Princess Cruises named Australia’s most trusted cruise operator

Travel | Cruising > Australia’s most trusted cruise operator

Results are a “truly accurate measurement of consumer sentiment”, says Reader’s Digest.

Leon Della Bosca

Editor

1st May 2020

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21 comments

Princess Cruises has been voted the most trusted cruise operator, according to more than 3000 participants in the annual Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Survey.

While the announcement is proof of a superb reputation and delivery of a superior cruising experience for Princess Cruises’ customers, it also comes amid an ongoing special commission of inquiry and investigation into the vessel Ruby Princess.

princess cruises ship in alaska

The survey was conducted weeks before Ruby Princess arrived in Sydney on 8 March.

Princess Cruises has announced to the world that it welcomes the Ruby Princess inquiry, having taken out a full-page newspaper ad with president Jan Swartz saying: “Princess welcomes the inquiry and appreciates the premier’s [Gladys Berejiklian’s] statement of an independent inquiry that will leave no stone unturned.”

Reader’s Digest said the results are a “truly accurate measurement of Australian consumer sentiment”. According to Mumbrella, while the data was collected in January, the accompanying report was completed in recent weeks.

“While COVID-19 has certainly changed the marketplace, and the way we go about being consumers, other things remain the same when it comes to our relationships with brands,” said editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest Louise Waterson.

“For the brands themselves, trust matters when it comes to weathering a crisis, and ultimately trust is built on the traditional foundations of quality, consistency, honesty and delivering on your promise.

“In terms of this current situation, with this pandemic, that also means getting proactive and reaching out to your customers like never before. It’s very much about maintaining a relationship with that particular individual.”

P&O Cruises was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the cruise operators category.

In 2019, YourLifeChoices members also voted Princess Cruises as the most trusted cruise operator for baby boomers.

Have you ever sailed with Princess? How was your experience?

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COMMENTS

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Waiting to retire at 70
2nd May 2020
8:06am

Bullshite

2nd May 2020
8:41am

well I have done 19 cruises to date and Princess has been excellent

Mariner
2nd May 2020
8:49am

Traveled many times on Princess, classed Elite with the freebies. Would have recommended the line if asked last year but certainly not now. My cruise days are over - by the time they are operational again I will be too old anyway to get international travel insurance. Might still go with a small Aussie company cruising WA's north coast to Darwin.
Holland-America Line has always been our favorite for world trips.

Chris B T
2nd May 2020
8:54am

The only Market would be Artificial Reefs and dive company operators can control visitations.
Should be "Virus Safe" by than.

leek
2nd May 2020
9:07am

For the older people Princess is extremely popular. But I find Royal Carribean cruise line to be the best organised and run, and they are better with hygiene than most other cruise lines as well.

Woody
2nd May 2020
9:16am

I can’t go past Holland America excellent for older travellers and then also Cunard
Excellent again but after this Coronavirus I doubt I will be cruising again.
Just the environment like little laboratories for breeding illness no matter how often you sanitise , can’t stop those airborne germs.

maxchugg
2nd May 2020
9:27am

I have done two cruises, with P&O, then Holland America. If ever I cruise again it will be with Holland America - they ticked every box as far as I'm concerned.
Unfortunately like Mariner, the cost of travel insurance is now a major deterrent to any tourism out of Australia.

maxchugg
2nd May 2020
9:27am

John H
2nd May 2020
10:07am

Princess Cruises is part of the Carnival cruise conglomerate headquartered in Bermuda (to minimise tax payments) and ships are registered in flags of convenience countries like Bermuda. Crew wages are appallingly low and Princess has been fined for deliberate ocean pollution. Aside from their role in spreading COVID-19 around the world, they often have outbreaks of gastro-entiritis. They should be avoided at all costs.

Golden Oldie
2nd May 2020
10:43am

Haven't tried Princess cruises yet. My last 2 cruises were Royal Carribean.

BillW41
2nd May 2020
1:01pm

My wife and I have cruised with Princess a couple of times, once around Australia and once in the Alaska Inside Passage, and were less than impressed. Well before COVID-19 sickness was rampant: colds and tummy upsets were common (I spent three days in sick bay on a drip for one), even broken bones in elderly passengers prone to falls. TV and plumbing faults occurred. The televised appeal from the purser for tips for all crewmembers didn't go over well. It is unlikely we will ever travel Princess again.

bobm
2nd May 2020
1:04pm

Who votes for the shipping line. Must be the crew on the Princess Line to have a job.
Food good on the last trip on thre Dawn Princess around the top of Australia. Both of us finished up with Pneumonia from this trip.
2019 To the Balkans with Princess Line May. Both finshed up with a flue like illness for the whole trip place additional 2 weeks in Malta and London. One person had food poisoning and spen many days in the cabin. Could not afford the doctor pricing and drugs on the ship plus would have to go into isolation. Husband had to get food and drinks she could hold down. Could not wait to get off the ship. The food was very poor compared with the ream Princess trip. Stoggy English type food. Toast at start of the buffet, butter at the other end, eggs etc next to the toast. Great way to have people climbing over each other to get an organised breakfast.

