THE 3 WORST CRUISE LINES According to the Internet

[@JoeVol5249]

Hate to hear you are getting abuse from people for simply disagreeing with you. My wife and I appreciate you continuing to post videos with very useful info that had had a positive impact on multiple cruises.

[@sailors365]

The problem is, Princess Cruises has to start putting its guests first. They need to hire someone who knows what their customers want and give them precisely that. Princess has one of the most loyal client base, and all they have been doing lately is slowly depleting it. Princess, we know you see this; stop messing around!

[@bryantsteury8910]

Yep. The problem is, like Disney (not the line but in general) it depends on who is in charge and if they listen and adapt OR if they go fine we'll just charge everyone who DOES show up more

[@letarogers6380]

I’m thinking the Diamond Princess debacle might have something to do with it

[@davidandrew1078]

Don't forget the Ruby Princess and its 28 deaths from COVID-19. Yes, I have Government References.

[@qborne]

its going from bad to worse

[@InsideCruise]

Totally agree!

[@kentgastreich1055]

Surprised with the Princess Cruise reviews. Our experiences with Princess have been great! Excellent and attentive customer service, very good food, variety of entertainment, clean ship, and well planned excursions. We will gladly continue with Princess. The Medallion experience worked flawlessly.

[@gregorygunnell9382]

Agree!

[@larssandvik1347]

currently on Princess right now and they suck. Triple elite. at 470 days. They agreed to give me 30% off my room in future cruise certificates somehow that should be right around $3000 but they told me that translates with their calculations to $800. I told him I refuse and I will just dispute the whole charge with my credit card company that will definitely refund me the full amount.

[@fshepinc]

I started cruising back in the 1980s. Even then, my travel agent steered me away from Costa, saying there were problems with food and service- noting instances of crew members cutting into food lines at the buffet! After more than forty cruises I’ve learned to ignore one-off bad reviews but to pay attention to the trends. Thanks for the great summary of current reviews, Ben!

[@SC-ie5bm]

I was booked on MSC in a balcony midship cabin for transatlantic. I booked 18 months in advance and had a great low price. 6 months before the cruise, I went to online to book excursions and my booking had disappeared. My travel agent looked into it and told me that MSC sold my cabin for a much higher price to someone else and just canceled my booking. NEVER AGAIN.

[@paprika1951]

😊😊😊😊

[@paprika1951]

😊

[@Travelin_Gal]

😱😡 that’s just wrong!

[@Pavelpetuniablue]

That really sucks. Imagine that your one booking was THAT important to MSC....shows to go ya, can't trust anyone. Glad you canceled but sorry you didn't away.

[@FD2003Abc]

I believe that is illegal. Even if they are international, if they operate in the USA they have to follow USA law.

[@lilacbazzi493]

On disembarkasion, MSC detained my sister and I for almost 3 hours. They accused us of stealing the life jackets from the room. The accusation was so funny , I started laughing when I heard it was the reason they detained us. My sister and I travel very light . We each have one small suitcase. If they have a brain, they would have seen that there's no way a life jacket can fit in our suitcases. They didn't even apologize sfter finding out we didn't have their precious life jackets!!

[@Calendyr]

That is crazy! I would have simply opened my luggage and told them: "Show me the life jacket I stole".

[@lilacbazzi493]

@@Calendyr Yes we would have done that immediately if we had known what they were looking for or what we supposedly did wrong but nobody was telling us anything at the time. Only found out at the end. Horrible ! It's a good thing we didn't have to fly out that day or we could have been late for our flight having been detained that long! And we didn't even get an apology from them!

[@ymgreen4113]

By any chance Were the security Indian or Philippines crew members?

[@lilacbazzi493]

@@ymgreen4113 I think if I remember correctly, Indian. Definitely not Filipino.

[@MarioMartinez-mt9fo]

We been cruceing with MSC Divina, Meraviglia (my favorite) and Seaside and we are in love with the shows and such elegant boats yes maybe a little understaffed but overall experience was excellent we have no complaints and next Nov we doing MSC Magnifica so we'll let you know how is it and last but not least their story behind their Marine Reserve Ocean Cay what an honor be a part of it, look how they fix that dump site and brought back to life by MSC fixing Coral reefs and bringing 70,000 trees and now even birds not seen before are coming back 😊 I haven't heard from any other cruise line doing such a respectable effort to bring life back to that part of the Bahamas

[@larssandvik1347]

gross

[@sachaput]

I’ve taken over twenty cruises and would never sail on Princess again . Rude dining room staff and a cabin steward we had to ask be changed after several arguments about room issues. We were in a group of 16 and we all had issues. Never again!

[@Calendyr]

What ship were you on? I sailed the Sky Princess this year and everything was really good. I am guessing the issues are not with the cruise line but rather with specific ships.

[@DavidWilliams-qr5yj]

Sounds like you got a particularly bad ship. I have cruised over 20 times and 5 times were on princess cruises. All 5 of the cruises were outstanding.

[@barbarae.demullingbriggs8362]

Will never take Princess Cruise again. Had a scheduled massage - I am a little plump but wanted s message. The attendant spent most of our time messaging my head! My hair was so oily I left fuming mad! I never answered their calls to my cabin and left a bad review on their site! 😮

[@ninadascalu8508]

Never Princess Cruises! Bad, Bad, Bad experience

[@chrismcleod1192]

6​@@Calendyr

[@corinnemcleod1804]

A lot of these complaints can be chocked up to making the ships hold as many customers as possible yet not providing enough chairs, space etc. for the amount of people on board.

[@mckenna8663]

I was recently on the Regal Princess. One day was not only a sea day but it was also very very rainy... so everyone was inside and wanted to have a good time. There was not a seat to be found. Not even in the less desirable public areas. People were even sitting in the theater and in some restaurants which weren't being utilized at the time. But, it was so crowded that the only choice was to walk, stand, or go back to my interior cabin (that I usually only utilize that for sleeping at night) and watch TV. They had activities, music to enjoy and things to be done... but no place to sit.

[@kaybrisvegas1099]

Yes agree with you, we did Majestic last year here in Aussie and was so disappointed re seating, activities etc. But the food was so good and def 5 star for us.

[@barblibrarian]

This is my concern. They are increasing the size of ships by adding more passenger cabins. But they are not increasing the public spaces. If you double the number of passengers and you need more pools and more lounge chairs.

[@mattcolver1]

I went on a Princess cruise in 2018 and then again this year. I didn't notice any difference. I had no problems, thoroughly enjoyed my cruises. I also didn't rush to give them a 5 star review. I got off the ship satisfied I had a great cruise and never considered I should go on a review site and say how great it was. I've got another Princess cruise this November. I think review sites get more people who had a bad experience over those who had a good experience.

[@vickikohler5067]

Evidently you didn't experience these New Changes and Charges they made Very Recently. What you used to have and signed up for have been taken away and now are charged for.

