We have been platinum with Princess for some time. "Perks" are significantly less on Princess than on NCL, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and even Princess (which really is generous). After this experience, we have decided to eliminate Princess from future cruises.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Pretty much normal. Working with handheld cameras rather than the old podium mounts, but did not really cause a problem.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
And nearly on the "poor" side. Menu was limited and most of the entrees tended toward "fancy" rather than good solid dishes. Many of the desserts as well as a number of entrees had noted alcohol content which made them off limits to a recovering alcoholic. I ate grilled salmon three nights and crème brulee four nights. The buffets had lots of food, but again, just simple dishes were hard to find.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Neutral for me, I don't cruise to get involved in activities. I cruise to relax.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Not really up to par
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
There were four or maybe five performances on a seven night cruise. Couple of nights were magicians and commedians rather than the ships preformers - who were actually quite good. The last show they did was all over the place with no real theme or focus. Lots of great costumes and stage settings, but it went from one thing to the other and left us sort of wondering what the connection was. Male singers did an opera number that was great.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room attendant and food service staff were some of the best (this was our 66th cruise). While we are always impressed with the long hours and friendly faces of this group, our room attendant was truly great (and we let them know beyond just words). The restaurant wait staff were super, the management staff were somewhat less accommodating. It were as though we were an impossition.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cleaniness was what we have grown to expect on cruise ships. Well done.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It would probably be a reach to find things wrong with a ship cabin that opens onto the ocean. It was a standard balconyed cabin, small and efficient, but the neighborhood was great.
Ship tip
Had one really disappointing interchange with the percer's desk. Young man was curt and displayed a total disregard for our request relative to disembarkation. Young woman in excursions - where there was
supposed to be assistance for same - made it clear she would rather not be bothered.
Nightmare. We were late "due to heavy seas". We had an 11:20 flight and were quite concerned about making it. It was basically chaos and poorly conducted. Thank God for a cab driver who was willing to risk getting a ticket driving to LAX.
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