Is Princess going downhill?

[KenAndJulie]

I have not posted for quite a while but have often lurked. It has been a while though since I have been on the Princess board and from the posts on the first page or so it all seems a bit of doom and gloom. Is Princess going downhill or are we maybe expecting too much at this price point?

 

Ken

[lljost]

I think people are expecting too much and becoming too critical. We spent Christmas on the Crown and had a wonderful trip. Yes, some things have changed, some for the better and some for the worse, but ultimately your cruise is what you make it. We met some great people, had delicious meals and enjoyed the ports as well as the ship. I will stick with Princess for our future cruises.

[Charliesmom]

I think you get a little less service than you used to, but the price is also a lot less than it used to be. In any event, the service is far better than in any hotel in which we have stayed, with the possible exception of the Savoy in London and the Alvear Palace in Buenos Aires.

 

We switched to Princess in 1998 after a cruise on the Radisson Seven Seas Diamond, whose service had deteriorated markedly from our cruise in 1992 through the Panama Canal on that same ship. At that time, we found the service on the Diamond to be only minimally better than the Sun Princess and the price of the Sun Princess was 1/3 what the price on the Diamond had been.

 

Where I think that Princess service has deteriorated the most is in the attitude of the company towards passengers. Problems are not addressed well. Special needs are not attended to in as timely a fashion. Personnel in the home office turn over faster. Those that are still there have more to do and less time in which to do it. It shows.

 

I think we have lived through a golden age of cruising. It may never be as good as it was again.

 

Roberta

[kristysattic]

We sailed the Princess 12 day Mediterranean in 2003, but have been told by our travel agent that the quality of that cruise line has gone down since that time. She recommended Oceania.

 

We are around 40 years old.

 

We like to play bingo and go to the art auctions.

 

We mainly do our on shore excursions, but will use them for transportation from the ship if it is the best alternative.

 

We liked the food on the 2003 Princess Cruise, and really enjoyed Sabatini's

 

We go to a few shows, but that is not a big part of our cruise.

 

How do these areas compare to a few years ago?

 

Any input is greatly appreciated

[pnjkeith]

NO not going downhill. But these boards have become way to critical!

[from the desert]

"Chat" rooms are great and Cruise Critic has one of the best. I would hazard a guess that the amount of people who post here regularly has grown significantly over the years. And, as has been stated many times before, the threads that are critical or negative stay around a lot longer then the positive ones. If you read a thread that starts with something negative in the title and read it through you will see that there are a lot of good things being said about Princess in reply.

 

Every year there are "thousands" more cruisers then there were the year before. Small ships are being replaced by 3000+ passenger mega ships to handle the demand. For every 3 or 4 new passengers a new crew member must be found, trained, and turned loose on a ship.

 

As a stupid comparison we all know about fast food restaurants and how they have degressed in service over the years. This, too, can happen aboard a cruise ship.

 

Hopefully the service we have come to expect from the Cruise Line industry will keep its high standards, but as they add more and more "newbie" crew members to keep up with passenger demands it becomes more of an issue.

[spongerob]

Nice to hear from you Ken. We'll be coming back to your part of the world this summer - on Princess, for our 13th cruise with them. My observation is that a few things have changed over the years but overall the quality and value is still there. I think it's a bit unfair to compare 7-day holiday cruises in the Caribbean to much of what Princess has to offer on longer and more exotic itineraries.

[Spikesgirl]

Went back and compared the first Princess cruise we took (in '96) with the last, and I'd say the service that we've experienced hasn't really changed all that much. certainly not to the point of where I would switch lines because of it.

 

There mostly certainly is a higher demand and travelers are more savvy than they used to be. There are also an entire demography (young families) that is crusiing that wouldn't have had as much opportunity to years ago. The boards also offer a type of anonymity that encourages people to say just about anything.

 

I think much has to do with advertising and the media raising expecations way beyond the realities. ("I was a king and was to be awoken with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a hot bath" - scenerio). People truly believe that you will get that service on every ship, even the more mainstream lines like Carnival and Princess.

 

Everything considered, I don't think Princess is going downhill, but I do think that one should pack a healthy bit of realism when going.

 

Charlie

[Skitter]

Here's my opinion. I really like Princess we just completed our 23rd cruise on a Princess ship. The way I see it, Princess has slipped some the last few years. If they keep building the ships the size of the Caribbean Princess which are beautiful ships, they need to have more staff to handle the amount of passengers. Lately on most of the Princess ships the staff is not as friendly, and seem over worked.

 

We just got off the Navigator of the Seas in December. It was our first cruise on RCCL, and I must say it was a beautiful, well run ship. The food was very good and It had enough staff for the amount of passengers and they were very friendly, and always tried to make sure you were having a good time. Of all the cruises we have taken in the last 4 or 5 years the Navigator won hands down. We liked it so much we plan to take a back to back cruise on her next December.