[@warpedweft9004]

@@vickikohler5067 I wouldn't be surprised if there is a class action that comes about as a result. I don't know what consumer law is like in the USA but you can't do that kind of thing in Australia. Australian law prevails for Australian passengers departing from an Australian port, which is why we don't pay gratuities after the fact. It has to be included in the price we pay for the ticket. The same law says that you are entitled to what you paid for at the time that you contracted the goods and services, so it will be interesting to see if they honour the bookings for Australians who paid for their cruise before the changes came into effect. We booked a few weeks after the changes took effect, but since we aren't interested in any of the things that have been taken away, it's no big deal as far as we are concerned. But if we had booked before the changes and we had wanted those things, yes, I'd be extremely angry too. It happened to us once on a hotel booking. The hotel changed hands and the new owners refused to honour the inclusions in the package. One email to the booking company was all it took for them to back down and honour the full package.

[@Ginasgusa]

I just did my first cruise with Holland America for our Alaska cruise. Very happy with everything! Staff was all so pleasant, did not encounter any rude staff, not a single rude one. Isn’t it amazing? They all served with a smile. Most of their staff are from all over the globe, Indonesians, Indians, Filipinos, Europeans.. very diverse and interesting. Food was very good. Entertainment was sufficient to keep us busy. I enjoy the smaller ship without all the fancy gimmicks. I have absolutely no complaints and now planning my next cruise with Holland America.

[@beachblythe]

I’ll be on my 8th HAL cruise in a week. I am never disappointed

[@hobnobkitkat]

I did my first cruise with HAL too in May and loved it. Yet when I was waiting to get off at Ketchikan I was chatting with a couple who had nothing but complaints and would certainly have given one of these one star reviews.

[@beachblythe]

@@hobnobkitkat wow!! I’ve done two Alaska cruises. they must be crazy!!

[@InsideCruise]

We really need to try Holland America!

[@margaretthatcher6828]

Never had a bad cruise with Holland.

[@OmanSusan]

Canadian here. I've cruised three times with Costa - Eastern Med, Western Med, and India, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. The first two were great, I loved that it was an Italian ship. Price, ports, food, cabin and customer service were great and I really enjoyed hearing most of the passengers speaking languages other than English. I would agree that the entertainment is not as good as other cruise lines but that is not important for me as I'm usually exhausted from waking all day in the ports. The third cruise was on a very old ship, about to be retired, and the price was super low because of it. Cabin and food were not nearly as good and the ship was definitely run down. The ports were amazing though, and for the crazy low price I was happy. Oh, and the app worked fine on my phone. I would love to see you two go on one of the newer Costa shops to see for yourselves, and give us one of your very enjoyable reviews. I thoroughly enjoy your videos but I do wish you'd try some different cruise lines. 😘

[@angryofmayfair7091]

Much of the deck space on some of the big ships is taken up by the addition of a floating funfair and haven type areas leaving insufficient space for sunbeds around the pool. I personally prefer the smaller ships that offer a different less hectic experience.

[@joecichlid]

I have also found that there is a big difference between different ships in the same cruise line. Absolutely love you honesty and thank you for helping by sharing this info.

[@mckenna8663]

Recently cruised two different princess ships one week apart. Regal was larger and newer. Island was smaller and older. The better(not judging the destinations) was Island. I'm not sure if the crew to passenger ratio was more in line, or if being an older ship they felt that they had to do a better job just to stay relevant.... but they were excellent (and in a couple ratings areas, the best I've experienced in a while).

[@truthandlife4101]

I have found the same , one ship was Freezing cold very cold and it was very hot summer, other ship I enjoyed it , was a P&O cruise ship.

[@NikkiLawyer]

Love Princess Cruises! Was on the Caribbean Princess and loved it so much we booked another Princess cruise for next year!

[@DoctorCrescentMoon]

You could say that the Costa situation is a shipwreck

[@MountainMan7.62x39]

The one thing I would add to this is that people generally tend to submit online reviews when they're not happy about something. When everything goes as planned we usually forget about it soon after.

[@gregwhates5948]

True, but they’ll be like that across all the lines so still an accurate order

[@PortsladeBySea]

Not true. We leave feedback for all our cruises and we usually rate them 5/5. MSC Viruosa is a maritime disaster waiting to occur as the company must know they could never safely evacuate 6,300 passengers and 1,700 crew 🫢🛟🌊🛳️⚰️

[@gregwhates5948]

@@PortsladeBySea I think you are the exception, not the rule. 5/5 for most? You need to be harsher!

[@kennywalker4091]

​@@gregwhates5948"you need to be harsher"? That speaks volumes right there.

[@nellyseawitch3284]

or they lie to get something for free as an apology from the cruise line. The worst and most difficult guests leave mean and misleading information

[@gillianprovis5764]

I have sailed with Princess 24 cruises and must say the last 2 have been very disappointing, I also had to check my on board account daily as other people’s drinks were added to my account mistakenly, I travel alone and every night I would get charged for other people at my table, the service desk would rectify the mistakes but it was a hassle

[@garywilbanks-c3w]

With the packages, I suspect that the bar is less than dilligent.

[@andreatuckman1084]

We sailed on a Princess ship a number of years ago. I hated the fact that all games, contests and events took place in the centrum. People were watching from the railings up above because the seats were taken up by passengers who knew the drill and appeared hours beforehand. The level of noise was ear piercing as the floors are marble and helped catapult voices into the rafters. The rooms were small by comparison and if you didn’t pay extra, you didn’t get any place to sit besides your bed. Yet, there are many vloggers who love the brand. I can’t understand why. Needless to say, we never sailed Princess again.

[@roxannekelly9089]

After 20 cruises on Princess I am shocked by this as well. Is there room for improvement, yes. But service has been excellent, food wonderful and the ships, although some of them older, very nice, clean and welcoming. I am so sorry everyone hasn't had the same experience we have had! Our loyalty remains unshaken at this point!!!

[@richardmaurer7286]

We had our cabin toilet overflow which made the cabin unusable for almost two days. I complained and they offered a specialty dinner which I refused because we couldn’t even shower! So they offered a 30 percent discount on a future cruise, which they never confirmed and when I wrote to corporate to ask about it they never responded even after I spoke with a representative on the phone and he promised to get it fixed. There’s lots of good lines that really want our business so Princess can go pound sand!

[@pierrepoirier6907]

Our first experience with cruise ships was with Costa Classica in 2003. This experience got us addicted to cruising. Theme dinner every night it was a culinary experience. But when we took the Costa Concordia (3 years prior to the disaster) it was terrible, tables at the buffet weren’t cleaned, customer had to remove dishes themselves, employees were very unhappy. The only issue we had with Princess was getting out at every port, average 1.5 hours and wasn’t tender, why only god knows. Our worst experience lately was with NCL Encore (21 days) public space is for 2000 people and we were 4000. For example one pool can hold 30 persons. And so on.

[@lh8372]

Seems like the safe bet with Princess & MSC (even NCL, Celebrity, Holland, Carnival & RCCL) is to book their newest ships only!!! I’d give it 6 months after inaugural sailing to let them get all of the kinks worked out. I read a lot of reviews & watch a lot of youtube channels about cruising and it seems like the cruise lines throw the best at the new ships (food, staff, performers, etc.) bc of the press surrounding the first year or two of a new ship.

