We love cruising because we get very spoiled, and this trip was no exception. Beautiful ship, good food, great service, and lots of fun entertainment. The best part, though, is making friends with fellow cruisers, and we met some very nice people from some very faraway places.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
A little confusing outside, figuring out where to drop off bags, but check-in was smooth and staff efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The buffet layout isn't the most user-friendly, but the food is good. Main dining rooms service is excellent, good menu variety, and delicious food. Really loved the International Cafe's sandwiches and little sweets for lunches.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Fitness center is okay; could use more equipment, but space is limited. The Cruise Director Lloyd was phenomenal, and his staff terrific. The trivia was mostly lots of fun, except that one of the entertainment crew tended to rush, not leaving us any time to think between questions, or songs in the case of music trivia. I had a great team of lovely fellow cruisers, so we always enjoyed our time together at the contests. Lloyd and his staff made game shows fun with their humor and (possibly rehearsed) spontaneity. It always worked!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Production shows were amazing. Extremely talented cast, and the costumes and stage craft were fabulous. There were no weak links among the onboard entertainment, including musicians and DJ Bryan. Princess obviously has high standards.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Guest services was very helpful, the couple of times we needed them. Dining room waiters were all personable and efficient. Our stateroom steward, Nestor, was very friendly and kept our room immaculately clean. He always greeted us by name, and we knew we could call on him if we needed anything.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is lovely. When there are activities in the gorgeous Piazza (the atrium,) seating is pretty limited. We were impressed with how great the ship looked in every area, despite having been last refurbished 5 years ago. Everything seemed in perfect condition.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin layout is good. There is plenty of closet space. The shower is very small, but that was expected. We didn't have a sofa, and kind of missed that, but space wouldn't allow it. There was a desk, and a small table, and the counter on top of the fridge cabinet, so we had room to keep items that didn't get stashed in the closet. The balcony is very nice, with a floor surface that eliminates the noisiness that some ships have when you move chairs. The sliding door was smooth. The room was always very clean and comfortable, thanks to our steward Nestor.
Ship tip
Don't count on the Princess App for all your information about the ship. It is a poor app. Nobody likes it. I hope they improve it soon!
This was just for embarkation. It's a little confusing trying to figure out exactly where to drive to drop off the luggage, but check-in was perfectly fine once we got inside.
We did a spontaneous open-air bus tour on Tortola that was very nice. The local tours are very inexpensive, and he took us everywhere the cruise line's tour would have gone. The views from up on the mountains are beautiful.
This was just a shopping stop for us, as we had toured St. Kitt's in the recent past. The shopping was phenomenal! We found deals on clothing and accessories that were way better than we ever expected, and certainly better than all the other ports. If we visit St. Kitts again, we'll know to do all our serious shopping there!
St. Maarten is a favorite port of ours. We took a bus tour, scheduled through Princess. It was okay, going over to the French side to show us all of the country, but I wouldn't really recommend it. The bus is confining. Better to take a cab to watch the planes land over Maho beach, or get a water excursion for snorkeling or just a ride on a catamaran or a windjammer.
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