Unique Indie cinema experience in the Kitchener Waterloo area! It's a rare event when you find out that the town you live in has an Indie Theatre. We found out about this location from our REC 280 course at the University of Waterloo. Although it was part of an assignment to visit this location, the experience was thoroughly enjoyed and as a group we vowed to return at a later date. As students from University of Waterloo we were excited to be supporting local businesses. Additionally, we were offered a discounted price if we purchased out ticket from the turnkey desk at the Student Life Center About Princess Cinemas: From researching online prior to the trip, we found out that this is a true Canadian independent cinema that is privately owned and owner-programmed. They have been open for over 30 years and currently have two locations in Waterloo, Ontario. Planning the trip: We started off by visiting the Princess Cinema website online. Their website was very organized and easy to navigate. The homepage of the website featured the movies that were currently playing at the cinema. This being an Indie theatre there were lots of critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated movies playing. The website was very detailed and provided a summary of the movie and the timings it was playing. Once we decided on a movie and the time as a group, we went to the turn key desk at our student center and purchased the tickets. There is also an option to purchase the tickets online via Paypal for general admission. Experience at the attraction: We decided to drive to the theater. From the University of Waterloo the drive was around 10 minutes. Since the theatre is at a prime location there were lots of parking spots available. Once we arrived at the theater we felt an indie/old-school vibe. There was a ticket booth at the entrance. Making our way inside we decided to purchase some popcorn, as we had read raving reviews of it online. The movie hall itself was very clean and retro looking with red seats. Here, the staff were very friendly and helpful. Post trip: After the movie showing we decided to get some coffee at Princess Café with is conveniently located near the theatre. The coffee was of great quality and the staff were very friendly. The wait time was a bit high due to the place being under staffed but overall the experience was good! Demographic witnessed: movie watchers of all ages, ranging from students to retirees. Price: $9 for students and $12 for general audience (Including Taxes) Quality: Quality of the food and beverages was good as compared to large chain cinemas. Accessibility: Location is in the heart of uptown Waterloo and is easily accessible through driving and busses. Parking is abundant and there were no problems locating a parking close to the theatre. Uniqueness as an attraction: This theatre is a unique experience in the Kitchener Waterloo area since indie cinemas like this one are quite rare in Canada! This place is a must-visit for any tourists in this region. read more

Amazingly lucky to have a independent theater running regularly just downtown. Not only that but it's charm is cozy and classy all wrapped under cinema lights and the glowing movie posters outside. When inside you'll see a small cafe perfect for a pre movie snack or after movie cuppa. The theater itself is small, but perfectly suitable for the movies it plays. Part of its goodness are the numerous movies it plays. From nostalgic Wes Anderson's to spicy comedy's it will always be playing something meant for everyone. read more

Always have great films playing that you won't find at the regular cinemas. Small but cozy! The cafe in the front is also a plus!

When you think about taking someone on a date, the tradition thought is usually going to the movies. Last week, my friend and I had the pleasure of going on a double date with our girlfriends by taking them to the Princess Twin Theatre. We decided on going to the Princess Twin theatre instead of the local Galaxy Cinemas because the rumors were that Princess is a unique attraction with a lot of character. The advancements in media and the internet made getting information about this attraction easier which creates tourism growth as through their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and by visiting their easily accessible and legible website prior to our visit, we were able to effortlessly locate the different movies playing as well as their movie times without leaving our home. It was also very helpful that the majority of movies had their trailers attached on the website making it easy to discover a movie we were most interested in. Although taking into consideration that the Princess twin theatre only has 2 movie rooms, some of the movies playing had limited movie times available. When we decided on "The Shape of Water" movie, the only available movie time on that Sunday was at 8:50 at night. This could have been frustrating since all 4 of us needed to be free that evening to make this specific time slot. The Princess theatre is privately owned and funded giving them the autonomy to set their own prices which is why they are able to provide student pricing ($9), senior ($9), members ($8), and Child ($8) pricing which is cheaper than their normal $12 movie price. Their snack prices are also very appropriate at around $8 for popcorn and a drink. These reasonable prices are ideal for students like ourselves taking their girlfriends on a movie date especially when you get the excellent experience provided by Princess Twin. I would encourage to leave extra time for parking as the theatre doesn't have its own parking lot, so you have to find a spot nearby which may force you to walk a little to the attraction. The actual experience was really enjoyable and more engaging, as Princess Twin theatre is less renowned compared to bigger corporate chain theatres like Galaxy, which made them less busy and the employees took their time to greet us when we purchased tickets. The seating was also really comfortable and every seat location gave you a good acoustic and visual angle to the movie. One negative is that the armrests on the seats felt like barriers as they weren't adjustable, which made our girlfriend's and our seats feel too divided from one another. As a result, we had a very enjoyable experience with easy accessibility to online information through their website and from actually watching the movie. We will recommend this location to family and friends and will make this our primary location when planning a movie date in the future. read more

