Cruise Ship Reviews : Princess Cruises Reviews
murf13 saw things this way:
My 15-day cruise was fantastic., March 8, 2016
Reviewer: murf13
Pros: The staff and service was the best.
Cons: My zip-lining experience was marred; I burnt my fingers when the padding ripped
Date of cruise: February 3, 2016
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale,FL
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: B2016
Andrii(Lido), Tamara (Lido) and Larry(B216) were more than excellent doing their jobs. Andrii worked the Lido deck where the smoking area was. He was proficient, respectful and praised the Princess cruises(a great advertisement for the ship). Tamara worked the outdoor pool area and again a joy to see her face everyday. She to was proficient, respectful and spoke highly of her employers. Larry was our cabin steward who went beyond his normal duties to help with a mattress problem I had. Your staff are the best personnel I have encountered in a very long time. Right from the beginning of my cruise to the end of the cruise the staff was excellent. The food all over the ship was fantastic. I would like to thank Gil Armando Orozco for the ride in his cab to Cartagena in Columbia. He was gracious and took care of my sister and myself coming back to pick us up after shopping in the city, explaining about the various sites we asked him about he was a great tour guide as well as a cab driver. I would like to thank Island Princess for stopping at these wonderful ports. All were memorable. The only thing that marred my vacation was my fingers getting burnt. I did not realize I how badly they were burnt until a few days after the cruise was over and my stay in Ramona, CA was affected by them and still today at home I am unable to do daily chores. I would still go zip lining tomorrow if I could and I would take a cruise on the Princess Cruises anytime. Thank you again for a great cruise.
Vmp2Travel saw things this way:
Excellent food and service, perfect size ship!, February 7, 2014
Reviewer: Vmp2Travel
Pros: The service is first class.
Cons: The entertainment was lackluster.
Date of cruise: November 15, 2013
Departure port: Los Angeles
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
We stayed in a mini suite, which had a generous sized balcony. The ship is the perfect size, not overwhelmingly large but large enough to offer ample public spaces. The ship is well maintained, and the staff is very attentive. The food was very good; our main service dining experience was the best in food and service, compared to 10+ different cruise ships.
RLBarone saw things this way:
The staff was the best I have ever encountered in 30 years of cruising!, April 22, 2013
Reviewer: RLBarone
Pros: The Panama Canal cruise was my favorite port-filled cruise EVER!
Cons: The beds have reached their life expectancy. Time to replace.
Date of cruise: April 5, 2013
Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: E610
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
This is a Must-See Cruise for people of all ages. It is historically rich, a visual feast, and suitable for all ages.
44theroad saw things this way:
New Year's canal cruise great for empty nesters & college-age children, January 14, 2013
Reviewer: 44theroad
Pros: Festive & safe New Year's festivities, great crew, variety of interesting ports
Cons: Lecturers, fitness center
Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: P619 & P512
Good for teenagers: Yes
PROS - We loved this cruise! We have cruised with five other lines, but this was our first Princess cruise. We were very pleased with Princess and would happily sail with them again. The ports were varied and interesting. - The best thing was that our two college-age children had a festive New Years with new friends, but we didn't have to plan or clean up the party. We liked not worrying about children being on the road at all hours and having to avoid the drunk drivers. - The ship had a five or so gatherings called "Under the Radar - 18-20's mix & mingle". This was PERFECT for our 19- and 20-year-old college students who were too old for the high school group but didn't want to party with us "old geezers". (The only bad thing was that a few of the events were scheduled for 10 a.m. on sea days. Most college kids sleep until afternoon. Evenings are best for this age group.) This enabled that age group to gather and get to know each other, then those who really hit it off planned to get together at other times. Our two enjoyed meeting other young people from all over the US, Canada, Russia, etc., and meeting young people who know our kids' college friends. - The crew