[@billyknock5011]

The health dept failed Costa. They were one of the earlier ships with Covid. Princess has really raised their prices overall. The princess plus and premiere pkgs are high priced for what you get. They have taken services and restaurants that were free and charge for them now. The way around it is to buy an upgraded plus or premier pkg. Then it's given to you but with limits. Their goodwill and service to loyal customers means nothing now. Princess management is way out of touch and ruining their facilities and services for profit. Many people have left them, not to return.

[@kaunas88]

Thanks for your honest opinions.

[@richardparmenter188]

We sail with Princess in 6 weeks but we booked in March 2022 and paid in full then. They have sat on our money all that time. Our choice I know. Book early we thought and show some loyalty. Now they decide to change all their packages. When we booked we had no choice, it was one option. You’d think that they would honour existing bookings but no. Pay another £498. No chance. If room service and using the app was part of our booking back then we feel it should still be now. The things they have added is different, we didn’t pay for the juice bar etc but the things included should bloody well still be.

[@MrChannel2010]

Bait and switch. Lesson learned. Never again.

[@mymai5859]

Does it help to book with a Travel Agent in future who can go in & defend your rights to original agreement? Curious

[@richardparmenter188]

@@mymai5859 we did book through a TA and they didn’t want to know. Apparently it’s in the T&Cs and nothing we could do about it

[@ricoelgordolocosabor4173]

We took two Princess Cruises aboard Discovery Princess out of LA and loved both of them. 3rd one is planned for November. The Love Boat is amazing!!

[@jodij6280]

We're taking an Alaskan cruise on the Discovery next July.

[@ricoelgordolocosabor4173]

@@jodij6280 you’re gonna love it. It’s a wonderful ship.

[@brucerosner3547]

I stopped cruising Princess a year ago. RCL and Celebrity both offer a much superior product in the same price category.

[@InsideCruise]

We have to say we were so impressed by Celebrity compared to Princess!

[@jamilali5402]

RCCL is a better experience by far.

[@ANCarty-xh9dk]

Wouldn't go Rc if you paid me, it was dangerous and they cover up stuff that goes wrong on their part. Never again Very bad experience.Take care & watch your back

[@nancyrobinson2364]

Agree with no RCCL.

[@greensam7074]

We saw all the negative reviews of MSC cruises, but decided to see for ourselves on a 7 day Med cruise on the Seaview from Barcelona in May and my wife and 4 adult children, loved the ship, the crew, the service, the itinerary and especially the entertainment and overall buzz around the ship. They enjoyed the food, but accepted that it wasn’t to a high standard, just good. They did say the food was always hot enough and they gave the crew members high praise for their service and friendliness towards everyone.

[@InsideCruise]

So glad you had a great cruise, it's always great to see how the reviews are not always right!

[@FranciscoCamino]

The problem?. It’s Italian. Most americans wont never understand the product.

[@JanetOrt]

Never been to Italy but want to go. What is the product?

[@FranciscoCamino]

@@JanetOrt Basic but solid and decent. Big ship, some nicely decorated. A bit too packet like most cheap cruise lines but with some lovely things as spa, shops, and specially restaurants. They mostly cater to southern Mediterraneans so it’s always fiesta and a bit noisy. Cabins are comfortable and service it’s standard. For what you normally pay it’s always worth it.

[@JanetOrt]

@@FranciscoCamino Thank you for explaining that to me. I’m not like most Americans. I don’t expect the world when on vacation. I consider meeting the locals as part of the thrill of vacationing in other countries.

[@matheuspiao6685]

I did a cruise with Costa in Brazil some time ago and it was simply amazing. The food was absolutely delicious, the ship was very clean, on board services were very good, entertainment was awesome... I don't know if it has something to do with the fact that a big portion of the crew was brazillian, but I had a great time and it was certainly worth the money.

[@eddrohan4461]

We did our first three cruises ever on Costa while living in Germany. Having nothing to compare it to, we enjoyed ourselves overall. I’m not a big fan of formal dining, but it was OK. I never really found the staff rude, but my fellow passengers were another story. Since returning to the US, we’ve cruised exclusively on Norwegian and have really enjoyed our experiences. I’m not sure I’d ever cruise on Costa again having seen something better.

[@gobbsmacked9777]

As a child, I was a passenger on the first Princess ship, the Princess Patricia II, then the next year, the Princess Carla (the inspiration for 'The Love Boat' novel), and later the Island Princess and Pacific Princess many times. A common thread amongst the ships was that they usually carried no more than 700 passengers and had lots of outdoor space which resulted in a general feeling of tranquility on board. Prior to sailing, well-wishers were allowed on board and thrown streamers at the dock were a common bon voyage site. Passengers participated in a hat parade, where Princess supplied construction paper, glue, crepe paper, feathers, sequins, glitter, etc. and passengers constructed hats and then after the second dinner seating concluded and a few post-dinner cocktails, the passengers would parade around in front of the senior crew who were the judges. I can't recall what the prizes were, however, they must have been pretty good because EVERYONE, including children, participated. Scavenger hunts were another big hit on Princess Cruise ships, along with a multitude of other forms of entertainment . . . while on the Princess Carla, I recall seeing 'The Wrecking Crew' in the main theatre, starring Dean Martin and Sharon Tate . . . a few weeks later, the Manson Murders occurred. On a lighter note, casinos were popular . . . while also on the Princess Carla, I won $100 which was the talk of the ship, considering I was barely 8 years old! I was given a tour of the Princess Carla's bridge and was even allowed to steer the ship . . . I wonder if that is still offered today? I doubt it. While on the Princess Patricia II, we were allowed to fish off the side of the ship when in port . . . I think I caught a Perch. As for the interior of the ships . . . they weren't considered plain, but rather nautical; at the time, I don't think anyone expected a ship interior to replicate a hotel. Passengers were excited about the experience of seeing new sites and sailing on the ocean. I don't recall televisions in the rooms . . . maybe a radio and a telephone for room service. The rooms had real portholes. When the weather was August hot in Mexico, the dining moved to the outdoors on the deck . . . milk was kept cold by placing ice into the glasses. While on the Princess Carla, the tides shifted and our departure was delayed and we were unable to leave Acapulco until the next morning . . . the ship sat on a sandbar and in virtually no water at the dock. It, too, was the talk of the ship. A popular shore excursion was touring Puerto Vallarta and seeing the 'Bridge of Love' which linked Richard Burton's and Elizabeth Taylor's homes . . . my grandmother insisted on seeing it! I made friendships from cruises that have lasted decades . . . a smaller ship encouraged a small town feeling where you often were able to get to know a good percentage of other passengers. The takeaway is that, in my opinion, today's ships are too large and carry too many people and suffer from accelerated wear and tear and staffing challenges. For some reason, the perception amongst cruisers is that the 'smaller' ships are inferior . . . I say not so . . . the smaller ships can oftentimes offer a richer experience . . . just give them a chance . . . if you can find one.