Eddy
2nd May 2020
1:42pm

We have been on three cruise lines, all of them excellent but with slight differences. For instance on boarding one ship we were disappointed that there was no laundry for passengers, if one wanted clothes washed you had to use the ships laundry service (at a small cost). On another there was no library, we found out from our cabin steward that the library has been removed and a bar installed in it's place. However as far as food, hygiene and cleanliness we could not fault any of them. However like others we are fast approaching the age where travel insurance starts to become a significant cost disincentive to overseas travel. We personally would recommend cruising as a great way to travel. I make the point that I can swim better than I can fly and aeroplanes do not give passengers a parachute but on a ship they give you a life jacket and have lifeboats.

Gordon
2nd May 2020
2:24pm

I booked a cruise through my travel agent on the Sapphire Princess embarking Perth in June. The cruise is not now proceeding but before it was cancelled, Princess for some reason cancelled our booking. Neither our travel agent nor Princess were able/willing to advise why our booking was cancelled despite the deposit being made. It will be a long time before I trust Princess again

Yer man
3rd May 2020
10:29am

My wife and I have done about 20 cruise with Princess .P&O, Royal Carribean and Viking .Invariably we come home with some sort of chest infection from the big 3 . After the latest disaster do these companies do anything to service their air conditioners? .Yes we prefer Princess for service and entertainment but must admit the two river cruises we did with Viking in China and Europe were outstanding for service comfort and passenger care .

Yer man
3rd May 2020
10:29am

Oxleigh
3rd May 2020
1:43pm

Its not the cruise companies.
We have used about 4 or 5 cruise lines on over 15 cruises and are extremely happy with all. Not sure which one we can call the better of any.
The all have had the friendliest staff and procedures in place for our safety.
BUT the biggest problem is the passengers.
most cruises have had a small minority of pigs on board.
Not washing hands at all after using toilets, mobs of sweaty people sitting around in the hot pools, walking around without covering up in all places on the ship, sweating on common chairs etc.
Handling food in the bistro, don't use them.
Kids running riot and sampling food and replacing it on the trays.
Parents not supervising them at all.
We find out early the people to stay away from.
We have never had an illness and have always enjoyed the cruises with care for our own environment area. Never use the pool.
We have met the most friendly and lovely people, those of our choice.
Happy to resume cruising. hope people learn from this.

Mez
16th Jun 2020
12:54pm

According to the staff on planes, amenities and food services are NOT hygienic which makes me wonder whether infections on cruise ships originate from air travellers as most would be prior to boarding.
Also, I had seen staff in the cruise ship's buffet area not practising hygiene and I subsequently had to complain about it!
This was either the Princess or Celebrity; don't remember which but I have been on a European river cruise as well and was most astonished to see so many Asian staff in all of them!
Not happy when Asian chefs attempt to cook European dinners and just cannot get it right!

Ruddles
25th Jul 2020
10:19am

We were on the Ruby Princess the trip before their troubles began. There was a delay in disembarking, but whenever we finally got permission, they could not to get us a off quick enough. about two thousand people stuck on the wharf with no buses available and I could only find one lady staff member trying to organise everyone. There were no buses available and we were packed like sardine she for over an hour. One bus finally arrived and then the bun fight began to get on, we managed to put our cases on ourselves and got a seat, but I know many people missed their flights. It was a completely disorganised event which should never have happened. Princess failed to learn from their first corona disaster and should not have let the new group go on board. The ship should have been banned from making this cruise by the authorities. It will be Holland America for me in the future. Ruddles

Viking
8th Aug 2020
12:11pm

This is a totally misleading heading and article, yet again.
Reader’s Digest said the results are a “truly accurate measurement of Australian consumer sentiment”. According to Mumbrella, while the data was collected in January, the accompanying report was completed in recent weeks.
This would be like doing a poll on Morrison's popularity in January immediately post the bushfires and reporting on that result as if it applied now. We clearly know It doesn't nor does the Princess Cruises poll result taken before we knew what we know now about Princess' lack of concern for passenger safety not only on their local cruises but elsewhere worldwide.

Ruddles
8th Aug 2020
12:52pm

A year ago, we would have recommended Princess, but, after our last trip with them, we will never sail with them again. We were on the trip before the pandemic fiasco. They did not handle our disembarkation at all well. We were rushed off the ship as quickly as possible, left standing on the wharf for over an hour, no where to sit, no buses available and packed very closely together. Eventually one bus arrived, but no staff member to guide us. We forced our way on after packing our cases underneath. Many people missed their flights. Their lack of organisation and handling of situation was extremely poor. Never again. Ruddles

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