was great for the most part. Our children's cabin steward, Raymond, immediately memorized not only their names, but ours, too, and we weren't even in his area! Our steward, Ryan, loaned us his personal night light. Both stewards were always very upbeat and efficient. Our waiters at dinner (early seating in Provence dining room) were great, and after the first night quickly anticipated our drink preferences, etc. - The cruise director, Richard Joseph, was wonderful. It's easy to see how he became the industry's youngest ever cruise director at age 22. He was enthusiastic but mature, and when a singer in the song and dance show became ill, stopping the show three songs into it, he handled the situation with style and grace. He was honest about what was going on, and while we waited for the singers and stagehands to regroup, he brought the dancers out on stage for a very interesting Q & A session, turning a mishap into an enlightening interlude. - We had early dinner seating. Service was prompt and gracious, food was very good. - The ship was in good repair, clean, etc. Christmas decorations were pretty but not overly done - very tasteful. - The ship's layout handled crowds well. Even though we had many sea days, the ship usually didn't seem crowded and even felt empty at times. - Our outside cabin, P619, was conveniently located across the hall from the passenger laundry, which had three washers and dryers and two irons and ironing boards. We used the laundry several times. It was not noisy or busy. - Our children were in inside cabin P512, the same level as ours despite the different first number. Theirs was a handicap room and very spacious with the larger room and bathroom and open shower with bench. - We enjoyed both of the ship's shore excursions that we took - the Antilla wreck snorkel with Red Sail in Aruba and Stingray Sandbar with Don Foster on Grand Cayman. CONS - We've heard some great lecturers on other lines. That was lacking here. There were few lecturers and most topics didn't sound interesting. - Port lecturers Bill and Barbara provided the talks for all of the ports. They just read from a script, which included too much in-depth ancient history and not enough of what the ports are like now. I believe they had visited all of the ports, but didn't have intimate knowledge of them. I would like to have heard from people who had lived in these places, or who had at least lived in the Caribbean and had more personal knowledge. Barbara mentioned the beautiful "geraniums" growing in the very pretty cruise terminal in Cartagena, but those were not geraniums - they were tropical flowers, and it would have been nice if she had mentioned the most conspicuous ones by name. When we stuck around after the lecture to ask Bill a specific question, he talked down to us as if we had just fallen off the turnip truck. (We've made numerous and extended visits to all continents except Africa, Australia & Antarctica, living with the locals for as long as five weeks in some locales.) We asked him where we could find a tourism office in Cartagena (we weren't interested in doing the ship's shore excursions there), and he said, "Well, this is NOT the U.S. They don't have things like that around the world." Maybe that was his way of pushing the shore excursions, but we quickly found the Cartagena tourism office on the internet - just inside the Old Town gate - one of the most visited areas of the city. I would think that a port lecturer would want to include information like this in his talk. - Fitness Center - They charged $12 per session for spinning and Yoga, and maybe for Pilates, too. This was ridiculous, especially since usually when I walked past the aerobics studio it was empty. If these classes were so popular that they needed to limit the size by charging, they should have just offered them more often. It seemed like most of the fitness classes were offered in the early morning. Numerous time changes made these difficult to get to. I would have liked more afternoon or at least late morning classes. I attended a class on increasing your metabolism, which ended up being a long and drawn out explanation that we had too many toxins in our body and needed to go to the spa across the hall and pay for an expensive "cleansing". The guy who gave this talk (maybe Rik?) was very serious and not very friendly.
lynford saw things this way:
Fantastic 15-night cruise thru Panama Canal from LA to Ft. Lauderdale., October 15, 2011
Reviewer: lynford
Pros: Service/crew were excellent. My wife and I were treated like royality.
Cons: Hurry up and wait for excursions, especially if launches are needed!
