M
mdrees44
Guest
12/10/08-12/20/08 was my first Princess cruise after several Royal Caribbean cruises. My first impressions were such:
Observations:
1) Cabin was awesome! Was on Caribe Deck -- layout was wonderful -- plenty of storage and very liveable. Loved the closet room, and contrary to many people in the forums, the shower had plenty of room if you're not morbidly obese. The balcony was exceptional -- we spent much time out on it since we had gorgeous weather.
2) Service -- IMO, much superior to RC. Our cabin steward, Celso, was wonderful and was quick to make up the room. Had a couple of special requests that were quickly fulfilled. Always pleasant and addressed us by our names. Dining room staff, except for one lunchtime DaVinci waiter, was great.
3) Anytime dining was great. We started out in Botticelli Traditional Late seating -- in the past we always had great tablemates, but we got the Bigots from Hell on this cruise ( no ethnic or regional stereotype was spared or insulted) so we talked to the Maitre D' and requested change to Anytime Dining, which was quickly addressed. Had dinner both alone and with very pleasant table mates. Great service, and never had a problem waiting (we went 7:30pm and after and were quickly seated). If I return to Princess I'll choose anytime dining for sure. I was VERY disappointed in the food. I'd give the dining room a "B" at best and the buffets a "C". I expected great things from Princess, and maybe we our expectations were too great. Not a great selection in the dining room, and the entree meats were tough (even veal!) and the beef tasted invariably like liver. Several people who had gone on Princess before, and the Emerald Princess in particular, had said that the quality of the food had gone down considerably, so I don't think it was just me and my husband, who by and large, are not overly picky about food. Desserts were good. Sabatini's was excellent -- missed our Crown Grille reservations due to seasickness due a spot of rough seas.
4) Great ports -- saw Princess Cays, St Thomas, St Kitts (our favorite), Barbados ( our least favorite -- very overdeveloped IMO), St Lucia, and Antigua. Beware of the Monkey Encounter on Barbados -- a big dud, and the people were very put out with visitors. Great ziplining on St Lucia, the best we've ever done. Merchants were grabbier than usual at St Thomas, probably because we were one of only 3 boats there. Kayaking in St Kitts -- beautiful island and hope to go back soon. Did a great tour with Shane Joseph, a private taxi driver in Antigua -- highly recommend it. Liked Princess Cays, but only swam and sun bathed. You really don't need the cottages or the clamshells, as there is a great deal of shady areas. Nice area. Plenty to do. Food from the barbeque only so-so.
5) No problem bringing wine on board -- brought two on embarkation and several times from ports, no problem. This is a nice feature on Princess, since other cruise lines have tightened up on this.
6) Ship was beautiful and all dressed up for Christmas. Had a champaign fountain with flat champagne and fake snow that malfunctioned.
7) Entertainment was mixed --- singers and dancers were good -- comedians and ventriloquist were terrible. Typical cruise entertainment.
All in all, we'd go back to Princess in the future, but we want to try Celebrity next. As you can see, for us, the positives outweighed the negative, but food is a big part of the experience for us, and we were definitely disappointed, so we might go elsewhere in the future.
Observations:
1) Cabin was awesome! Was on Caribe Deck -- layout was wonderful -- plenty of storage and very liveable. Loved the closet room, and contrary to many people in the forums, the shower had plenty of room if you're not morbidly obese. The balcony was exceptional -- we spent much time out on it since we had gorgeous weather.
2) Service -- IMO, much superior to RC. Our cabin steward, Celso, was wonderful and was quick to make up the room. Had a couple of special requests that were quickly fulfilled. Always pleasant and addressed us by our names. Dining room staff, except for one lunchtime DaVinci waiter, was great.
3) Anytime dining was great. We started out in Botticelli Traditional Late seating -- in the past we always had great tablemates, but we got the Bigots from Hell on this cruise ( no ethnic or regional stereotype was spared or insulted) so we talked to the Maitre D' and requested change to Anytime Dining, which was quickly addressed. Had dinner both alone and with very pleasant table mates. Great service, and never had a problem waiting (we went 7:30pm and after and were quickly seated). If I return to Princess I'll choose anytime dining for sure. I was VERY disappointed in the food. I'd give the dining room a "B" at best and the buffets a "C". I expected great things from Princess, and maybe we our expectations were too great. Not a great selection in the dining room, and the entree meats were tough (even veal!) and the beef tasted invariably like liver. Several people who had gone on Princess before, and the Emerald Princess in particular, had said that the quality of the food had gone down considerably, so I don't think it was just me and my husband, who by and large, are not overly picky about food. Desserts were good. Sabatini's was excellent -- missed our Crown Grille reservations due to seasickness due a spot of rough seas.
4) Great ports -- saw Princess Cays, St Thomas, St Kitts (our favorite), Barbados ( our least favorite -- very overdeveloped IMO), St Lucia, and Antigua. Beware of the Monkey Encounter on Barbados -- a big dud, and the people were very put out with visitors. Great ziplining on St Lucia, the best we've ever done. Merchants were grabbier than usual at St Thomas, probably because we were one of only 3 boats there. Kayaking in St Kitts -- beautiful island and hope to go back soon. Did a great tour with Shane Joseph, a private taxi driver in Antigua -- highly recommend it. Liked Princess Cays, but only swam and sun bathed. You really don't need the cottages or the clamshells, as there is a great deal of shady areas. Nice area. Plenty to do. Food from the barbeque only so-so.
5) No problem bringing wine on board -- brought two on embarkation and several times from ports, no problem. This is a nice feature on Princess, since other cruise lines have tightened up on this.
6) Ship was beautiful and all dressed up for Christmas. Had a champaign fountain with flat champagne and fake snow that malfunctioned.
7) Entertainment was mixed --- singers and dancers were good -- comedians and ventriloquist were terrible. Typical cruise entertainment.
All in all, we'd go back to Princess in the future, but we want to try Celebrity next. As you can see, for us, the positives outweighed the negative, but food is a big part of the experience for us, and we were definitely disappointed, so we might go elsewhere in the future.
..Joanne