A Few New Cutbacks on Princess (Grand)

[RichC]

Here are a few of the newer cutbacks for past cruisers noted on the Grand Princess.

• Not a biggie but the sewing kits have been halved in size from 10 thread colors to 5. 
• All Elite passenger cabins (ours was) will not be stocked with the usual items like slippers, lip balm, face scrub pad, sewing kits, etc and if you ask you cabin steward for them they'll tell you that they aren't available.
  
• The photo's given out at the over 40 party have been halved in size from an 8x10 to a 5x7 (A really chintzy cutback considering the number of useless photo's printed & dumped -like a picture with Popeye the Sailor or the Pirate photo's. You would think they could at least afford the difference between the sizes for 20 photo's. 
• The number of Christmas decorations have been downsized to a bare minimum. Not really noticeable unless you're used to previous holiday decorations  but a definite reduction in the number & quality of displays.
• A definite reduction in the number of printed advertisements dumped in you mailbox & cabin.   
• They no longer have a printed TV guide in the cabins but have only a scrolling list on the TV screen which takes about 10 minutes to read through as it slowly scrolls to the channel you want. 
• No more internet bonus minutes (Platinum & Elite) for signing up on the first day but I guess we all know about that since it haven't been available for a while now.

[Host Mike]

The tree mail ads were cut back some ago which is a good thing.  I'll sure miss the printed TV Guide.  My DW will just have to bring her old Princess slippers with her when we cruise again on Princess in a few weeks.  I'm glad they haven't eliminated the Princess robes and are still permitting us to have two Patters instead of one.  I always beg for the thicker Suite robes and often get them since our cabin in the back is next to the Suites.  I have yet to successfully talk the steward into giving me a Suite breakfast menu.

[RichC]

Not all the cabins were shorted the slippers & other items- just two that we know of. We got all the goodies without having to ask. (standard thickness robes).
Last Oct on the Emerald the TV guides in the cabins were so out of date they were impossible to use so it's better they don't distribute them in the first place.
The only thing that really ticked me off is the shrinkage of the photo's which they gave out at the over 40 lunch.
The next cutback might be to a 1/4 pounder with fries in place of the fillet.