[@neilmcgeachy6198]

Back in the "old" days, there was Class - sadly missing today. I think respect was a 2 way street - the staff respected the clientele and vice versa .........

[@davidmessersmith786]

I too cruised on the Princess Patricia as a teenager, 1968. I remember fishing off the ship in Ketchikan.

[@gobbsmacked9777]

@@davidmessersmith786 Small world . . . we were probably on the same summer 1968 cruise . . . remember the rollercoaster ride of going through the Queen Charlotte Sound without ship stabilizers?

[@burningblue1254]

You are my hero! I have worked for Princess Cruises for 23 years. My favorite ship was the Pacific Princess. We bought 2 R class ships from Renaissance Cruises when they went bank rupt. The other twin was the Ocean Princess which we sold to Oceania in 2015. We sold the Pacific Princess to Azamara in 2021 which broke my heart. They were so unique compared to the other ships in the fleet. Approx. 688 guests. I was fortunate enough to work on the Pacific for the 50th anniversary cruise in 2015 that retraced the 10 night itinerary to Puerto Vallarta. Onboard was the Love Boat cast, Jack Jones who sang the Love Boat theme, and Jeraldine Saunders who was the first female cruise director and who wrote the book "Love Boats" on which the show was based. I met Fred Grandy, Burl "Gopher" Smith who was Chief Purser and was my rank and position on the ship at the time! In Puerto Vallarta I indeed visited the Bridge of Love. The advantage of big ships are lots to do and "scale". You can operate at a higher passenger to crew ratio and some costs are fixed regardless of the size of the ship. Sigh. When I was on the Pacific or the Ocean, I saw many guests over and over, knew their names, where they came from, even their favorite drink! The passengers would often remark how they preferred the smaller ship, more intimate, lasting friendships, and the names of the crew! Now our smallest ship is the Coral at 2200. In many ways the ships are nicer, more opulent, great features, more environmental. But the Pacific Princess was like your favorite sweater, or your fond old car. Hard to let go. Are you still cruising with us? If you are, I hope to see you onboard. Think I could arrange for you to have lunch with the captain and myself. I am the Hotel General Manager now. You made my day!

[@gobbsmacked9777]

@@burningblue1254 Wow! How nice to hear from you. I am still a loyal Princess customer and look forward to my next cruise. I agree with you about the scales of economy and efficiencies, and I understand the need for the industry to evolve in order to meet the needs of a growing cruise population. I failed to mention that, on occasion, crew members we befriended would visit our family while in port in San Pedro . . . that's how much we bonded with Princess peeps. I took forward to meeting you!

[@stephaniemarie0803]

A group of 16 of us went on MSC Meraviglia in June and we all loved it! Sure, it was busy, but we never had to wait more than a couple minutes for a drink. There were 5,000 people on board, but I wouldn't have thought so if I hadn't heard the number. All of the staff were wonderful and the ship was gorgeous! We loved the food!

[@clarissar1528]

I've been wanting to get on an MSC ship and I think I just might!

[@lilkantsobnack7050]

Whatever the American or Canadian cruisers may say, from my experience, overall, Costa is value for money!

[@KnuckleheadParker]

@@lilkantsobnack7050I’m a solo traveler and had 10 days between two 35 day cruises Booked the Costa Diadema for 7 days, grand total $750. Good wasn’t all that good I was the only American on board and was greeted by my own interpreter waiting for me as I boarded, nice touch Bottom line, you get what you pay for, the solo rate a plus

[@jhmcd2]

Honestly, I am not surprised to hear this about Princess. Don from Don's family vacations is a big Princess guy and yet even he seems at times to be at his wits end with him, like their quality has gone out the window. I think the problem with all the lines in general is that they are cutting corners more often, and trying to do more with less to the point where service is being sacrificed. As for Costa and MSC...not even a surprise. While MSC tries to act like a mainline brand, both are really budget brands, the modern day equivalent of the Big Red Boat, which isn't bad, but they need to advertise themselves that way instead of acting like they are a premium experience.

[@bridgetdavis9752]

When the video started I said to myself, who is this new adorable, young man talking about cruising? ♥♥

[@JackSSN605]

For the record we did our world cruise on Island Princess finished on April 27. It was a great experience and the Princess standard was always kept. 111 days, food was good fresh and varied, entertainment was first class and the staff was absolutely terrific. We have 3 more Princess cruises booked! And, the medallion App worked wonderfully for the whole cruise.

[@MrChannel2010]

It sounds like they are inconsistent. The bait and switch tactics with their new packages does not help. Again, the look is that of lazy or doomed management, that has found itself with no place or function in the current corporate structure, trying to attract a different clientele, whilst loosing its loyal customer base. The only way is down, which is never good for a cruise line.

[@SpringfieldGuy]

I hope that proves to be true in 2024.

[@gillianbriely856]

We've just got off Island Princess and loved it

[@nursynikki]

Oh boy, im doing an 18 day repositioning cruise on MCS, out of Barcelona to Miami. Thanks for the heads up

[@toddsmith1617]

What is a repositioning cruise?

[@ronsteitz4535]

We found cruises started lacking in food quality and service on Carnival when Automatic Gratuity was placed on billing. In the MDR staff didn’t give the attention and friendliness attitude once that we received. Service with a smile disappeared. Cabins are not given the attention of detail cleaning. We used to tip above the suggested amount given by cruiselines. We were given Seperate envelopes for different categories of crew staff to tip. Now mediocre service can be given and it all Pays The Same. Incentives have been takin away along with pride in one’s work ethic. Food looks delicious,but taste so bland. Cruising has definitely changed for us.😮

[@andreasniggemann]

I've sailed MSC three times in a row (Seaview, Preziosa, World Europa). Three of the best cruise experiences I've ever had. And I've sailed on RCI, Celebrity, Cunard, HAL, NCL, Princess. Entertainment was so-so, food was better on the MSC Word Europa. No problems with service. By the way: My worst cruise experience was on the much acclaimed HAL (on the old Rotterdam). On MSC (in my opinion) you get more for your money. Especially as a solo cruiser.

[@rongendron8705]

I sailed on the old Rotterdam when it was renamed the Rembrandt, ca 1997! It was old then, but gave a passenger the idea of what it was like sailing on an ocean liner in the 60's! Was that the same one that you sailed on or another?

[@andreasniggemann]

@@rongendron8705 It was the MS Rotterdam that went into service in 1997. Its now the Borealis of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

[@marthaworc7873]

People go on cruises for the food. The food on MSC was terrible. Waste of time and money.

[@andreasniggemann]

@@marthaworc7873 I (and other people) have other priorities regarding cruises: Destinations, excursions etc.

[@jenburrows6219]

Agree HAL was even worse than Carnival.

[@GrayS304]

We took a Princess Transatlantic cruise this summer on Island Princess. We were super satisfied with service everywhere, food at the dining room and in general experience. Our Medallion app worked well, with minor glitches at times (not opening the cabin door). Princess used to be better somewhat, we remember the good old days. But we still hope they will go to the previous level if service and entertainment, once they’ve recovered from the pandemic-related difficulties. We are definitely going back to them!

