This was my first Princess cruise. The itinerary and length of the cruise were great. I loved that there were enough chairs and room in the pools for everyone to be happy. There are no fancy slides or other gimmicks so plenty of room for sunbathers like me. The food in the main dining room was better than I've had on Carnival or Norwegian.
It's an older crowd and the activities and numbers of people around in the evening reflect that. I also chose to return to port or leave the deck in the early evening and had late seating which made it difficult to attend some evening entertainment. Many events were before dinner or during my dining time.
I would definitely cruise Princess again but I'm not driven to use that line over any other.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The main dining room was excellent; Crown Grill superb. The buffets were relatively small and the variety wasn't as great as I've experienced on other lines.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
I did not participate in many activities. Zumba, led by Song, was a lot of fun and a great way to begin sea day mornings or days when we arrived into port later.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I only went to the theater once and was underwhelmed. The poolside band/DJ were great but played for too short of times. I saw little music in most bars but enjoyed Project 5's short sets in Club Fusion.
Club Fusion
5 out of 5
Zumba in the morning; Band in the evening. This was the only area of the ship where temperatures were kept low.
Movies Under The Stars
4 out of 5
Pretty recent movies shown here. At night there's mattresses on the deck chairs along with flannel blankets and popcorn.
Children's Programs
I didn't travel with children.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
My cabin steward, dining room wait staff, and some bar waiters were engaging and attentive. Many personnel I passed along the way (including officers) failed to make eye contact. I found that very unwelcoming.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything was clean. It's a larger ship than it appears and at the end of the 10 day cruise many passengers were still trying to orient themselves.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The size was what is expected. There was enough drawer space and plenty of closet space for both. There was a problem with the safe in this cabin. The handle was missing which made opening the door a task. Beds are too soft for me and I always felt tilted towards one side. There were no adjacent rooms which was great for 9 nights. But I'd guess it's used for storage on the final night because there was lots of objects being moved next door.
Ship tip
I'd recommend the Crown Grill; it's well worth the small expense.
Not much there in Bonaire. We paid for a taxi for the North tour which ended at Lac Bay. The taxi driver was interesting and we saw salt mines, slave huts, and a lighthouse on the way. Soroban Beach isn't really swimmer friendly because of windsurfers and protecting seagrass. The water is an unbelievably beautiful shade of aqua.
We took a taxi to Grand Anse Beach which was great. We used the water taxi to return. I would definitely recommend the water taxi both ways. Shopping near the port wasn't as desirable. The friendliness on the beach was replaced with rude, pushy actions.
Definitely a tale in two parts. We took the Princess excursion to whale watch in the morning. It was fantastic led by enthusiastic, knowledgeable guides. We decided to walk to the highly rated Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. After a difficult, hot and longer than anticipated walk we found little to admire in the gardens. I'm not sure I'd get off the ship if I ever return to this port.
I loved St. Thomas! The shopping in Havensight Mall was varied and fun. But the highlight was extreme zip lining which was a Princess excursion. Our guides, Bethany and Carter, like all other guides were engaging, fun, and focused on safety. The views on the landing boards overlook Megan's Bay and it's aqua water. The view alone was worth the time but zip lining was fantastic!
I loved the ease of using tenders, the beach and perfect sea, and facilities. The buffet lunch was a bit weak and the huge number of flies made it less than appealing.
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