Date of cruise: September 25, 2011
Departure port: Los Angeles
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: D514
Awesome 15-night cruise with an excellent crew on the Island Princess. Almost too much fun/activities going when ship was at sea, but could just relax by the pool and do nothing too. Mini-suite stateroom was very comfortable. State room/cabin attendant was great and on top of every detail to make us comfortable. Great ports of call to countries we have never been. We boarded in Los Angeles - Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, Puntarenas in Costa Rica, Fuerte Amador in Panama, through the Panama Canel, Cartagena in Columbia, Aruba and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. Passage thru the Pananma Canal and noting all the history behind the construction of the canal was probably the highlight of the cruise. Tours to the Rain Forest in Costa Rica and any of the "old towns/cities" at the other ports were very good. Aruba would get our vote for the best "shopping"! Definately a variety of tours/excursions offered at any of the ports of call. End of September/October weather was great, mid to upper 80's traveling the Pacific/Mexico coast, through Central America and the Caribbean. Can be hit or miss on weather, as it is the rainy season til November. We had only one day of rain, but in the warm climate, who cares? I would pack a compact umbrella or poncho for the rain forest. Food in buffet (open 5 a.m. to midnight)was above average. Definately a large choice/variety to choose from. Grill for burgers and hot dogs, pizza, etc. around pool deck good. Food and service in the main dining rooms was excellent. We signed up for "anytime dining". Definitely liked it better dining on our schedule instead of the 5:30 pm or 8 p.m. set time seatings offered. All the entertainment, bands, production shows, etc. were excellent. Cruise director and his crew kept kept the Island Princess moving and shaking to the beat day and night. A lot of activities going on at all times. Overall, just a fantastic cruise. We would definitely recommend this cruise or any cruise that gets you passage through the Panama Canal.
msbinbc saw things this way:
Up to the usual fine standards I expect from Princess, December 25, 2010
Reviewer: msbinbc
Pros: Love the service, food, & staff on this ship; great trip thru Panama Canal
Cons: Entertainment was not as good as I have experienced on other Princess ships
Date of cruise: December 5, 2010
Departure port: Los Angeles, Ca
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: c221
I typically cruise one to three times per year, always in a mini suite. I have traveled on five different lines, but always return to Princess. This was my second time through the Panama Canal. It was far superior to my experience when I traveled through with Holland America. The Panama Canal should be on everyone's bucket list. The ports were well chosen with a nice spacing of sea days in between. Favorite port was Cartagena, Columbia. The walking tour of the old walled city was so very interesting. I highly recommend Princess to new cruisers as well as experienced travelers.
rbrown04 saw things this way:
Pleasantly surprised ... exceeded expectations across-the-board!, June 13, 2010
Reviewer: rbrown04
Pros: Consistent, thoughtful & proactive, delivering an outstanding cruise experience
Cons: No enforcing dress code, but these are floating cattle cars
Date of cruise: May 31, 2010
Departure port: Vancouver
Region visited: Alaska
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
We enjoyed this Inside Passage cruise to Alaska. We booked this cruise primarily because it was short in duration and we thought it would provide insight to the "Princess experience" in helping us to decide on whether we would enjoy our upcoming 44-day Princess cruise from Asia to Europe in 2011. We've been loyal Oceania and Azamara customers, but liked the itinerary on Princess, and given they operate the similar smaller ships, thought we'd give it a try. Our conclusion was immediate and clear ... Princess offers A LOT of value when you compare the total package. Our upcoming cruise books out at around $175pp/pd vs $275 on Azamara (much less attractive itinerary) and $425 on Oceania (keeping in mind that Oceania includes air). Our comparison of the basics (Princess vs. Oceania and Azamara): Accommodations - Comparable (although Oceania and Azamara offer better in-room amenities and personal products) Specialty Restaurants - Comparable (food and presentation are slightly lower compared to Oceania and comparable to Azamara, but all sufficiently high quality and attentive, excellent