 

I'm not saying that we will not sail on Princess again, we have two future cruises booked, but yes I do think they have slipped some.

 

Skitter

[willysgrandma]

Reading the boards and then reading the CC Member reviews show two totally different opinions. If you read the reviews, they are much better than what people state on the boards.

[loge23]

We sailed the Princess 12 day Mediterranean in 2003, but have been told by our travel agent that the quality of that cruise line has gone down since that time. She recommended Oceania.

 

We are around 40 years old.

 

We like to play bingo and go to the art auctions.

 

We mainly do our on shore excursions, but will use them for transportation from the ship if it is the best alternative.

 

We liked the food on the 2003 Princess Cruise, and really enjoyed Sabatini's

 

We go to a few shows, but that is not a big part of our cruise.

 

How do these areas compare to a few years ago?

 

Any input is greatly appreciated

 

It sounds like the TA's commission with Princess may be going downhill! If what you listed is important to you then I have to say you will most likely not be disappointed with Princess. We just got off a 10-day. As other posters have noted: for fine dining and great hotel service - a Princess cruise holds up quite well with most 5 star hotels.

...and as Shogun related in his current "live from the Sun" thread, the moonlit stroll on the deck is no additional cost!

[LBL]

I have been cruising with Princess since 1991 and yes there have been changes but I don't think it is going downhill. I think there are two things that have made the biggest differences. One is the number of new and larger ships that are entering the fleet. Because of this, staff has to be built up faster and probably don't have the same training (if nothing else) as they used to be able to get. The training has to been done faster and probably not as intense. The other thing is that the passengers' wants have changed and Princess has always been good at answering passengers' wants and needs. I feel there is inconsistancy within the staff on how they deal with passengers which is why some of the posters on CC have very differing opinions to the cruises they take.

 

Just my thoughts.

Carole

[joyride]

My first cruise on Princess was on the Sun Princess Western Carribean for the Inaugural Season in 1996. We had a great cabin on Riveria Deck right inside from the Pool and Pool Bar Area. The ship was gorgeous and the service was excellent - and the only thing I had to compare it with was my first little 5 day cruise on RCCL to Baja Mexico. Well, we were absolutely blown away on the Sun.

 

We have just completed our 11th cruise on Princess over a 10 year period. My DH and I have been talking about "what has changed" and trying to pinpoint changes that we have noticed. Let's see - I think on our first few cruises they had free lemonade along with the iced tea. They didn't have soda cards yet, but you still had to buy your sodas. Drink prices were in line with what you pay at any bar, resort or hotel when on vacation - but they had daily specials that were a better price. This is still the case.

 

Personal choice was not available on our first cruise. In the traditional dining room the Head Waiter made pasta dishes at a station right near your table and you had fresh pasta each night. They also made flaming desserts right by the table. We love bananas foster and cherries jubilee - but we haven't seen these offered recently. (I think the flaming thing in the dining room has been changed due to possible fire hazards). Personally, I like personal choice and feel that we have good luck with service when we find a waiter that we like and reserve with him or her for the remainder of the cruise.

 

My complaint about the food - I'm TIRED of the menus. The food is good and I can usually find something that I like - but I think the menus haven't really changed much in 10 years. I can tell you what will be on the "French Night" menu, the "Italian Night" menu, etc. I really wish they would come up with some new themes and dishes - if you cruise Princess a lot you find that you are eating the same on each vacation. We took a cruise on Celebrity a couple of years ago and I loved the food, because it was different from what we always get on Princess - not necessairly better, just a different variety of choices.

 

Some things changed in the casino. I remember coming in 2nd in the Blackjack tournament and I still won some money, I think it was $250. Now they only have one winner and everyone else on the final table gets a tee shirt. I think that bingo is awefully expensive considering the small amount of the prizes, but I think it's always been that way.

 

I'm really racking my brain here to think of anything else that has really changed. I have always had wonderful and attentive (very hard working) cabin stewards, great waiters, friendly cocktail servers, etc. I love Princess mini-suites and we are always very comfortable with our cabins.

 

I honestly cannot think of one really negative experience or interaction with a Princess staff member. I can think of plenty of examples of negative experiences with fellow passengers - winers, drunken fools, obnoxious showoffs, etc. But, hey, these folks are everywhere you go - it's life...

 

No, I don't think Princess has changed all that much. I just think that maybe people have changed in their expectations. I did have one cruise that was disappointing because of bad weather, cancelled stops and tours and some personality issues within our group - but none of that was Princess' fault. It is extremely diappointing to look forward to a big vacation, spend a good amount of money and then have things go wrong. Fortunately for me, I usually am successful in making the best of any situation I find myself in.

 

I'm not saying that Princess is perfect - they have definitely had their problems with fires, the tilt, sewage smells, weather, etc. These things are bigger more unpredicatable problems and things that are pretty much out of Princess control. With that said - it comes down to how it is handled and that seem to be the problem that a lot of people are having. Personally, I haven't had to deal with this.

