Was thrilled to have already gone on my second cruise! The weather was gorgeous, the ship is amazing, and everyone looked to really be enjoying themselves. Even though I didn't do as much as I did on my first cruise, I was never bored.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Took longer to get on board due to a lot more passengers than my first cruise, but for the most part, everything was easy, and the terminal staff were friendly and smiling.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Had dinner in the main dining rooms every night, alternating between Allegro and Concerto. Food was amazing; had two entrees and two desserts every night. Went to the pizzeria a couple times, and while I wish the pizzas were somewhat bigger and thicker, they were pretty tasty. The burgers and bacon cheese fries at the grill were really delicious, and while the buffet didn't have as many options as my first cruise, I still left full.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There was a special event for passengers who were cruising with Princess for the first time; you got to meet a few of the officers and guess what their job is, and the captain made an appearance. I went to a few trivia activities, which I wholeheartedly enjoyed because I love trivia. There was a complimentary massage taster, which I'm sure I would have enjoyed more if the massage therapist wasn't pounding on my back so hard, which, I let her know that what she was doing really hurt! I also attended a game show called "The Sky's the Limit," which was a lot of fun, being able to help the contestants. I didn't do any onboard activities on port days, just relaxed in my cabin after coming back on board until I decided to get ready for the evening. I also loved hanging out on the Sky Walk that arcs out from the ship, and I took several pictures on there, looking down into the water. The Sky Walk is NOT something you should do if you're terrified of heights!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
I didn't attend any evening entertainment in the theater the first two nights, as well as the last night, because the last night was a repeat of something I went to earlier in the week. What I did attend were a Billy Joel song showcase, an illusionist's showcase, a theatrical production called "Bravo" that had incredible singing, and a magic/comedy show, which did indeed bring a lot of laughs. I also attended a tribute concert to singer Andrea Bocelli, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and the illusionist from earlier in the week performed a bunch of card tricks, which truly wowed everyone in attendance.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Everyone was always ready and willing to tend to passengers' wants and needs. However, it sometimes took a good while to receive my iced tea, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it always had to be freshly brewed or there were lots of people ahead of me who still needed their drinks first. Guest services staff were always very pleasant and helpful, but there was one man who didn't seem to understand my concern and reasoning for not wanting my onboard credit to go towards gratuities. (I checked my folio one day and because I didn't have a card on file, my onboard credit had been getting automatically applied towards gratuities every day). Thankfully, I was able to get it all resolved, but with someone else next time around.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Extremely clean all around. The ship herself is a real beauty. I had trouble getting my bearings on board for a while, but I think that was just due to my silly brain not functioning properly, rather than the way the ship is designed and laid out.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Was "upgraded" from the category I originally booked. I put it in quotes because it wasn't exactly an upgrade, in my opinion. Was put on the lowest stateroom deck, and was farther back than what I requested. Discovered the shower drain was clogged the first night, but thankfully, someone fixed it the next day. I wasn't crazy about the pillows, and there were frequent noises in the walls, which I know were not always just crew members doing things nearby. I mean, every time the ship would rock, there'd be noise in the walls, so it was incredibly annoying to hear while trying to fall asleep! There was a couple in the room next to mine who also experienced all the noises, and they said that they never heard noises in other interior rooms on their past cruises. The best things about the room were the huge movie selection and size of the TV.
Ship tip
Be prepared to feel the vibrations of the ship's engines if you choose to dine in the Allegro dining room. I wasn't bothered by the sensation (after all, I dined there on 3 occasions), but I'm just putting it out there so you can make an informed decision about the dining rooms if the sensation might bother you!
Much more suited for walking around than Charlotte Amalie was. The shopping area close to the port is very nice. I came across a place called Independence Square, lots of beautiful trees and a fountain. I also walked to a Catholic church, which was very pretty and huge. From what I did see during my time walking around, Basseterre looks to be a very nice city!
Didn't do any excursions. Charlotte Amalie looks to be a very pretty city, but it appeared that after passing through the mall, it isn't very well suited for walking around due to the layout of the roads and limited sidewalks past the main road. So, there's not too much to see in the immediate area of where the ship docked, but I still managed to get some pictures during the day and some really great night pictures taken from the ship.
Waited until after 9a.m. to do the independent walk off. Still a lot of people disembarking in that hour, but there wasn't any major congestion, and going back through the terminal was a breeze.
Awesome review. Glad you had a good cruise. I was surprised that Princess had less buffet choices than Celebrity. I found the opposite, at least in items I wanted to eat. Celebrity did have a lot of vegetarian/cabbage type dishes I wasn't interested in. Princess ships are all propeller shaft driven, so you do feel the vibration more than the azipod ships. It's great to try different lines!
Appreciate your detailed review. You had larger crowds because of Spring Break. We made the same mistake, once upon a time. Glad you enjoyed your second cruise.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