service) Main Dining Room - Comparable (Princess surprised us here, we cancelled specialty restaurants a couple nights because of the quality of the menu and food in the dining room) Buffet (The Trough) - Considerably lower (Oceania has a consistently high quality buffet, Azamara is good, Princess is a feeding trough except for cereal) Room Service - Considerably lower (Oceania and Azamara have good selection and quality room service; Princess should simply do away with what they call room service) Entertainment - Considerably higher (Princess offered consistent entertainment across shows and acts; Oceania and Azamara always seem amateurish, and I don't think that can be blamed on the facilities of smaller ships) Shopping Venues - Comparable (Although Oceania and Azamara have better and more expensive bobbles) Excursions - Considerably higher (Princess having 18 ships seems to shine in their quality and organization; Azamara has fewer choices and higher price points; Oceania just fails miserably here) Gym - Comparable (Same quality and number of units of equipment ... and the same types of programs and seminars) Culture - Comparable (All offered good quality enrichment programs, although Princess is decidedly more professional and polished - they have the budget) Spa - Comparable (Not that this matters to you or us, but I've won discounted spa treatments on both Oceania and Princess and both do a high quality job at a high price so with the price discount, they are reasonable) Embark/Disembark - Slightly higher (Princess is a well-oiled machine, others are more clunky, but no one has lost our luggage or caused us to miss our plane) When you put it all together for what matters to us, Princess was a pretty impressive operation.
ksersland saw things this way:
Excellent wait staff in bars and dining rooms with an exceptional head waiter, May 11, 2010
Reviewer: ksersland
Pros: Head waiter prepared special food, salad or dessert item 5 out of 9 nights
Cons: Bar entertainment was so so
Date of cruise: March 30, 2010
Departure port: Port Everglades
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: Dolphin 219
This was a cruise to the Panama Canal which anyone who enjoys a cruise must do. The Panama Canal is a truly wonderful sight to see and experience.
Island Princess reviews
Average customer rating:
4.44 / 5
4.44 / 5Average Rating based on 8 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
4.50
4.50
4.13
3.75
4.63
4.75
3.60
5.00
4.88
4.50
4.13
3.75
4.63
4.75
3.60
5.00
4.88
murf13 saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
5
My 15-day cruise was fantastic., March 8, 2016
Reviewer: murf13
Pros: The staff and service was the best.
Cons: My zip-lining experience was marred; I burnt my fingers when the padding ripped
Date of cruise: February 3, 2016
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale,FL
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: B2016
Andrii(Lido), Tamara (Lido) and Larry(B216) were more than excellent doing their jobs. Andrii worked the Lido deck where the smoking area was. He was proficient, respectful and praised the Princess cruises(a great advertisement for the ship). Tamara worked the outdoor pool area and again a joy to see her face everyday. She to was proficient, respectful and spoke highly of her employers. Larry was our cabin steward who went beyond his normal duties to help with a mattress problem I had. Your staff are the best personnel I have encountered in a very long time. Right from the beginning of my cruise to the end of the cruise the staff was excellent. The food all over the ship was fantastic. I would like to thank Gil Armando Orozco for the ride in his cab to Cartagena in Columbia. He was gracious and took care of my sister and myself coming back to pick us up after shopping in the city, explaining about the various sites we asked him about he was a great tour guide as well as a cab driver. I would like to thank Island Princess for stopping at these wonderful ports. All were memorable. The only thing that marred my vacation was my fingers getting burnt. I did not realize I how badly they were burnt until a few days after the cruise was over and my stay in Ramona, CA was affected by them and still today at home I am unable to do daily chores. I would still go zip lining tomorrow if I could and I would take a cruise on the Princess Cruises anytime. Thank you again for a great cruise.
Vmp2Travel saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
4
5
3
5
5
3
5
5
3
5
5
3
5
Excellent food and service, perfect size ship!, February 7, 2014
Reviewer: Vmp2Travel
Pros: The service is first class.
Cons: The entertainment was lackluster.
