Is Princess having a Brand/Identity crisis - your thoughts?

[Wishing on a star]

Well,  we are going into language and semantics discussions, and other things that really do not apply to the changes at Princess.  Okay....

Yes, they are making changes.  That does not concern me at all.

It is HOW they are doing this, and the specific changes that they have been making recently. (cabin design, while a much needed change, is the least of these issues....)

The changes that they are making are taking away basic things that we have enjoyed about Princess.

Adult Retreat Pool.... now gone... enclosed with cabins and no real deck area, at all.

The Sanctuary area... any open access adult area...   now gone.  Being replaced with an exclusive, way over-priced 'CLASS'.

The Piazza, as an inviting place for cruise guest to hang out and enjoy cruising and bars and food...  now gone.   Replaced by an open 'big convention hall' concept with screens and loudspeakers that seem to be intrusive at any time of day or evening.

I could go on and on.

 

Change, I have no problem with.  One can partake of new offerings or not.

But, when you go after the core aspects that have made your line successful and that guests have confirmed time and time and time again that these are things that they enjoy..  ???

 

They claim they are changing to embrace multigenerational family cruising.

Well, that would include grandparents/adults - but NO open adult area?  

How about kids -  years after it's announcement...  Park 19 is closed and is not showing on some deck plans.

(Just personally, I think a small splash-pad a couple slides and ropes is a very very poor attempt at this.  Don't have to have flow-riders and the whole gamut.  but this is a very poor attempt.  If this is what Princess wants to go for,  then go for it, commit to it.)

 

I agree that it seems that, as a corporation, they are changing.. no doubt about that.  But what concerns me more is how this is being handled, the decisions being made, and then changed again...  and again.  Something is off, all the way to the very top.

Edited July 16 by Wishing on a star

[Globaler]

11 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Well,  we are going into language and semantics discussions, and other things that really do not apply to the changes at Princess.  Okay....

Yes, they are making changes.  That does not concern me at all.

It is HOW they are doing this, and the specific changes that they have been making recently. (cabin design, while a much needed change, is the least of these issues....)

The changes that they are making are taking away basic things that we have enjoyed about Princess.

Adult Retreat Pool.... now gone... enclosed with cabins and no real deck area, at all.

The Sanctuary area... any open access adult area...   now gone.  Being replaced with an exclusive, way over-priced 'CLASS'.

The Piazza, as an inviting place for cruise guest to hang out and enjoy cruising and bars and food...  now gone.   Replaced by an open 'big convention hall' concept with screens and loudspeakers that seem to be intrusive at any time of day or evening.

I could go on and on.

 

Change, I have no problem with.  One can partake of new offerings or not.

But, when you go after the core aspects that have made your line successful and that guests have confirmed time and time and time again that these are things that they enjoy..  ???

 

They claim they are changing to embrace multigenerational family cruising.

Well, that would include grandparents/adults - but NO open adult area?  

How about kids -  years after it's announcement...  Park 19 is closed and is not showing on some deck plans.

(Just personally, I think a small splash-pad a couple slides and ropes is a very very poor attempt at this.  Don't have to have flow-riders and the whole gamut.  but this is a very poor attempt.  If this is what Princess wants to go for,  then go for it, commit to it.)

 

I agree that it seems that, as a corporation, they are changing.. no doubt about that.  But what concerns me more is how this is being handled, the decisions being made, and then changed again...  and again.  Something is off, all the way to the very top.

Thanks for your comments and getting the discussion back on track - refreshing!

[voljeep]

18 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Well,  we are going into language and semantics discussions, and other things that really do not apply to the changes at Princess.  Okay....

Yes, they are making changes.  That does not concern me at all.

It is HOW they are doing this, and the specific changes that they have been making recently. (cabin design, while a much needed change, is the least of these issues....)

The changes that they are making are taking away basic things that we have enjoyed about Princess.

Adult Retreat Pool.... now gone... enclosed with cabins and no real deck area, at all.

The Sanctuary area... any open access adult area...   now gone.  Being replaced with an exclusive, way over-priced 'CLASS'.

The Piazza, as an inviting place for cruise guest to hang out and enjoy cruising and bars and food...  now gone.   Replaced by an open 'big convention hall' concept with screens and loudspeakers that seem to be intrusive at any time of day or evening.

I could go on and on.

 

Change, I have no problem with.  One can partake of new offerings or not.

But, when you go after the core aspects that have made your line successful and that guests have confirmed time and time and time again that these are things that they enjoy..  ???

 

They claim they are changing to embrace multigenerational family cruising.

Well, that would include grandparents/adults - but NO open adult area?  