[@saulanyim1948]

Thanks for the critique about these cruise liners! We are seasonal cruisers n totally agree the comments keep up with the 😇good work😊

[@Ckawauchi35]

We went on a Mediterranean cruise via MSC Meraviglia and it was a very enjoyable one. Nothing like these complaints at all. The ship was new and clean, and the staff was pleasant. I have been wanting to go on an ocean cruise soon and I am thinking of using MSC again.

[@chrisromig7390]

I can personally confirm some of the critique of MSC. On a 2019 Northern Europe cruise out of Kiel... Definitely the staff is overworked, but to their credit, they tried not to show it. The Mereviglia was a very nice ship and food in the dining room and specialty restaurants was nothing to complain about. Entertainment in the theater was weaker than any other cruise I've been on. Overall, it was a decent value

[@PaulaHenson-rr8nn]

What a shocker for Princess. We have booked for October 2024 doing the Canada and New England cruise on Enchanted Princess. Let's hope they sort things out ASAP including having a rethink on the casual dining charges etc.

[@NL4915]

Which date are you sailing? I just booked for Oct 5. I feel like all the cruise lines are moving towards charging extra for everything. The cheap base price though seems great for that cruise though! As long as the food is good, I’m in.

[@scottlenyo8579]

Did that cruise on HAL a couple of months ago. Really enjoyed it.

[@PaulaHenson-rr8nn]

Sailing 19th October from New York.

[@dzenanahasic2849]

I’m sure it will be ❤

[@latebloomerabroad]

I've been a Princess cruiser for 30 years but I was a bit disappointed in my last cruise last year. The internet didn't work at all but they refused to refund anyone who had paid, and when I got off, discovered that there is NO customer service phone number or email to complain to. That alone is a reason to change cruise lines. And now they're going to charge for the food in the pizzeria? That was one of the few things I liked on the ship, so I'm going to Celebrity or Royal Caribbean the next time.

[@randa200771]

I booked our second MSC cruise today. The first was on Magnifica and was superb.

[@InsideCruise]

Great to hear!

[@reginaobrien8983]

The Princess app that is described as “useless” now costs money to ship and activate on board. Sudden cuts and shifty business practices seem to mark the Princess brand these days.

[@julieanne448]

Boooooooo, Princess!🤬 not worth the money!

[@InsideCruise]

We can't believe they are charging to use the app! crazy times!

[@DavidWilliams-qr5yj]

I absolutely do not know what you're talking about. We're cruising on. The sun princess in just one month. It is a medallion class ship. The medallion app is free and the medallion and lanyard are also free. There is no charge for this internet related product that tracks your spending chip wide. The only thing you have to pay for is internet if you want it , which is the same as all of the other lines.

[@Msjsee12]

Been on Princess and we have not had any problems. The food was good!

[@ronaldboonstra4834]

More space for us! On Costa, MSC and Princess! Thanks for the vid.

[@pandorad3427]

Ahoy ! SOOOO happy that I "stumbled upon" your new (this) channel, after being a subsciber for years on your main channel ! Of course I immediately subscibed here ! Thank you.... and Cheers !!

[@enzhus]

We had a trip with MSC last month. It's OK, not that bad. The room is good and clean, daily maintainese is good. I locked myself out of my home, as soon as I called, they sent people come to help very soon. I liked every night show on the cruise, I think it's the best of the cruise. Food is not great but not bad. I think buffet needs more selections. Anyway, I will go with them if time and price are right.

[@susantownsend8397]

Surprised about Princess. We are mostly Disney cruisers but we were on the Ruby Princess recently, an older and smaller ship, and we really enjoyed it. We are looking for a quiet relaxing experience, not a lot of activities, so not necessarily typical cruisers. The mdr food was very good. Buffet was awful but there were other good breakfast and lunch options. We loved the concerts with a great cover band. Bar service tended to be slow due to huge crowds and not enough staff, but the order online delivery bit helped with that. I had a very minor plumbing issue that was fixed immediately and they still gave me a generous onboard credit. Good value for the price, would definitely do it again.

[@mindyschocolate]

I too am mostly a Disney cruiser. I did go with Holland America once. Not bad, but definitely not for my age group. Definitely geared towards the retirement age people.

[@queenofcunard3924]

Had my first and last cruise on the Enchanted Princess August 2022. It took 3 hours to get on board during which time I had given up the will to live. Had uploaded all info online before boarding but still had to have my photo take 3 times at the terminal. Ship didn't have enough venues for the amount of passengers on board, those they did have were so crowded we couldn't get anywhere near. The food was beyond pig swill and we played a daily game "guess the desserts today" we got it right every time, chocolate brownies and cookies that we witnessed being slapped on the plate by a crew member who really did not want to be there. Never again.

[@jamieroberts900]

We went to Enchanted Princess last Christmas was awful, the MDR food was horrible, the casino is on deck 6 smoke flowed into the theater. We just didn’t get good food,the buffet had themes and if you didn’t like Indian foods well you were stuck. Will never sail Enchanted Princess again, we will sail Princess the Regal is very nice.

[@andreleclair1993]

My first cruise in 2009 was on the MSC Poesia, the ship was beautiful, everything was immaculate. The entertainment was not memorable but I don't remember it being bad, they had a european style disco club (looked like the movie EuroTrip) which was lots of fun. My families biggest problem was the food, they had a buffet that had ridiculous hours, only set dinning times in the MDR which was quite late and I do not remember any specialty restaurants . If you left the ship for the day you would miss the lunch but dinner wouldn't be served for hours and there was many hours which food literally was not available! We cruised NCL 1 year later and the difference was striking, multiple specialty restaurants, MDR which you could just show up and eat, trademarked entertainment (Blue Man Group) and the Blue Lagoon with unlimited chicken wings and Pie.

[@warpedweft9004]

This is a cultural thing. It is a European line cruising out of Germany. Most Europeans don't eat until much later in the evening. Since most of their passengers are European, they run the ship European style, which they are entitled to do. If it doesn't suit someone's style, then perhaps they aren't the cruise line for them, just as American cruise lines aren't always everybody else's cup of tea.

[@ExploreTheWorld703]

I sailed with princess in May for an 8-night sailing and by day 5 we could barely find anyone who wasn’t ready to get off the ship already. It was a disappointment at every step, but we thought it was a one off but have been seeing more and more negative reviews that were similar to our experience.

[@InsideCruise]

It's such a shame, we have some fantastic cruises with Princess, we are really sad to see them go downhill.

[@pamelaquintern7233]

Agree! We just got off and the best minutes were the first 30 and the last one! In between we had a poor experience. We have been on at least 7 other cruises. We paid for upgrades (2 special restaurants dinners each) we could not get reservations and when we stood waited for an hour to try standby but still could not get in. The upholstery was very worn out carpet worn through holes in it. The ship could not keep speed and caused us to be miss the port of call and it was very hot inside. It was so hot the cheese wilted on the buffet and the ice in drinks melted before made back to your table. The service was slow. It was not fun at all. The guest service crew was rude to us and others around us. Drinks watered down and the lights were constantly going out. The plumbing was horrible and there was a lot of staterooms had problems backing up😢. The stateroom was fine but lacked any real feeling of being on a vacation. This was by far the worst vacation ever! Waste of time and money.