Date of cruise: November 15, 2013
Departure port: Los Angeles
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
We stayed in a mini suite, which had a generous sized balcony. The ship is the perfect size, not overwhelmingly large but large enough to offer ample public spaces. The ship is well maintained, and the staff is very attentive. The food was very good; our main service dining experience was the best in food and service, compared to 10+ different cruise ships.
RLBarone saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
5
5
4
5
5
5
5
4
5
5
5
The staff was the best I have ever encountered in 30 years of cruising!, April 22, 2013
Reviewer: RLBarone
Pros: The Panama Canal cruise was my favorite port-filled cruise EVER!
Cons: The beds have reached their life expectancy. Time to replace.
Date of cruise: April 5, 2013
Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: E610
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
This is a Must-See Cruise for people of all ages. It is historically rich, a visual feast, and suitable for all ages.
44theroad saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
4
4
4
2
4
5
5
4
4
2
4
5
5
New Year's canal cruise great for empty nesters & college-age children, January 14, 2013
Reviewer: 44theroad
Pros: Festive & safe New Year's festivities, great crew, variety of interesting ports
Cons: Lecturers, fitness center
Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: P619 & P512
Good for teenagers: Yes
PROS - We loved this cruise! We have cruised with five other lines, but this was our first Princess cruise. We were very pleased with Princess and would happily sail with them again. The ports were varied and interesting. - The best thing was that our two college-age children had a festive New Years with new friends, but we didn't have to plan or clean up the party. We liked not worrying about children being on the road at all hours and having to avoid the drunk drivers. - The ship had a five or so gatherings called "Under the Radar - 18-20's mix & mingle". This was PERFECT for our 19- and 20-year-old college students who were too old for the high school group but didn't want to party with us "old geezers". (The only bad thing was that a few of the events were scheduled for 10 a.m. on sea days. Most college kids sleep until afternoon. Evenings are best for this age group.) This enabled that age group to gather and get to know each other, then those who really hit it off planned to get together at other times. Our two enjoyed meeting other young people from all over the US, Canada, Russia, etc., and meeting young people who know our kids' college friends. - The crew was great for the most part. Our children's cabin steward, Raymond, immediately memorized not only their names, but ours, too, and we weren't even in his area! Our steward, Ryan, loaned us his personal night light. Both stewards were always very upbeat and efficient. Our waiters at dinner (early seating in Provence dining room) were great, and after the first night quickly anticipated our drink preferences, etc. - The cruise director, Richard Joseph, was wonderful. It's easy to see how he became the industry's youngest ever cruise director at age 22. He was enthusiastic but mature, and when a singer in the song and dance show became ill, stopping the show three songs into it, he handled the situation with style and grace. He was honest about what was going on, and while we waited for the singers and stagehands to regroup, he brought the dancers out on stage for a very interesting Q & A session, turning a mishap into an enlightening interlude. - We had early dinner seating. Service was prompt and gracious, food was very good. - The ship was in good repair, clean, etc. Christmas decorations were pretty but not overly done - very tasteful. - The ship's layout handled crowds well. Even though we had many sea days, the ship usually didn't seem crowded and even felt empty at times. - Our outside cabin, P619, was conveniently located across the hall from the passenger laundry, which had three washers and dryers and two irons and ironing boards. We used the laundry several times. It was not noisy or busy. - Our children were in inside cabin P512, the same level as ours despite the different first number. Theirs was a handicap room and very spacious with the larger room and bathroom and open shower with bench. - We enjoyed both of the ship's shore excursions that we took - the Antilla wreck snorkel with Red Sail in Aruba and Stingray Sandbar with Don Foster on Grand Cayman. CONS - We've heard some great lecturers on other lines. That was lacking here. There were few lecturers and most topics didn't sound interesting. - Port lecturers Bill and Barbara provided the talks for all of the ports. They