How about kids -  years after it's announcement...  Park 19 is closed and is not showing on some deck plans.

(Just personally, I think a small splash-pad a couple slides and ropes is a very very poor attempt at this.  Don't have to have flow-riders and the whole gamut.  but this is a very poor attempt.  If this is what Princess wants to go for,  then go for it, commit to it.)

 

I agree that it seems that, as a corporation, they are changing.. no doubt about that.  But what concerns me more is how this is being handled, the decisions being made, and then changed again...  and again.  Something is off, all the way to the very top.

Vines and Crooners should be on every Princess build - that's the core.  O'Malley's looks like a very nice addition, at least for us.  And on some builds, we do miss the true aft adult pool and bar area

[BTfan]

We span Young GenX and Elder Millennial and we aren't set on a line.. We've done 6 cruises on 5 different lines since the restart (Repeating Royal) and hoping to try another line next year.  Loyalty is mostly a game at this point as no one is offering anything significant until like 10 to 15 cruises..and at this rate we may not be able to cruise haha.  I'm sure we'll start settling down to a few to rotate through..but we're not looking for the same experience every cruise.

 

Our first cruise together was the restart sailing of the Caribbean Princess with an Aft corner balcony.. And after 2 1/2 years locked up, we could have went on the Original Queen Mary with a tug and been happy.  But there were things that didn't leave the best impression such as sloppy paint on the balcony, dinged up furniture, and some non working elevator, clocks, and closed venues.. But we LOVED the the crew (minus Karen the Choreographer), the drinks, the bed, the food was decent, if not memorable, the ease of the packages and AI feels, and also made some new cruise friends.  

 

3 years later.. We're booked for the Disco Princess. and feel like a lot of our desires may be addressed such as more food options, general maintenance, etc..but we're also have a 2 Royal (Oasis and Icon), Celebrity Edge, and Virgin under our belts and so the standards may be higher.. and honestly I hope they pass as our first Princess vacation was one of our most cherished.

[memoak]

11 hours ago, SCX22 said:

I’m of the belief that Princess cabins before the Sun aren’t functional.  The closet was wasted space.  I would much rather have had sofas in lieu and not have had to upgrade to a more expensive cabin category to be furnished with one.  Unless on a long cruise, many cruisers now a days don’t really bring a lot of stuff.  Bringing less stuff when traveling is reinforced by airlines because they’ve dropped bag limits to 50 lbs and are charging for bags or wanting passengers to upgrade to a higher class to get higher baggage allowances.  It helps that many cruise lines haves done away with the tradition of formal night and is only loosely enforced on Princess, much to the dismay of some loyalists.

We mostly sail Grand class. I have no idea why someone would think the closet is wasted space you need to hang up your clothes somewhere. We have been sailing Princess since 1990 and the loyalty benefits let us get our lady done on long cruises, the mini bar means we can have something in our cabin without having to wait for room service or. Ocean Now and we get most of our news through the internet 

[BlerkOne]

It seems some are complaining about Princess in general and some about a specific ship. IMO, the solution is to find a new cruise line or avoid that ship. You can embrace change or be run over by it, but you aren't going to stop it.

[SCX22]

26 minutes ago, memoak said:

We mostly sail Grand class. I have no idea why someone would think the closet is wasted space you need to hang up your clothes somewhere.

 

I agree that a closet is required.  But, too much space is allotted to the closet on pre Sphere Class ships.  Princess is the only cruise line that gives a walk-in closet to non-suite cabins.  If Princess ever gets to the point of gutting the cabins of the older ships and remodeling them, it would be nice they shrunk the closet space with built-ins with drawers and hanging space and put in a sofa like the Sun cabins and like other cruise lines' cabins.

 

Too add:

The non-sofa in mini-suites and below was a problem for me when I sailed with grandparents as a 3rd wheel.  When you have 3 people in a cabin, there's really not a lot of places to sit.  All 3 of us weren't going to lie in bed when we were just chilling in the cabin.  This suggestion comes because Princess is trying to appeal to more families and these families sail with more than 2 to a cabin.