[@hopeemond2840]

Which Princess ship were you on in May? We were on the Ruby Princess in May, and enjoyed ourselves overall, other than the so- so food in the buffet place. The food in the dining room and the International Cafe were much better. The cruise director and his staff were awesome!

[@ExploreTheWorld703]

@@hopeemond2840 we were on the majestic. I’m really glad your experience was better than ours. ❤️

[@webjammer1]

@@hopeemond2840 I was on the Ruby last March and the buffet layout sort of sucks but the food was OK. The mdr was good though. Did not do specialty dining.

[@LanielPhoto]

After many cruises, I relaized that even within the same cruise line ships themselves varied in quality. Of the 3 cruise lines we have done, all had great ships and just so-so ships. Specially when it came to service and the staff.

[@swisstroll3]

A lot of the problem is full ships. When any ship is full, there are problems. I have been on dozens of cruises ranging from 50% full to absolutely full, and the full ships just can’t handle the volume.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing this great information.

[@pauldegregorio6432]

RC cruise on Odyssey this past spring. Exceeded my expectations in all regards.

[@albertpeterson5585]

...btw, if you want a really bad cruise experience, try Celestyal or Margaritaville at Sea.

[@rongendron8705]

I've sailed on 65 cruises in 34 years, on at least 10 cruise lines, both current & previous! I've found the European based cruise companies simply hate to give anything away for free! When they first started serving the american market, they refused to understand that Americans expect things to be 'included' & not extra! Until they accept this concept, Americans will be unhappy!

[@robbroere1384]

The differences are cultural in many aspects. Americans might expect everything to be included but are perfectly happy to separately have a charge for Gratuity which is mandated and not seeing the port fees in the first screen of selection. Europeans expect, and this is even legally required, to have an all in price for anything that is mandated, so port fees are included and Gratuity MUST be included or mentioned on every page for clarity. Europeans then find it reasonable to pay for anything that they have a choice to take it or not. The same is also true for going to a restaurant. In Europe staff gets paid and a tip is not required but an option for beyond normal service, while in America a tip is expected, lousy or great service, as staff are underpaid and rely on the tips for a living.

[@I_am_Shan-l9k]

@@robbroere1384 I feel that the tipping culture is getting out of control

[@sgrenfell73]

I have enjoyed MSC but they definitely need more staff for the amount of passengers, it's so hard to get seats or drinks anywhere.

[@roythousand13]

Service across the service industries (not just cruise ships) have gone down due to staffing shortages.

[@mckenna8663]

I am a solo female cruiser; older but not elderly (not a "looker" any more 😂). It took me forever to get a drink while standing AT the bar. I mean... at one point the bar staff was chatting and cleaning rather than mixing, serving or looking who else needed help.

[@christinepotts6415]

Sorry but I cannot agree totally, last June we cruised again with Viking after having 2020 and 2021 cancelled due to Covid. Everything was as good as ever and no obvioys staffing shortages - you get what you pay for.

[@cafsixtieslover]

We cruised on the Virtuosa earlier this year. It is certainly a beautiful ship but the noise in the public areas was so loud in the evenings and in the restaurant we could not bear to stay there. Our accessible cabin had a pair of camp beds which slid across the floor every time we sat on them. Not a lot of use for a disabled person.

[@cathy1672]

I think Covid really turned the world upside down in every aspect of life. I went on the Princess Caribbean Early Dec 2023. The crowd was senior on this cruise. However, I went with my elderly mother and she loved it! Absolutely loved it. The food was very good. The service was excellent, very happy people working there. The ship was incredibly clean. The room was slightly dated by ridiculously comfortable. I never slept better! Incredible pillows, bed on the softer side, sheets heavenly. I dream of a bed like that! Shower pressure perfect, amazing shower experience. Lots to do. Some theatre shows were very good, others not so much, but that really depends on taste. We had perfect weather, which helps majorly, if the weather was bad the experience would have been probably much worse. Excursions were good, my were low key for my mom’s sake. beaches were beautiful, water perfect temperature. I had a great time. Place was actually really lively for the senior group that it was. Passengers on the cruise were happy and friendly. For me the crowd was too old, but everything else was perfect. I also came with no expectations and open mind.

[@tillyr470]

I just was on the Enchanted Princess, Aug 2023 and I was dissatisfied. Our mini suite had a bad mildew/mold odor and we let guest services know immediately. It was never resolved, as soon as the bleach odor evaporated the mold smell was back. Also the app was horrible, did not work at all or was slow. Drink service was slow, at least half an hour or more and there were times our ordered drinks did not arrive at all. I personally think they were trying to limit drinks on the package. When we went down to guest services on final day and asked why they had not offered us another room because of the mold smell they said there was no record of us ever complaining about it. We were at guest services daily complaining about the smell. They said they couldn't do anything for us about compensation on the ship and I should contact the cruiseline after I was home. The staff overall was not the friendliest with very few exceptions, our room steward was exceptional. This was my 4th cruise, the first one with Princess and I don't think we will sail with them again.

[@melvinjacobs2328]

I've been on MSC in the Yacht Club and as a regular passenger. I didn't know I was on the same line. If you're not in the Yacht Club, stay away. I never saw dirt though. Usually they are always cleaning.

[@wynnaylor8308]

I am shocked because I cruised on the Sky Princess and Regal Princess and the food was great, the entertainment was good and the cabins were comfortable.I agree with the comments about their app and the medallion.

[@ColoRadio6996]

Ben, glad you reposted this. You guys stay safe and healthy.... Cheers J

[@muddywatersbookshelf7758]

This video was reposted?

[@Palominohusky]

By the look of these two staff---run for your lives!

[@leeandjancruise]

We've done three cruises with Princess in the last eighteen months and to be honest they weren't bad at all, not as good as pre covid experiences but that seems to be the same for most ships post covid as they try to recoup millions lost during the pandemic. Would I cruise with Princess again? Most definitely.

[@MrChannel2010]

Don't like being conned by bait and switch low life at Princess. We learn our lessons well. We have dumped Princess for future cruises and choosing Holland America, amongst others.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Honestly, nothing would get me on a Costa Cruise! Thank you for the video!

[@OMCPoker]

2 weeks since a cruise on the Emerald Princess to Hawaii from Los Angeles. I can only give 2.5 stars. There was a lot of deferred maintenance (duct tape holding things together). The food was a notch less good from our previous cruise. The Medallion App is really a waste of space. Don't try to order a lunch to be delivered to you poolside. It took us 1.5 hours to get a terrible, terrible sandwich. I could go on and on about poor entertainment and such, but suffice it to say this was our last Princess cruise.

