We expect a few glitches during an inaugural month, and it was fairly seamless. There were a few under trained beverage servers in the dining room, who knew absolutely nothing about wine – so if you’re looking for a wine with an earthy terroir or minerality you’ll get a blank look. But on the whole folks in charge (maitre’d or server) are polished. Guest services was rude, we tried to pay for an up charge cabin with a balcony as the booking agent assured us we’d be able to do this as #3 on the waitlist and they said there was no such thing as a booking waitlist. So clearly someone was lying.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
How many were disappointed in the quality of food in the main dining room, and the drink steward couldn’t seem to synchronize the course with the wine, so the white wines were still sitting there when beef dishes arrived and we ordered a red wine for that course. I think the staff is just incredibly new. We did love Sabatini’s and would definitely eat there again the service was spectacular as were the dishes.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We are too young for most of the activities, not interested in bingo, art auction, or trivia. We are more wellness cruisers into Pilates and yoga and reading. So we were disappointed in the lack of a library, but we loved the sanctuary and would book a pass there all week if it was available.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
So this was an incredibly mixed bag. The spa service was horrible, high pressure and stressful, which defeats the whole purpose of a spa day. She was however expert. We love our cocktail waiter, Neville in the Crown Grill bar, and our maître d’ in Ketchikan dining room. Our cabin steward failed to deliver princess patter for three days so we had no idea what was going on on board.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
While this is a high glam you ship, it reminded us of a Cheesecake Factory— all ‘90s opulence. But it was difficult to get from the Enclave pool to our room on Lido, and impossible to get to the main dining room in Ketchikan. I just think we’re smaller ship people.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We tried to book a balcony cabin, but we’re too late. Our agent didn’t call us back for three days and we missed out on the last one. The booking agent from princess assured us at number three on the waitlist we would get a balcony cabin. Unfortunately when we boarded and checked our position on the waitlist they were insulted and acted like there wasn’t a wait list. And no balcony cabin was available for paid upgrade. Frustrating. One of us was a first time cruiser who was very claustrophobic in the room although it was a standard inside cabin.
Most ships offer a chefs table dining experience where they pair your wine and food over several courses. Look into that on your next cruise. I think you will love it.
The waiters will never sync your wine.. they have to go to far for drinks and the bar may be busy. Not their fault. Activities are also on the TV or the big monitors all over the ship.
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