This was only my second cruise, but first cruise with Princess.
The staff were friendly, the food was "meh". Will try other cruise lines before I repeat with Princess.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation from Fort Lauderdale was pretty seamless. Only took about 40 minutes to get through security and check in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food in the main dining rooms was good...not great, but good.
The food in Horizon Court Buffet was NOT good. By the 2nd day, I pretty much gave up on even going to the buffet.
The breakfast buffet was the most disappointing because there wasn't enough variety and what little was there, was either completely bland or just poorly prepared. The scrambled eggs were swimming in water. The corn beef hash was practically a soup. Lost my appetite just looking at it. The fruit and bacon were the only edible options. They made attempts at international cuisine, but missed it by miles. By the 2nd day, I just skipped breakfast all together. At lunch, I only got fries and fruit. I never did try the main dining halls for lunch and dinner because I didn't want to spend 1.5 hours for breakfast and lunch.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Because Princess was the cruise line from the TV show, The Love Boat, that theme is throughout many of the activities on the ship and it's kind of annoying. The Love Boat hasn't been on in over 30 years. They need to let it go!
We went to the 70's disco party one night and it would've been fun EXCEPT instead of just letting us dance to the music the band was playing, they would cut the music after every other song and make you watch a TV screen with out takes from the cast of The Love Boat. They even made up dances based on Isaac the Bartender. The crew put on red jackets, afro wigs and fake mustaches to look like Isaac. It was SO cheesy and a lot of people...including myself ended up leaving before the party was over.
I spent most of my days at The Sanctuary (HIGHLY RECOMMEND). It's an adults only deck lounge right above the spa with SUPER comfy chairs, cucumber water and a fabulous view of the ocean from the front of the ship. You have to make reservations and it's $20 for half day or $40 full day. Worth every penny. The days that I couldn't get a reservation, I spent on my balcony which was fabulous too.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The comedian, Steve Couette, was hilarious. Best entertainer on the ship. The theater was completely full when he performed.I LOVED Movies Under The Stars. I saw 2 movies at night. Really great concept and good use of the ship at night.I do wish there were more activities, besides Fusion Club, after 11pm, though. If they could do another late night movie or maybe a midnight game night that'd be great.
Princess Theater
5 out of 5
comfy chairs and a really good view of the stage.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All of our server and staff interactions were great. World class service.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was clean
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Great size. I like that there were enough hangers in the closet for all my clothes.
The balcony size was perfect. I also liked that the chair backs reclined and I could take naps out there.
Ship tip
As soon as you get on board the ship head to the Sanctuary and make your reservations for the entire trip. It fills up fast. We boarded the ship at 2:00 and got to the Sanctuary at 2:30 all of the reservations were almost full for the week. We found out later that there are some people who do back-to-back cruises on the same ship. So they're on the ship for 2-3 weeks. Crazy, I know. So they get to book all of their activities while everyone else is standing in line waiting to board the ship. Great for them, bad for everyone else.
Check the menus of each dining venue in the morning. We found that some of the food in specialty dining is served for free in the main dining halls and sometimes the buffets (desserts and entrees). Not always, but sometimes if you can plan it right. Why are we paying $30 for steak at Crown Grill when we can get it for free in the main dining hall?
This was only my second cruise, so I'm learning the tricks as I go along.
Sadly everybody can't be kept happy! I have always loved the food on Princess bar one cruise when there was too much spicy stuff but generally was able to enjoy what I did choose. There is always a great selection in Horizon Court especially breakfast - never been stuck in what I wanted to eat. Maybe I am easy pleased and thankful I can afford to go on a cruise. We make the most of it ourselves - there is always something to do about the ship. Perhaps Princess is not upmarket enough for this person. We've been on other cruise lines but 11 Princess cruises later we still love it!
We have sailed with Princess 5 times and always found the food very good, as a retired chef if there was a problem with the food I would let it be known, but I always compliment the staff, knowing what it's like to cook for 1000's and trying to keep people like you happy is difficult but people like you are never happy with what is served to them !
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