Coastal - West Coast Cruise Reviews

As usual, we had a wonderful experience on the Island Princess.  We ran into exceptionally rough seas, but the ship handled it well. The only consequence was that we had to skip a port along the wa, but those things happen and we enjoyed a quiet day on board with great food and entertainment. 

I always picture myself relaxing in a deck chair, reading something light, but that didn't happen this time!  Weather kept us out of Astoria, and it was too cold to enjoy the outside decks.  The rest was great.  The food was good, the dance floors were in good condition, and the bands provided plenty of dancing.  The production shows were good.  There were so many activities no one could do them all.  I learned some great stretches in the fitness center and I even soaked my feet in a hot tub for an hour.  We rode a trolley in San Francisco, visited a museum in Victoria, and came home refreshed.

this is the first time I wish we had not taken a Princess Cruise.  you cannot control the weather.  But the weather certainly does not make for a nice May cruise in that area.  Will never take it again.   I was disappointed to learn that we received no credit for this cruise toward our status because it was 6 days.  If you had advised such, we would have found a 7 day cruise instead.  Also, since when does the Caribe  deck balcony not include the foot stool!  Never encountered that before.  

Will not sail on your small ships again.  Will stick with the Caribbean Princess size ship and up.  

Actually it was on the lower end of Good

Sign in at San Padro went very smooth, room attendant was good.

Entertainment was OK except the show BouYo was very good.

Restaurants were OK, Eggs Benedict's were terrible cooked the day before!

Afternooon Tea was Poor.

The communications between the crew was poor, hard to get a definite answer to some basic questions, mostly a language problems thorough out the ship.

Weather and ride was out of your control. Very disappointed at canceling the stop at Astoria.

Basically Disappointed! I'm not anxious to book on Princess again!

Loved the time we spent with our pastor in discussions.  Staff was great.  Food was very good.  A lot of wonderful things in a short time.  We enjoyed our dance classes.

Food Poisoning from what I believe was the Salmon, I asked if it was wild caught or Farmed raised and they said it was Wild Caught, I later found out farmed raised and they pick up in San Diego after having the doctor to our room for Vomiting & Diarrhea for hours, I spent 2 1/2 days in bed, paid for the doctor on board. I asked the doctor if they had any other problems and the reply was yes & they treated 4 others but they didn't considered it an outbreak of any source and just said that it was common for as many people that were on a ship.  

Enjoyed the food on this ship. Also liked the way it was served in the Lido where the courses were served to you instead of everyone handling the utensils.

It is a very restful cruise to take.  And the destination is absolutely beautiful.  The Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Ship is also beautiful and well maintained.  We paid an excellent price for the cruise, that is why we took it.

I've been on several cruises, but this was the best!  The food was savory, the service very prompt, and the entertainment was top notch.  My favorite performer was Andrew May, a piano player/singer from Scotland.  He took all requests, and somehow sounded just like Billy Joel, Elvis Presley, etc.  The little room was always packed!

Delicious varity food, wonderful services, great entertainment activities. Cruise crew are very friendly and helpful. Ship is nice and clean. We enjoyed this trip very well.

The pools were closed most of the trip. The one day that we were in port at the night dinner they served very little food and it was left overs from the day BEFORE.

I have been on 5 different cruise lines and taken dozens of cruises including many Princess cruises but this was ridiculously bad. I have never rated a cruise a "1" but that was generous for this cruise.

The order from room service for food was partially complete on the time delivered,  and it took an hour to arrive. It was NOT during any scheduled meal time and should have been no delays. The room instead of being clean twice daily which is normal was done once. Mini refrigerator had NO drinks. Called for the room porter twice and never received a return call or visit. Could never find him. BUT Princess still charged the complete doubled standard gratuity amount for both myself and the child traveling with me (the child gratuity was not booked to my account until the morning of the cruise ending in one lump sum or I would have complained prior to leaving. I went down to complain the morning of disembarkation but the line was too long to wait. So of course my credit card showed the doubled billed gratuity amounts.

The most positive thing from all staff and amenities offered was the Captain of the ship. He was extremely professional,  pleasant and always took time to meet and speak with the passengers. Even when a normal person would have ran out of patience on some of the requests, questions, and incidents that I observed.

Unfortunately I plan on choosing a different cruise line in the future.