Edited July 16 by SCX22

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

I agree that a closet is required.  But, too much space is allotted to the closet on pre Sphere Class ships.  Princess is the only cruise line that gives a walk-in closet to non-suite cabins.  If Princess ever gets to the point of gutting the cabins of the older ships and remodeling them, it would be nice they shrunk the closet space with built-ins with drawers and hanging space and put in a sofa like the Sun cabins and like other cruise lines' cabins.

and when P retrofits that couch for the balconys - how about removing the tubs in the mini's and replace with a larger walkin shower with a glass door, and more grab rails

Edited July 16 by voljeep

[memoak]

4 minutes ago, voljeep said:

and when P retrofits that couch for the balconys - how about removing the tubs in the mini's and replace with a larger walkin shower with a glass door, and more grab rails

Agree about getting rid of the tubs. They are a big danger zone for anyone over 50. When we bought our condo 5 years ago we converted the tub to a shower

[memoak]

10 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

I agree that a closet is required.  But, too much space is allotted to the closet on pre Sphere Class ships.  Princess is the only cruise line that gives a walk-in closet to non-suite cabins.  If Princess ever gets to the point of gutting the cabins of the older ships and remodeling them, it would be nice they shrunk the closet space with built-ins with drawers and hanging space and put in a sofa like the Sun cabins and like other cruise lines' cabins.

 

Too add:

The non-sofa in mini-suites and below was a problem for me when I sailed with grandparents as a 3rd wheel.  When you have 3 people in a cabin and there's really not a lot of places to sit.  All 3 of us weren't going to lie in bed when we were just chilling in the cabin.  This suggestion comes because Princess is trying to appeal to more families.

Sorry but mini suites do have a sofa in fact it is a sofa sleeper. I have spent many a cruise sleeping on them

[Abercrombie2019]

There are 4 different ship experiences with Princess:

  -  Panamax - smaller ship feel on the Coral and Island

  -  Grand Class - larger ship but still a traditional cruising experience with promenade deck

  -  Royal Class - even larger, but without some of the traditional things like a real promenade deck.  Introduction of Deluxe Balcony cabins with the love seat and the "tiny" balcony.

  - Sphere Class - largest ships for Princess with Sun and Star with completely redesigned staterooms and glass showers.

 

There is a very wide range of experiences to be had on each of the different types of ships.  I've been lucky enough to have tried the first three categories, but have not tried the Sphere Class yet.  We started on the Coral, then went to the Ruby for our next cruise (Panamax to Grand Class).  Both ships were new(ish) when we were on them. The only "old" ship that we sailed was Golden Princess (and we did notice the wear).  We sailed a few times on Grand Class ships then eventually graduated to Royal Class.  

 

Each time we made the move from one Class of ship to another we adjusted to the differences and currently feel most comfortable on the Royal Class ships.

 

I look forward to eventually trying the Sphere Class, but if we don't enjoy it as much as we have the Royal Class - not the end of the world.  There are plenty of other ships in the sea.

[SCX22]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

Sorry but mini suites do have a sofa in fact it is a sofa sleeper. I have spent many a cruise sleeping on them

My bad.  I meant to say “The non-sofas in cabins below mini-suites…”

[Globaler]

57 minutes ago, BTfan said:

We span Young GenX and Elder Millennial and we aren't set on a line.. We've done 6 cruises on 5 different lines since the restart (Repeating Royal) and hoping to try another line next year.  Loyalty is mostly a game at this point as no one is offering anything significant until like 10 to 15 cruises..and at this rate we may not be able to cruise haha.  I'm sure we'll start settling down to a few to rotate through..but we're not looking for the same experience every cruise.

 

Our first cruise together was the restart sailing of the Caribbean Princess with an Aft corner balcony.. And after 2 1/2 years locked up, we could have went on the Original Queen Mary with a tug and been happy.  But there were things that didn't leave the best impression such as sloppy paint on the balcony, dinged up furniture, and some non working elevator, clocks, and closed venues.. But we LOVED the the crew (minus Karen the Choreographer), the drinks, the bed, the food was decent, if not memorable, the ease of the packages and AI feels, and also made some new cruise friends.  

 

3 years later.. We're booked for the Disco Princess. and feel like a lot of our desires may be addressed such as more food options, general maintenance, etc..but we're also have a 2 Royal (Oasis and Icon), Celebrity Edge, and Virgin under our belts and so the standards may be higher.. and honestly I hope they pass as our first Princess vacation was one of our most cherished.

Thanks for your comments. We have been on the Caribbean Princess and as one of the older ships it’s not the best first impression of Princess. The age of the ship does matter and unless it’s a particular itinerary I will always choose a newer ship.

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, Globaler said:

Thanks for your comments. We have been on the Caribbean Princess and as one of the older ships it’s not the best first impression of Princess. The age of the ship does matter and unless it’s a particular itinerary I will always choose a newer ship.

the CB is also not the best 'last impression' of Princess either - although it may be for some.  I was wondering when P put the CB in Port Canaveral for a season if this will be the beginning of the end for that particular ship

[memoak]

18 minutes ago, Globaler said:

Thanks for your comments. We have been on the Caribbean Princess and as one of the older ships it’s not the best first impression of Princess. The age of the ship does matter and unless it’s a particular itinerary I will always choose a newer ship.

