This was my first Princess cruise, after cruising on Norwegian and Carnival a few times. Very pleased. I loved the technology and the use of the Medallion in lieu of a mag stripe card. It really made the experience very hands free and convenient. The crew were amazing, the ship itself really is "enchanted". We never had a wait for anything since we were sailing at about 50% capacity, which honestly now has us a bit spoiled! Will definitely be sailing on Princess again in the future.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was pretty good, but for a light passenger load it was a bit slower than I expected. Also, their website and port personnel were on different pages when interpreting the rules for passengers who had tested positive between 11-90 days prior but had fully recovered.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food and drinks were amazing! We ate at The Crown Grill Sabatini's, and both were amazing. Worth the upcharge. The main dining rooms were also excellent, and the buffet was very good, with a good selection, fresh food, and great service. The bars were also good, but the standout was Good Spirits. Joaquim and Aljay were absolutely amazing! Energetic, entertaining, personable, and very skilled at their craft!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The onboard activities that we participated in were all very enjoyable. The educational shows, trivia contests, bingo, all were fun and more than worth our time.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The only real disappointment we had was that the production shows were cancelled due to the entertainers testing positive for COVID. With that said, Princess did an amazing job of filling in the schedule with quality replacements. The mix of comedians, singers, magic. etc. was quite good, though I wish they had a dedicated comedy club with comedians every night.
Children's Programs
No children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We not only felt like the crew catered to our every need and were quick to fulfill requests, but they seemed to anticipate our needs ahead of time. The crew really went out of their way and seemed genuinely happy to be back to work and interacting with guests. Our cabin steward, Mike, was the absolute BEST!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was brand new, and it showed! Everything was spotless, the layout was pragmatic, and it was a pleasure to walk around the ship. My only minor quibble is that there weren't many good spots to stare off the back of the ship at the wake unless you had an aft suite. Even the promenade deck only wrapped part of the way around the aft section.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was laid out perfectly. The desk and outlets were right beside the bed, which made it perfect for setting up my CPAP. No worries of stringing cords across the floors. The balcony was very nice, and the balcony door was one of the nice ones I've seen.
Nice beach spot for a relaxing day, some decent snorkeling and a good place to either practice or get back in the swing of snorkeling for the big snorkeling spots later in the cruise.
We really lucked out. We were able to find a local guide who operated one of those 16 passenger open air trucks. we were the only couple on board so we got essentially a private tour with plenty of room. The guide was great, making extra stops along the way to point out various plants, etc. on the island as we travelled. We felt bad since he was obviously losing money on the day, but his enthusiasm was infectious. We tipped generously to try to make up for some of his lost income. We found the shopping to be a bit disappointing, since clearly many businesses have not quite recovered and were closed.
Beautiful island, but disappointing tour. The botanical gardens were basically just a park. The waterfall was nice, but I would suggest one of the tours that does the hot springs or mudbaths and do NOT waste your time on anything involving the botanical gardens.
Rum tour was GREAT! Went to Mount Gay and Foursquare. They are about 45 minutes apart, which allowed our driver to give us a nice tour, tell us about the history, politics, and culture of the island between the two locations. Foursquare was by far the better tour, but the rum at both places was equally good!
Awesome Catamaran cruise! It was billed as a pineapple and champagne cruise, but it was a literal open bar with some of the best rum punch you'll have down here! The crew were great, and after a tour around the island on the catamaran, they pulled into a sparsely occupied beach for a bit of swimming before heading back to the ship. Best excursion of my last few cruises!
That excursion in Antigua is one of the very best in the Caribbean. It's on the Wadadli Cats - great crew and a ton of fun. Be careful with those rum punches - they pack a punch!
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