Overview: The Princess Cinemas is a true Canadian independent cinema, owner-operated and owner-programmed, with two urban locations in the heart of Waterloo, Ontario. The Original Princess Cinema still maintains a "calendar art-house" programming model, which exhibits the best, selected cinemas. User profile: Most of the visitors are young and middle age group from 20-50 years old. User journey: Before trip: I visited the website before I go. The website provides information about 1) schedule of movies, 2) parking information, 3) recent events and 4) advance ticket booking service. Arrive: A）Hygiene: The lobby and movie hall are clean, well-ventilated and have no peculiar smell. B）No need for waiting: Not many people watch movies, so visitors do not need to wait in a long queue. C）Décor: The cinema's architectural style is gothic, so I feel very attractive when I first step in the gate. After trip: A）Good story telling: The cinema is so attractive because of its vintage style and gothic décor. I love the history behind it. Also, the staff hang the actual paper poster on the place where people can see and touch, I love that. B）Good restaurants around: There is a famous hotel-based restaurant in front of the cinema, and lots of restaurants around. Usability: A）Location: Princess cinema is located at Uptown Waterloo. It is easy to reach by Auto-mobile and most of the visitors choose to drive there as well. Visitors can arrive at princess cinema within 12 min in they depart from University of Waterloo. B）Transportation：Visitors can reach princess cinema by public transportation or private car. Subway or train is not offered. This might be less attractive for visitors who is going by bus if the time is too late. C）Food& beverage：Princess Café is located next to the cinema, and there are numbers of restaurants next to princess cinema as well. It is convenient for visitors who finished movie then want to go for dinner and create lots of job opportunities because the cluster of those entertainment facilities. D) price: The ticket price is much lower than another cinema in Kw region. It is very attractive for some visitors because of low cost. Yet, this cinema only takes cash or debit. It is inconvenient for people who prefer credit card. Overall: Princes cinema is Waterloo Region's "Favorite Movie Theatre". It is located at uptown where they can attract business and bring more business to restaurants around them. The transportation is convenient yet not far away from neighborhood. The food and beverage are good, the cinema offer their own café shop or visitors can choose the restaurateurs around as an alternative. read more

It is quite a boon to have an independent theater nearby. The single cinema generally has special nights of (cult) classics as well as new films that lie somewhere between decent and stupendous. I've seen very eclectic movies here: slacker, 2001, woman in the dunes, INLAND EMPIRE, etc. If you get a copy of the paper you'll be able to find out what themes they have on for the month (for example, a particular director's filmography). The theater itself usually has a decent audience that won't chomp chomp their popcorn in your ear while texting and the seats themselves are pretty comfortable. It is $7 for members, but UW students can pick up tickets for $6 at the turnkey desk. In the wintertime get some hot apple cider before watching the film - surprisingly good! read more

Grand old cinema showing independent films year round. Comfortable seats, chill atmosphere. Perfect setting for art house movies.

The purpose of this trip is for recreation and pleasure, and I began my consumer's journey by visiting the Princess Theatre website. Due to the growth of tourism, the internet, e-commerce and the introduction of computer system have enhanced the way companies distribute their information ,making the dispersal of information fast, efficient, and inexpensive. (Snapshot, 2014) The website was very up-to-date, they have some of the latest movies released, a brief review and a trailer of each movie available for viewing, and the option to purchase tickets online. After checking out all the movie trailers, I decided to watch "The Shape of Water". I Google Mapped the route of transportation that's the most convenient for me to travel from University of Waterloo campus to the destination, and my best option was taking the GRT bus. I reached the destination in around 10 minutes, and I was able to spot the Princess Theatre's signs before getting off the bus. Upon my arrival, I've discovered the cafe that's located right by the entrance, the theatre is comparably small to the ones I've been to as it only has two cinemas available for screening. I purchased the ticket, which was $9 with a student discount and no tax. The price is relatively lower than a regular movie ticket which costs around $15 plus tax. The cinemas is quite small, with less than 100 seats and a screen big enough for viewing. Although the cinemas is small, it doesn't take away the theatre feel and in fact gives me a sense of cozy and close-knit feeling. Some theatres are small that it makes the audiences feel suffocating and trapped, whereas Princess Theatre's cinemas is wide enough to make the audiences feel comfortable in the room. "The Shape of Water" was an amazing movie and I really enjoyed it. After the movie, I was able to check out the gallery located downstairs. There were some really creative abstract paintings on the walls, they provided a sense of peacefulness to me, almost like it calmed me down from the excitement I had for the movie. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to check out the Princess Cafe as it was midnight after the movie and they have already closed the cafe. The Princess Theatre is a very unique attraction in the region of Waterloo. It is located in uptown Waterloo surrounded by shops, bars, and clubs. Princess Theatre has identified a sense of place locating in the urban area of uptown Waterloo, allowing a better product/market match. Their product, which is movie in this case, is most likely to appeal to young adults such as university students who often visit this urban area, and the market match is made when the movie that Princess Theatre is selling meets the target market's needs and expectations. (Snapshot, 2014) Some of the weaknesses of my experience at the Princess Theatre include the limited selection of movies and the limitation of cinemas available for screening. Comparably, Princess Theatre operates as a small scale of business, and the limitation on certain factors can be understood. The strengths of the Princess Theatre was that their products achieved the customers' perceived value. Perceived value is the customer's mental estimate of the worth of a product. (Snapshots, 2014) Personally, I felt that $9 was definitely worth such a great quality of experience. As such, Princess Theatre is able to make customers feel they have received more than they paid for, which satisfies the customer's purpose of visit. The potential opportunities where Princess Theatre could improve on would be their flexibility. They can expand the amount of cinemas so they have the capacity to screen more movies and adjust to the trends accordingly. read more

Tiny and cozy~tho the screen is too small to display 16*9 movies...half-price for students~

Independent movie theater, for the avid movie geek. They often play Film festival and foreign films. They also play movies that have stopped playing at the big cinema's. I prefer to go to the Princess Twin then the old Cinema, it's a little to old school retro for my liking. read more

Great independent theatre showing foreign and indy movies. Great date night location!

been going for 20 years. always av ante guard type stuff showing - an intellectual candy for the brainy sweet tooth.