We have traveled on a few Royal class ships and one of our complaints is the deafening sound level in the piazza and with so many venues open to it just really hard to even carry on a conversation. We now only cruise Royal class if it is a must do itinerary 

[Skippy]

We’re sailing sapphire princess to Alaska next year. They go to glacier bay which is on my list, plus they sail inside passage. We recently sailed celebrity edge to Alaska RT from Seattle. Loved it, so that’s why we are headed back next year. 
 

for Caribbean cruises, I like royal’s oasis class ships. Hoping to also sail Icon of the Seas at some point. 

[Globaler]

3 minutes ago, Skippy said:

We’re sailing sapphire princess to Alaska next year. They go to glacier bay which is on my list, plus they sail inside passage. We recently sailed celebrity edge to Alaska RT from Seattle. Loved it, so that’s why we are headed back next year. 
 

for Caribbean cruises, I like royal’s oasis class ships. Hoping to also sail Icon of the Seas at some point. 

We are sailing the Island Princess in 26, as it’s the only cruise doing the Transpacific South Pacific 54 day round trip from LA.

[JGmf]

16 hours ago, SCX22 said:

It's time for Princess to get with the times.  No doubt, this will alienate some of the old blood cruisers.  I think the Sun was their attempt to blend contemporary and traditional.

 

I'm guessing Princess is aware of this. 

 

-Agree that the design of the Sun is the most tangible example (how successful it will be? stay tuned).

-They upended the dining program to further marginalize "formal night".

-They are pushing and developing the app and the medallion (failures are in staffing, not the tech).

 

I'd really like to see a more varied playlist from their live music acts that actually pierces the 1980's barrier.  It'll create a younger vibe.  Also, please don't shut down the late night club so early.

 

 

Edited July 16 by JGmf

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

We mostly sail Grand class. I have no idea why someone would think the closet is wasted space you need to hang up your clothes somewhere. We have been sailing Princess since 1990 and the loyalty benefits let us get our lady done on long cruises, the mini bar means we can have something in our cabin without having to wait for room service or. Ocean Now and we get most of our news through the internet 

 

Every other cruise line gives you closet space to hang up your clothes. I am not saying the ENTIRE closet is wasted space, I am saying that the closet takes up 2-3 times the amount of square footage that it needs to and that square footage is DESPERATELY needed to make for a functional bathroom.

[Wishing on a star]

True!!!   But, just personally, I like the walk-in concept, that does not open up into the narrow walking floor-space in the main area of the cabin.   Need the best of both worlds!!!!

 

PS:  This thread was supposed to be about the brand/identity that Princess seems to be moving towards, and if there seems to be some issues with it.

Seems the conversation has been a lot of complaints and discussion of everything but!

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, Wishing on a star said:

True!!!   But, just personally, I like the walk-in concept, that does not open up into the narrow walking floor-space in the main area of the cabin.   Need the best of both worlds!!!!

 

PS:  This thread was supposed to be about the brand/identity that Princess seems to be moving towards, and if there seems to be some issues with it.

Seems the conversation has been a lot of complaints and discussion of everything but!

 
I think the cabin layout conversation is still on topic in that changing the cabin layout and decor on their ships seems to be one of the things that Princess has moved towards with the Sun and the Star. These ships seem to be designed to appeal to "younger" tastes and bring them more in line with some of the other modern cruise ships from other lines.

[BlerkOne]

I think the closet space is fine - especially for longer cruises. Besides, it isn't like you can take a couple of square feet here and move it over there. The cabins are modular and placed in position.

[dweidensaul]

It seems to me that their attempt to reach a "younger" demographic is a necessity for survival.  Gen-X is their immediate future....not their future future.  Princess can't live on the same things that appeal(ed) to Boomer / Silent Generations if they want to persist for the long term.  I commend them for trying to toe the line of honoring their historically loyal customers while trying to expand their market for their future loyal customers.  It's tough to do and remain completely true to existing brand values.  Princess is trying to evolve without watering down (too much) their service offering.    

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, BlerkOne said:

I think the closet space is fine - especially for longer cruises. Besides, it isn't like you can take a couple of square feet here and move it over there. The cabins are modular and placed in position.

 

Other lines have managed to change their cabin layouts during refurbishments. It's something I would love to see from Princess, but doubt we will anytime soon. At least they have improved their layouts in the Sphere class ships.

[voljeep]

Disregarding the transatlantic ... are 'most' P ships and itineraries sailing at near capacity and premium prices - with a lot of cruisers buying the PLUS and premier packages?

 

Why change now?