 

Anyway - I'm going to keep cruising with Princess and also trying other lines. In my opinion, if it ain't broke - don't fix it! I always know what to expect and have never been disappointed.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We have enjoyed all our Princess cruises, find them way more quiet and relaxing than our last CCL one.

We are not demanding so have had good service from our room stewarts.

We enjoy the anytime dining and yes they could make some changes to the menu's as they do get boring after a while along with the shows which seem to be the same year after year but this gives us more relaxing time to do other things!!! I think the client base has changed and they are catering to this along with all the other mass market lines!!!

Overall we still have a great cruise on Princess.

[bjcanady]

I have not posted for quite a while but have often lurked. It has been a while though since I have been on the Princess board and from the posts on the first page or so it all seems a bit of doom and gloom. Is Princess going downhill or are we maybe expecting too much at this price point?

 

Ken

 

We got off the Star on Dec. 16 and wanted to go back end of Jan. or mid Feb. and the ship is sold out..........so we booked on the Diamond for Feb. 10 sailing this past week and now it is sold out..........i think Princess is doing something right.......i haven't seen the other lines selling out like this.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I have not posted for quite a while but have often lurked. It has been a while though since I have been on the Princess board and from the posts on the first page or so it all seems a bit of doom and gloom. Is Princess going downhill or are we maybe expecting too much at this price point?

 

Ken

 

with the pressure to keep cruise prices low cruise lines have had to make cuts elsewhere and add extra charge eateries etc to help make up the cost.

 

I think all cruise lines have had slippage.

 

Bill

[Lifes_A_Cruze]

with the pressure to keep cruise prices low cruise lines have had to make cuts elsewhere and add extra charge eateries etc to help make up the cost.

 

I think all cruise lines have had slippage.

 

Bill

With only 1 Princess cruise under our belt, our next on the Star in April, we are hoping it has not changed in the 18 months since we last sailed them. We felt our Princess cruise was a much better experience than our previous 3 on RCI and hoped it would remain so. However, after following the Princess board it appears cost control is beginning to effect Princess more than it might have over the last few years. This is just my perception from posters here on the board. It does look to remain an overall good value though. I just want them to keep the guidelines/onboard policies intact and enforced.

[senior lady]

We've been on NCL, RCL, Celebrity and the most on Princess. We like Princess the best, but we'd sail on any of the others if it was an itinerary that we liked.

 

I think that as others have said that the cruise lines are trying to keep "everyone" happy. Yes, they are charging for things now that used to be free. On, the other hand the prices being charged now are soooo low. When I think of what I paid on our first cruise, it's definately cheaper now.

 

We love to cruise and always try to have a good time, no matter what happens. Yes, some cruises have been better than others but never bad enough that we wouldn't go again. Some of our best friends are people that we've met on cruises.

 

Sometimes the food isn't up to par, but we always manage to put on weight. Or the entertainment might not be the best, but you can always find something to do.

 

I think that some people are just "born" to be critical and I tend to avoid them.

 

I'm a firm believer that a "vacation" is what you make of it!!!

 

I live for my next vacation, either on land or sea!!!!

[spindrift]

I'm sorry to disagree with the poster who says your vacation is what you make of it. It is also your destination which makes a difference. Princess is okay. Our choices are with another line at this time, but I must say that I am terribly disappointed in Princess. Could it be the "Carnival mentality?" Carnival--they used to be known as the "tuna tugs."

[Indiana Cobalt]

IF, Princess is going downhill, then then it must be an awfully big hill.

 

Our family of five just returned from the New Years cruise on the Golden Princess out of New Orleans and I can say without hesitation that it was the best vacation I have ever experienced. This was our first cruise ever as a family and the first cruise for my wife and I since 1981. We were just floored by the experience and are now undergoing cruise withdrawl symptoms here back home.

 

The service was excellent, accomodations better than expected, food was excellent. The entertainment as provided by the Princess dancers and vocalists was superb. I was in Las Vegas in October and went to see the Beatles "Love" production at the Mirage. It was good. My wife and I paid $125.00 each for our tickets. However, I did not come out of that show in Vegas feeling as good and upbeat as I did after coming out of "Caliente" or "Motor City" as performed by the Golden Princess group. Those were superb productions.

 

So, like I said, IF Princess is going downhill, it must be an awfully big hill with a lot of room below it.

 

Larry

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I'm sorry to disagree with the poster who says your vacation is what you make of it. It is also your destination which makes a difference. Princess is okay. Our choices are with another line at this time, but I must say that I am terribly disappointed in Princess. Could it be the "Carnival mentality?" Carnival--they used to be known as the "tuna tugs."

 

Tuna tugs huh? I've heard Carnival called plenty of things but never heard the "tuna tugs" expression, and I've been cruising for 16 years now.:rolleyes:

 

Oh well to each his own.

 

Bill