[@julieanne448]

Agreed! On the same cruise & extremely disappointed,

[@andreastray5480]

I want on the same one agree

[@InsideCruise]

Such a shame!

[@cypruscats8450]

Did the exact same cruise on Emerald in 2019 and it was fabulous! Great staff, great food and service and the ship looked great. Amazing how things can change in just 4 years!

[@OMCPoker]

@@cypruscats8450 Covid has changed almost everything. Princess should try to correct things, but taking the ship out of service for a refresh would cost them money.

[@richardm3023]

Hmmm. I thought the most pressing concern on Costa cruise lines was the ship's proximity to submerged rocks.

[@ruthadams7133]

Great video. We had a wonderful time in MSC but only because we were in the Yacht Club. Service, food were excellent. I wouldn’t sail again unless I was able to afford the Yacht Club

[@Rustytoolgardener]

After 13 cruises on Princess, we are done with them, their customer service is atrocious. Some of their older ships are not well maintained and they don’t answer their dining line when your put in quarantine. They don’t stand behind their product and when things go wrong they walk away rather than resolve the issue. They went from our favourite cruise line to our least favourite. My opinion is that Celebrity offers a similar experience but with much better customer service. Princess has become an overpriced budget cruise line.

[@JaJa-qt5sf]

Princess definitely has awful Guest Services. I dont know what went wrong.

[@frankm4277]

Took you 13 cruises to come to that decision? Holy cow!

[@andreaschiltz1915]

Ben, thank you so much for the information! You and David always do a fantastic job. I feel terrible that you must apologize and defend yourselves. I appreciate your information and your opinions. ❤

[@InsideCruise]

Thank you so much!

[@adamp2384]

Sailed on MSC twice and had an amazing time, were they a little understaffed sure, but lots of lines are having that problem. you have to remember people are the first to go online and complain instead of praise. I paid half what I paid on other cruise lines and received about the same amount of value, Even on cruise lines influencers love like Virgin Voyages have such horrible reviews along with great reviews too so definitely have to take this with a grain of salt. also ask the carnival Pride customer how carnivals customer service is right now….LOL it was horrendous

[@icedteamama176]

Only heard bad things about MSC from friends so not gonna waste time 😬

[@vinitapullom9693]

I will never go on MSC. First and last time.

[@kestag2110]

We booked Princess for a long European cruise because the itinerary looked good and the deposit was very low. But then we heard some not so good reviews and within a week, they made that new change (last week) to their packages and previously complementary items. I lost faith and booked Viking instead, even though it’s a lot more money, this is an important trip to us and we want to get it right.

[@MrChannel2010]

Sounds like a wise choice.

[@christinepotts6415]

Cruis

[@christinepotts6415]

Cruised with Viking both River and Ocean, and June 2022 was our first after Covid, an Ocean cruise postponed from 2020 it was as good as ever. Love the ship's and everything else they offer.

[@jimroberts3651]

I've been on two cruises with Costa. Both were pre-covid, so more recent cruisers may have had a different experience. I thoroughly enjoyed our cruises. Mind you, I'm half Italian, so the cultural bit might come into it. I got good service from the staff because I spoke to them mostly in Italian.

[@truthandlife4101]

I went on Costa before covid and it was great service. So help full with everything.

[@edieniswonger]

Just came off a princess cruise…. Never again. I’ve been sailing MSC and although they are a budget line, they didn’t nickel and dime me as much as Princess. If I didn’t want a drink at dinner, the Princess staff barely acknowledged my existence. We had a mini suite and the attendant only managed to have my room cleaned while I was gone once (despite having a literal tracker on us, being gone for 3 hours, dinner reservations, and the service room sign on). The food was mediocre at best. The desserts were grainy. Not to mention they totally screwed up my best friend’s wedding… a whole other bag of issues. For $5k just in base cruise price, they can shove it. And this was to Alaska.

[@adamp2384]

That’s nuts for the cleanliness on the princess ship and unacceptable. I have sailed MSC a couple times and I swear they are ninjas I can leave for an hour and come back and completely clean and restocked I was super impressed with the room stewards on all my MSC cruises

[@hannawakeford731]

We sailed on Sky Princess in June of this year, it was our first cruise and we absolutely loved it. We were really sad to leave the boat and all the lovely staff, the amazing food, and the fab entertainment. Everything was smooth and every member of staff were absolute gems. Super surprised to see they were at the bottom of the list.

[@ronleven1944]

It’s NOT A BOAT, IT’S A SHIP.

[@kevinasaurus]

Sky Princess was my first cruise too, and I was satisfied. A couple issues but nothing major.

[@torrydooley]

Glad to hear you had a good experience on Sky Princess as I am on a 12 night sailing for my honeymoon in October!

[@lynnedayer8474]

We were also on Sky in June, very enjoyable cruise, great service, great food, beautiful ship. Medallion worked well and the upgraded wifi was the best yet.

[@Carolina-ws1jc]

We were on Sky last year, and it ticked EVERY box for us, we loved it.

[@jpbpds]

We did westbound transatlantic on Enchanted Princess 2022. Everything was wonderful - loved the food, the drinks, the entertainment staff. Only complaint at all was production shows were too loud but that’s just me. I take Cruise Critic with a grain of salt - usually a bunch of Elites that like to complain. Going on Caribbean Princess in October - I’ll report back.

[@Rafael-xb7hm]

My boyfriend and I are going on the Caribbean Princess I’m October too. From Quebec to Fort Laudable. Can’t wait.

[@ferencercseyravasz7301]

We've been introduced to the whole cruising thing through Costa last year and although we have some complains, overall I would say it was a great experience. Maybe we just didn't have perspective yet having never cruised before. We'll see, this year we'll try P&O, we already booked a Norwegian Fjords cruise for early September. When it comes to complaints, I would mention three things: 1. Buffet staff locking the coffee machines for most of the day. So if I needed a coffee past 10 AM I had to go and buy one. 2. Buffet on Costa Pacifica right near the pool area so there was a strong smell of chlorine in the entire area all the time. Unfortunately that's one of the smells I don't tolerate. 3. Photographers in your face all the time. I understand that they have a job to do, but for God's sake, at least while I'm having my dinner in the main restaurant, leave me alone, don't jump on me and my family, force us into some stupid, arranged pose to take a picture. In my country there's a saying: even dogs want to be left alone while they're eating. Speaking of the future, based on videos like yours and similar, there re three lines I'll steer clear of: MSC since huge crowds and long waits are not my idea of a vacation. The second one is - shocker - Royal Caribbean. Somehow the perspective of thousands of screaming, running, unsupervised kids doesn't sound well to me. Besides, I've seen pics of their newest megaship and it looks futuristic, extravagant and horrible. Like someone gathered all the furniture and decor from at least 500 kindergartens and just as many toy shops and stuck all of that in a humongous shopping mall. Everyone has different tastes, but to me, that's beyond what I can tolerate: everything is brilliant, eye watering Barbie pink, fluorescent green and bright blue. The very definition of kitsch. The third one is Disney. It's just not my thing.