From seas so rough the first night that I couldn't sleep for the cabin creaking & banging, to losing all sound half-way into a movie in the main theater -- with no one there to monitor or fix the problem -- to a cappucino that was supposed to be decaf but wasn't, to a head waiter that was supposed to know which dishes are saltier than others, but didn't, to bourbon that was supposed to be served plain but came over ice instead, etc. etc. -- too much went wrong unnecessarily on this cruise to be able to relax and enjoy it. (Ok, the rough seas are no one's fault, but these 3000-person ships are supposed to be fitted with modern stabilizers.)  And that's a shame, because the ballroom dance combo in Wheelhouse were good, the ship's layout is good, and some of the food was very good.  Their organization seemed strange this time:  no one we asked for help actually went & did the doing, they always handed it off to someone else... with all the attendant snafus.  Fortunately, we've had 2 good Princess cruises before this one, so this poor experience won't put us off the brand entirely.

Enjoyed all the aspects of the cruise.  The food was very good in the dining room and buffet.  Also ate at the Crown Grill which was excellent.  The balcony cabin (C514) was good and I would book the same cabin again.  The balcony was larger than expected and would have used more if the weather cooperated. The evening productions were better than expected, Born to Dance was exceptional don't miss it.  The ship is very health conscience and they make sure you use purell before going into the buffet.  I was concerned about some of the negative reviews that the ship was worn and tired, the carpet in the cabin could have been replaced but otherwise it was good.

I have only travelled Carnival in the past so I was curious to compare. This was the only weekend cruise so I loved that option. Our room Steward Gerald was amazingly attentive, personable, informative and got a hug goodbye. The repoire he made with my 75yo mom for her first cruise was amazing in such a short time of 4 nights.

the weather and Beauty once in the strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada could not have been better as we expected rain the whole time.

the Captains interaction with passengers and crew was a delight to witness throughout the cruise and the fact that he travelled with his young son was sweet.

annoyances: our room L243 was under the gym dumbbell area. We could hear the weights being dropped to the floor during early morning workout and falling off rack during a rough night at sea. When we went to investigate - not complain, and mentioned that we solved the mystery, the one female employee at the desk quickly denied that's what it could be as if she used to hearing the complaint and had a coined response. The annoyance is that she was lying and questioning our intelligence with the obvious truth. Again, I didn't go to complain so I just walked away feeling insulted. Advice- just apologize. And perhaps put up a sign explaining to weight users that there's a room below which shows your attempt to be courteous to all passengers.

we chose anytime dining which allowed us the use of Portofino and Capri dining rooms. The service in Portofino was quick, efficient to the point of rushed, I never had to refill my own wine glass they were very attentive but it truly lacked any personable relationship with the staff and left me feeling snubbed and rushed. The portions are small but adequate. Wine prices at least twice as much - $30/bottle for low end. The last night we visited Capri dining room and it was completely opposite! We even took pictures of our waitstaff. Joked with them all through dinner and felt valued as a customer. Finally what I was expecting! This service is what I've always received on Carnival for scheduled dining and we've always felt compelled to leave a extra tip for the service. My waiter said he is the "only Romanian waiter on Princess Star" so ask for him! If sections don't change, he and his helpful staff are in the middle.

The other passengers on this cruise were very friendly.  I appreciated the old-school dining, sharing a table with other passengers.  My room steward was also very friendly and helpful.  This ship did not feel crowded at all; it actually felt empty on most occasions.  The less ideal aspects of this trip were the ship itself.  It felt very aged and worn.  The overall décor and shape of the ship seemed very dated (carpet, elevator, paint, room décor, hair dryer, etc).  The food also fell well below the standard/expectations I have heard about the Princess line.  Very sub-par and mediocre. 

I always looked forward to the dinners in club class because the staff really make you feel special.

To improve it would be nice if things didn't overlap so I could get to everything I want to do but it just might not be possible to do so.  Also it would be nice if more things could stay open on the ship when a tour has not been booked; that may not be possible either.

Of course I would recommend Princess Cruises to others!

It was awesome. The room was great and the service was outstanding. Our waiter at dinner,, Bonecelli Dining Room, Edgar Credo & his asst. July were outstanding. .Head waiter Andrea was there to assist with my mother in law who has a special diet every night for the next night he was awesome.We will be cruising again.

Loved the decor, all the beautiful art work around the ship.  It was well kept. The food was good and I had wonderful service both in the  dining room and my stateroom.

Had so much fun. Everyone was so nice.Our room attendant Rudy was great. Food was good-loved the suite perks-though I'm not sure it was worth the high cost.

Beautiful weather for a coastal cruise. Nothing like backing up the ship in San Francisco pier 29 and having the most amazing view of the city as the night lights come on. All the positives of San Francisco without the traffic.