Sea Princess - The Ugly Step Sister

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 40

Review summary

We were excited to be boarding the Sea Princess. That excitement was dashed when we entered our stateroom to find that our request had not been met. Two very well used twin beds met us - I repeat "very well used" beds. We had requested that the beds be put together prior to our arrival. This problem was taken care of right away by our wonderful steward, Rommel, who apologized and told us that our request was for some reason over-ruled by his supervisor. Our next disappointment was dinner. We had requested a table for two in the "any time" dining room. What we found was an early dinner assignment at a table for four. The other two people at the table where on their honeymoon - and apparently not interested in conversation (can't blame them!). The food throughout the cruise (with the exception of the steak house which had an additional cover charge associated with it) we found to be very bland and uncreative. The "fancy" desserts, for which cruise ships are famous, were no better than what you can get at your local grocery store. The meals was consistently overcooked and left tastless and without flair. Extremely disappointing. Drinks of the day were something we looked forward to. It's always fun to try new things. There was no "deal" in trying the recommended beverages as their price was no different than any other drink at any other bar on the ship. It took some of the fun out of the experience. There were mechanical issues that delayed our arrival into St. Maarten. We cannot hold the Line responsible for a problem of this nature but it did shorten our time on the island. Further upon leaving St. Maarten another mechanical problem came about and left the ship with the ability to use only 3 of its 4 engines. Due to this problem we were told we could not go to Princess Cays and would spend 2 days at sea as we made our way to Florida. We were given a $50 per person credit to our account as a gesture of good will. Since were were missing on our last day on the Cays, we anticipated there would be some special events or something to entertain us on our last day. NOT the case. It left us with a bad taste and a disappointing end to a disappointing week. Our previous cruising experiences with smaller lines far exceed the Princess line. It was very clear that American travelers were not welcomed to this primarily British populated cruise. Of the 2007 travelers on this ship only 5% were Americans. It was not an easy thing to find a friendly face.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Roseau, Dominica

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Kingstown, St. Vincent

St. John's, Antigua

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

Pros: Use of our private balcony

Cons: Cigarette smoke wafting to disturb our time on our private balcony

Recommends Sea Princess? No.