just read from a script, which included too much in-depth ancient history and not enough of what the ports are like now. I believe they had visited all of the ports, but didn't have intimate knowledge of them. I would like to have heard from people who had lived in these places, or who had at least lived in the Caribbean and had more personal knowledge. Barbara mentioned the beautiful "geraniums" growing in the very pretty cruise terminal in Cartagena, but those were not geraniums - they were tropical flowers, and it would have been nice if she had mentioned the most conspicuous ones by name. When we stuck around after the lecture to ask Bill a specific question, he talked down to us as if we had just fallen off the turnip truck. (We've made numerous and extended visits to all continents except Africa, Australia & Antarctica, living with the locals for as long as five weeks in some locales.) We asked him where we could find a tourism office in Cartagena (we weren't interested in doing the ship's shore excursions there), and he said, "Well, this is NOT the U.S. They don't have things like that around the world." Maybe that was his way of pushing the shore excursions, but we quickly found the Cartagena tourism office on the internet - just inside the Old Town gate - one of the most visited areas of the city. I would think that a port lecturer would want to include information like this in his talk. - Fitness Center - They charged $12 per session for spinning and Yoga, and maybe for Pilates, too. This was ridiculous, especially since usually when I walked past the aerobics studio it was empty. If these classes were so popular that they needed to limit the size by charging, they should have just offered them more often. It seemed like most of the fitness classes were offered in the early morning. Numerous time changes made these difficult to get to. I would have liked more afternoon or at least late morning classes. I attended a class on increasing your metabolism, which ended up being a long and drawn out explanation that we had too many toxins in our body and needed to go to the spa across the hall and pay for an expensive "cleansing". The guy who gave this talk (maybe Rik?) was very serious and not very friendly.
lynford saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
5
5
5
4
5
5
3
5
5
5
4
5
5
3
5
Fantastic 15-night cruise thru Panama Canal from LA to Ft. Lauderdale., October 15, 2011
Reviewer: lynford
Pros: Service/crew were excellent. My wife and I were treated like royality.
Cons: Hurry up and wait for excursions, especially if launches are needed!
Date of cruise: September 25, 2011
Departure port: Los Angeles
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: D514
Awesome 15-night cruise with an excellent crew on the Island Princess. Almost too much fun/activities going when ship was at sea, but could just relax by the pool and do nothing too. Mini-suite stateroom was very comfortable. State room/cabin attendant was great and on top of every detail to make us comfortable. Great ports of call to countries we have never been. We boarded in Los Angeles - Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, Puntarenas in Costa Rica, Fuerte Amador in Panama, through the Panama Canel, Cartagena in Columbia, Aruba and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. Passage thru the Pananma Canal and noting all the history behind the construction of the canal was probably the highlight of the cruise. Tours to the Rain Forest in Costa Rica and any of the "old towns/cities" at the other ports were very good. Aruba would get our vote for the best "shopping"! Definately a variety of tours/excursions offered at any of the ports of call. End of September/October weather was great, mid to upper 80's traveling the Pacific/Mexico coast, through Central America and the Caribbean. Can be hit or miss on weather, as it is the rainy season til November. We had only one day of rain, but in the warm climate, who cares? I would pack a compact umbrella or poncho for the rain forest. Food in buffet (open 5 a.m. to midnight)was above average. Definately a large choice/variety to choose from. Grill for burgers and hot dogs, pizza, etc. around pool deck good. Food and service in the main dining rooms was excellent. We signed up for "anytime dining". Definitely liked it better dining on our schedule instead of the 5:30 pm or 8 p.m. set time seatings offered. All the entertainment, bands, production shows, etc. were excellent. Cruise director and his crew kept kept the Island Princess moving and shaking to the beat day and night. A lot of activities going on at all times. Overall, just a fantastic cruise. We would definitely recommend this cruise or any cruise that gets you passage through the Panama Canal.
