility to my choices.  That said, when I researched and booked my first Princess cruise (after being on Cunard, RCI and DCL), I registered here to read reviews and learn as much as I could about the Princess product.  Were I to choose another cruise line now, I would repeat the process and learn as much as possible about that line and the specific ship.  However, the complications that have been created by cruise line "improvements" and technological advancements would make my learning curve way, way steeper.  I would need to learn about unfamiliar apps, dining and drinks packages, countless additional dining options, entertainment venues, skating rinks that convert into swimming pools.  Restaurant experiences where they turn off the lights.  Secrets to getting into limited access venues.  And I'm only beginning to scratch the surface.  Can I do all this research and absorb all of this learning in order to make the most out of my cruise on an unfamiliar cruise line?  Sure.  Do I want to?  Nope.  With PCL, I know where to get an espresso.  I know what the adult only pool area is called.  I know the procedure for securing a spot in the Sanctuary. I know the menu at Sabatini's will appeal to me. And on and on.  (Caveat:  Some of this knowledge is going to become obsolete when we sail on Sun Princess next year, but I only have to learn about one ship, and not the entire workings of a an unfamiliar cruise line.)  I really don't have the time or patience to become a quasi-expert on another cruise line at this stage of my life.  So am I set in my ways?  Yes.  Too set in my ways?  I don't think so.       

Edited October 10, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[fsufancc]

We raised our family living in Florida. We went on a bunch of the low-end cruise ships so we could afford several rooms. At least I call them low-end - Carnival and Norwegian. We went to Alaska in 2008 on Princess and loved it. But again, when the family wanted to cruise, it was back to Carnival.  So we both retired and then Covid struck. 

 

Coming out of Covid, the now grown kids wanted to go to Alaska. Their choice was RCL on the Quantum OTS.  I got really excited while scouring RCL Blog website and decided to go on a cruise with just Mrs Fan prior to the Alaska trip. This time I chose RCL (Voyager OTS) and came back disappointed in the trip.  The "fit-n-finish" was just not there. I chalked it up to post Covid hangover in the cruise industry.  Then we went on the RCL Quantum ship, and it was really bad. Don't get me wrong, a bad day on a cruise ship is better than a good day sitting at home.  The food was awful (I mean the worst meals I have ever had awful). Drinks seemed watered down. Everything was an up-sell and I felt nickel and dimed to death. The ship seemed crowded. I really was thinking that we would not cruise again. 

 

But we decided to go to Norway out of Amsterdam and we chose the HAL Rotterdam with the "Have it all plan". "The heavens opened, and rays of sunlight came streaming down". The Rotterdam and HAL was what a cruise ship should be. Excellent food, great drinks, outstanding service.  We really enjoyed the Music Walk but I understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea.

 

So, HAL has won me back to cruising. Our anniversary is in February, and we always go somewhere. We've been to Stowe Vermont, Whistler Canada, Jackson Wyoming and this year we are going to cruise on the PCL Crown Princess with the "Premier Plan" out of San Francisco this February. We wanted to do a west coast, Napa wine thing along with the cruise. 

 

So, for me, Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean are out, and I will not sail them again. 

 

HAL is totally in and at this point will be our go-to cruise choice.  Princess in now "on deck" and we will see if they will be in the mix for future trips.