[@katherinepacey4163]

We have loved our MSC cruises and can't wait for our upcoming Norway cruise on the new Euribia ❤

[@laurieGaryCruise]

Shocked about the Princess Cruise Lines reviews. We just did the Caribbean Princess and the staff was excellent…..and the app actually worked very well for us. Only issue we had were the bathrooms. Toilets didn’t always flush…..but she’s an older ship. Also restaurant service took awhile but the food was great. Maybe this is Princess’s negative karma for adding all these last second extra fees.

[@MrChannel2010]

All I can say is that you are very tolerant.

[@laurieGaryCruise]

@@MrChannel2010 😂

[@1hiyasweetie]

I took my first cruise (11 days to Alaska, Inside passage) with Crown Princess. REALLY loved it. Food was always good and varied, fruits and salads were fresh. I found that the service was almost too attentive. Felt quite spoiled. I had an inside cabin and even though I can't say it was luxurious, it was very comfortable. Thinking of going to Hawaii (16 days Ruby Princess) just because I enjoyed the experience so much. At Sea days were great because besides enjoying the ship, I enjoy the ocean.

[@AndyWood71]

Shocked by Princess they are our favourite Cruise line by far only negative is the medallion which does not work great.

[@markrobinson2338]

I love your channels. So much good information all in one (or two) spots. We went on our first and only Princess Cruise in 2018 and have one booked for 2025. I know Covid was a game changer for the industry and I really hope the cruise lines have addressed many of the issues by then. Thanks so much for your insights on the different lines.

[@geoffalmond9981]

I feel people with a negative opinion are more likely to write a review so the data can be skewed somewhat. Some people are also serial complainers. On every cruise, we’ve always encountered some negative points but never feel the need to write a scathing review. We mainly sail with Princess and did feel standards had slipped on our cruises last year. This June, on Sky Princess, we felt the experience was much improved and felt akin to pre-Covid cruises. Unfortunately all cruise lines are trying to recover pandemic loses hence the worse service and increased nickel and diming. I also feel many expect cruise standards from 20 years ago at the same price as they paid back then too.

[@Bess9779]

I tend to agree with you. Even on Amazon, I've purchased products rated low & griped about, but I wasn't disappointed at all. Some people do want everything for a super low price. Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way. Lol.

[@LB-ty6ks]

Have done one cruise on Costa. We got a free upgrade from an interior cabin to a balcony cabin. Never had that happen before or since. Thanks Costa. I've done 3 or 4 Princes cruises and enjoyed them all. However, I will admit that I'm a pretty easy guy to please.

[@andrewmunsell]

Crazy Princess was at the bottom. Comparing my Princess cruise vs the one I did on NCL, Princess won by a mile for me.

[@InsideCruise]

We were shocked too!

[@susantownsend8397]

We had a lovely time on a recent Princess cruise. Our only real complaint was about ordering through the medallion. Drinks took 30 minutes or more and one room service order was cancelled after a nearly 2 hour wait.

[@gaykelly3382]

We loved the Princess Medallion. We could always see where family members were and when we met new people we wanted to meet around the ship, the Medallion app worked perfectly. I also loved that you could order food on Princess anywhere and it was brought to you. Maybe some of the people complaining about Princess were younger people, because Princess really does cater more to the senior set because those are their principal cliental.

[@jimpawa5793]

I can’t believe that anyone would pay thousands of dollars to go on a cruise where you get on a very big ship with thousands of people people that expect to be treated as they’re the only person on board. What could possibly go wrong ??!!!

[@briancrawford4744]

Yep

[@CyeOutsider]

I loved my last cruise. It was the perfect holiday.

[@I_am_Shan-l9k]

😂

[@blargblarg5657]

Tell me you've never been on a good cruise without telling me you've never been on a good cruise. My first two were absolutely memorable. The second mostly because the dining room staff fell in love with my daughter and went out of their way to do nice things for her. Why? Because she said yes sir/ma'am, no sir/ma'am, please, thank you, and would try everything at least once. I was super jealous that she kept getting off menu food she could try. Triple dessert? Our bad. Ask your parents if it's ok. She was six at the time. Admittedly, I am one who does not believe in automatically tipping. This was the one case i actually wish i had more money so i could give it to someone else. Three of them to be precise.

[@Cruisebetty]

I know msc has mixed reviews. I have been on 20 cruises and of the 20, 2 were msc. We had an amazing time and decided to book another msc for Nov.

[@carolyn6016]

Ben, I really appreciate your summary of these cruise line’s ratings, I’ve never been on the first two mentioned, but I’ve been on Princess. I think the ratings have gone down because, though the staff is just as hard-working and kind as they were years ago, I think they are being stretched thin. The medallion app is wonderful, but the powers-that-be might not have realized just how the Ocean Now service was going to impact the staff. Last summer, it did take a lot of time to receive drinks through the app. It would have been easier and faster to just go to the bar. They may not have enough staff to fulfill that service. Ordering something through the app and then moving around must be frustrating for the staff. No wonder the food is cold, and the ice is melted. Perhaps they should get rid of Ocean Now completely and let the staff do what they do best.

[@garyjarvis2730]

In Norway the tour guides joked upon seeing Costa ships in port that they were locally referred to as the "Costa Chaos". When your cruise line is openly joked about by people who rely on ships for their living you know something is off. From overall reviews on the internet I see your video as spot on.

[@izzyrov5814]

Nah, they just like to make fun of the rivals. Though I was quite disappointed with our last Costa Cruise, it's only because of the buffet style they had, and so so food. But besides that it was good.

[@jonc3903]

Done 15 Disney and 8 RCCL. We decided to give MSC a try for the first time in June 2023. The Seascape was beautiful and we had no complaints even though the food was hit or miss. We had a great vacation.

[@vickyrussell268]

I'm just curious what we could do to get you to book with Carnival Cruise on your next excursion ! We would love to serve you and show you the Carnival difference! Thank you in advance for your interest! 🎉❤

[@RayLevkoff]

We are very experienced cruise passengers. We chose to cruise on Costa as we were already in Rome and love the route that they were taking. After just one day, I was ready to leave the ship and never go back. We did stay for the whole cruise as unpleasant as it was. By the way, we were on the Costa Concordia three weeks before it sank. There was no safety drill on our cruise until the fourth day. The food was terrible. The crew was very unfriendly and unhelpful. We saw the captain numerous times in different bars, always with two blondes, and he was obviously intoxicated. I hesitate to give it a 1 out of 10 but that’s as low as I can go.

[@Violet3017]

WOW! That sounds absolutely horrible!

[@Tellyawhat4]

Did a Princess cruise in 2018 to Polynesia and ya, it was lacklustre. It was an old ship that was being refurbished at sea! No mention of that inconvenience at booking, so was put off that parts of the ship were cordoned off to facilitate maintenance and upgrades (ex. painting/new carpeting). Have never had any further interest to board a Princess ship since then. First impressions really do stick!! Great review as usual! Thank you!

[@chictown]

I thought Margaritaville might be in the mix?

[@JeffreyStockard]

Thank you for honest and enjoyable programming!