We really liked this cruise. We made it to Ruby! Yay! We would sail with Princess over and over. Thanks for a great cruise, Princess! See you next year on the Pacific Princess for 2 glorious weeks!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Check in was pretty simple. We had a suite with priority boarding. We were personally escorted with another suite guest couple we met in line. We were not told that we basically got int he same line as everyone else but then we got to "cut" ahead. That is the reason for the 4 stars. It was a little embarrassing to be escorted thinking we were going through a different entrance. We felt a little badly about this as did the other couple. A few other passengers did not have nice things to say to us. Yikes!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We had Club Class dining. It was nice but to be honest, it wasn't really much different other than different seating areas and linens. You also had one dish that you could order that was prepared table side. It was nice but I don't think I would do it again. The tables for two are so close together you feel like you might as well just put the tables together and make new friends. We ate at Sabatini's the first night...a little tip if you're a suite guest, you get a free dinner on the first night in a specialty dining venue. We sailed with some friends that were also suite guests and we were able to set it up to sit together. If you get a coupon book from your TA or Princess, look through it. We also sailed with another couple who weren't suite guests but they joined us for dinner on the first night as well. There is a coupon for a half priced meal in a specialty venue but it's only good for the first night. Not sure if this is something that runs all the time but don't ignore that little book like we usually do. Alfredo's Pizza was delicious and it is included! We mostly had breakfast at Sabatini's for the suite and Elite guests. Horizon Buffet had tons of choices for breakfast and lunch. It was hard to pick. There is an area that we called the "Cheese Room" that was like a dream come true for cheese lovers. Wow!! The Crab Shack night was good. Too much food though. Wouldn't do that again most likely. International Cafe was great for a lite snack or lite lunch. You do pay for the drinks here but the food is included. All in all, the food was good. Great desserts as well!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Didn't use the pools but they didn't look super crowded and there seemed to be plenty of seating. Did some laps on the walking track. The breeze was nice and refreshing. Played music trivia once but it was geared towards the older set. It was still fun though. Played in the casino more than I should have. I never had so much fun losing money as I did in this casino. Nice staff and nice fellow passengers. ;) We did the Ultimate Ship Tour. That was super fun and really interesting. We did this on another line last year but this one was way more informative AND we got to meet the captain!! He spent a lot of time with us on the bridge and talked about his life at sea, how the ship is sailed, how it is staffed, what they do during emergencies, etc. I highly suggest this. It is worth the price and the swag bag you get (1 per person in your group) is really top notch.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Saw the musician/impersonator and he was really good. Didn't do any of the other shows as it isn't our thing. Missed the comedian on accident but other passengers said he wasn't that great. Listened the the "oldies" music one night in the atrium and it was OK. Not our thing...we are in our mid 30's early 40's. ;) We did walk by some classical musicians a few times and they were really outstanding. Didn't spend to much time listening to them. Maybe I should have, I would have spent less money in the casino.
Children's Programs
We don't have kids so therefore, we did not bring them on this cruise with us. ;)
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward was Elisa and she was lovely. Service in the dining areas was always prompt, mostly friendly and attentive.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The layout was really good in our opinion. We never felt overly crowded in any one area which can be tough to do on a large ship. We were told that there were about 1,000 less passengers on our sailing than there normally would be. That could have been part of it. The ship was always clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This suite is definitely different from anything we had booked before. It is all the way forward. If you have mobility issues, can't walk in heel (like me) or are just lazy (you're on vacation, it's OK to be lazy), you are not going to like the location. It was pretty much far from just about everything. We didn't mind the walking except for when I had to wear heels. Yikes. We only had neighbors one the sitting room side and we barely heard a peep out of them. The bedroom has a slanted wall with a large picture window that overlooked the crew pool but we still had nice views of the vista and when in port, we could see the lovely island mountains. I enjoyed watching a few select male crew members sun bathing. ;) My husband...not so much. All jokes aside, the cabin is huge. There is a large marble bathroom with a jetted tub and separate shower, two sinks and a separate water closet with its own sink. The storage is probably more than what two people need but we used the heck out of it. It was nice to not have clutter everywhere. The balcony is not big considering the size of the suite. That was slightly disappointing but the free mini bar (we got a free 1 time mini bar set up. Elite gets 2 I believe) helped with that. We also got a fruit basket and fresh flowers. Canapes delivered just about every day. Fancy. There is a fridge if needed and two flat screen TV's. Watching Love Boat reruns on a Princess cruise, on a flat screen TV in your suite is pretty awesome. We also enjoyed taking advantage of the Concierge Lounge on Deck 14, next to the Chapel. I would highly recommend one of these suites. It felt really private and my husband and I wanted that for this cruise. It was always clean and our steward, Elisa was a doll.
Ship tip
Have fun! Don't let small things ruin your vacation. You're on vacation. Who cares if the entire crew doesn't bow at your Gold, Ruby, Platinum and Elite feet. Enjoy yourself and be happy! Nobody else cares what color your card is. Only you do so enjoy and have a great time!!
We rented a paddle boat for a few hours in the morning. The ticket staff was nice but the staff that helps you get the paddle boat were lazy stoners that could care less about you or your paddle boat. Not great and a little creepy to be honest.
Did a boat island tour. Did this the last time we were there with the same company....thankfully the hurricane didn't blow them away as they are super nice and a lot of fin. A good portion of the French side was still damaged. We stopped in Marigot at a nice French cafe but not this time. It wasn't there any longer. :( Most of what we saw, French and Dutch side were still pretty messed up but we could see a lot of progress as well. Hopefully in another year when we go back it will be tip top again. My heart goes out to all of the folks out there. It looked so devastating.
We had a late flight so we waited pretty much as long as we could. The next round of passengers were getting on the ship...that's how long we stayed! HA!
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