msbinbc saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
4
4
5
Up to the usual fine standards I expect from Princess, December 25, 2010
Reviewer: msbinbc
Pros: Love the service, food, & staff on this ship; great trip thru Panama Canal
Cons: Entertainment was not as good as I have experienced on other Princess ships
Date of cruise: December 5, 2010
Departure port: Los Angeles, Ca
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: c221
I typically cruise one to three times per year, always in a mini suite. I have traveled on five different lines, but always return to Princess. This was my second time through the Panama Canal. It was far superior to my experience when I traveled through with Holland America. The Panama Canal should be on everyone's bucket list. The ports were well chosen with a nice spacing of sea days in between. Favorite port was Cartagena, Columbia. The walking tour of the old walled city was so very interesting. I highly recommend Princess to new cruisers as well as experienced travelers.
rbrown04 saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
Pleasantly surprised ... exceeded expectations across-the-board!, June 13, 2010
Reviewer: rbrown04
Pros: Consistent, thoughtful & proactive, delivering an outstanding cruise experience
Cons: No enforcing dress code, but these are floating cattle cars
Date of cruise: May 31, 2010
Departure port: Vancouver
Region visited: Alaska
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
We enjoyed this Inside Passage cruise to Alaska. We booked this cruise primarily because it was short in duration and we thought it would provide insight to the "Princess experience" in helping us to decide on whether we would enjoy our upcoming 44-day Princess cruise from Asia to Europe in 2011. We've been loyal Oceania and Azamara customers, but liked the itinerary on Princess, and given they operate the similar smaller ships, thought we'd give it a try. Our conclusion was immediate and clear ... Princess offers A LOT of value when you compare the total package. Our upcoming cruise books out at around $175pp/pd vs $275 on Azamara (much less attractive itinerary) and $425 on Oceania (keeping in mind that Oceania includes air). Our comparison of the basics (Princess vs. Oceania and Azamara): Accommodations - Comparable (although Oceania and Azamara offer better in-room amenities and personal products) Specialty Restaurants - Comparable (food and presentation are slightly lower compared to Oceania and comparable to Azamara, but all sufficiently high quality and attentive, excellent service) Main Dining Room - Comparable (Princess surprised us here, we cancelled specialty restaurants a couple nights because of the quality of the menu and food in the dining room) Buffet (The Trough) - Considerably lower (Oceania has a consistently high quality buffet, Azamara is good, Princess is a feeding trough except for cereal) Room Service - Considerably lower (Oceania and Azamara have good selection and quality room service; Princess should simply do away with what they call room service) Entertainment - Considerably higher (Princess offered consistent entertainment across shows and acts; Oceania and Azamara always seem amateurish, and I don't think that can be blamed on the facilities of smaller ships) Shopping Venues - Comparable (Although Oceania and Azamara have better and more expensive bobbles) Excursions - Considerably higher (Princess having 18 ships seems to shine in their quality and organization; Azamara has fewer choices and higher price points; Oceania just fails miserably here) Gym - Comparable (Same quality and number of units of equipment ... and the same types of programs and seminars) Culture - Comparable (All offered good quality enrichment programs, although Princess is decidedly more professional and polished - they have the budget) Spa - Comparable (Not that this matters to you or us, but I've won discounted spa treatments on both Oceania and Princess and both do a high quality job at a high price so with the price discount, they are reasonable) Embark/Disembark - Slightly higher (Princess is a well-oiled machine, others are more clunky, but no one has lost our luggage or caused us to miss our plane) When you put it all together for what matters to us, Princess was a pretty impressive operation.
ksersland saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
4
4
4
5
5
4
5
5
4
4
5
5
4
5
5
Excellent wait staff in bars and dining rooms with an exceptional head waiter, May 11, 2010
Reviewer: ksersland
Pros: Head waiter prepared special food, salad or dessert item 5 out of 9 nights
Cons: Bar entertainment was so so
Date of cruise: March 30, 2010
Departure port: Port Everglades
Region visited: Panama Canal
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: Dolphin 219
This was a cruise to the Panama Canal which anyone who enjoys a cruise must do. The Panama Canal is a truly wonderful sight to see and experience.
