Overall very enjoyable and relaxing cruise. Nice new ship. Great Captain.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Actual embarkation was smooth and efficient using medallion.
However - we were VERY disappointed in the hotel we booked through Princess for the night before embarkation. “The Element” was 20 minutes from the port when there were many closer & not very friendly. The morning transfer to the ship was chaotic & delayed by the facts that 1) the hotel entrance is on the 4th floor & only 6 people could ride down the elevator at a time & 2) there was no convenient location for the buses to board & load our luggage. In the past when we’ve purchased the “night before” service we never had to touch our luggage once picked up from our room. It “miraculously” reappeared in our stateroom - a definite perk we’ve come to appreciate & expect. This time we were required to get our own luggage at every step of the process including having to drag it to the terminal check in area. We were literally held prisoners on the bus awaiting the driver to finish unloading EVERY piece of luggage! We had a 12:30 boarding time & didn’t even arrive until 1:30!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Alfredo's Pizzeria
5 out of 5
Great addition. Amazingly there is no up charge for this specialty restaurant! Food was great, both gourmet pizzas and pasta dishes, portions perfect size and service fast! In some respects better than MDR.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We love trivia - especially music trivia & it was awful this cruise! It was either too easy (the host/ess would play way more than the intro to the song - up to and often including the song title) OR it was too difficult (songs so obscure that no one in attendance recognized it). Specific examples: 1) Beatles trivia - only 15 rather than the usual 25. All were major hits (the British hostess said she’d never heard?) & way too much played. EVERY group got all 15 correct & it had to be settled with a “bonus” questioner about what year a song was recorded. 2) Golden Oldies: The host played (at his own admission) a full minute of each song, giving away the answer nearly every time, AND the last song was from 2013. I googled it. 3) One hit wonders: Of 25 songs, the OLDEST was from 1969 & 11 were 1990 or later. Considering your demographics this was ridiculously difficult. Few participants had ever heard MOST of the songs OR even the artist AND 12 were dance genre “gay bar” hits. I googled them.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were great but be sure to arrive at least 45 minutes early if you want a seat!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I have never met a more approachable and people oriented Captain than Captain Tuvo on any ship on any cruise line. His sense of humor and visibility on the ship (visiting the buffet, pools and dining rooms - daily) contributed to the overall friendly and welcoming atmosphere on the ship. In fact, I saw more of the Captain than the cruise director! I could identify and name every member of the cruise director’s staff, but would have to look up the cruise director’s name.
Customer service staff: I never waited in a line as I’ve had to do many times both royal class & much smaller ships. And I was very impressed with their ingenuity in their response to the (reportedly high) number of complaints they have received from disappointed guests because of the elimination of the library; they’ve established a “lending library” of sorts. Books that have been found around the ship & are unclaimed or left behind in staterooms, as well as books donated by guests or staff who are done with them are being collected & kept at customer service. These are handed out to those of us who are voracious readers who only brought a book or two - planning to borrow others from the (nonexistent - as we found out only after embarking) library. Kudos! I’m NOT an e-reader fan & my vacation was saved by this considerate solution.
Servers: t seemed that the servers would visit the same areas of a venue or area repeatedly while ignoring others. This happened in the theater But was most disappointing on deck. I always sat on the floor overlooking the wake pool and was rarely approached by a server.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We usually get an inside cabin but decided to splurge on a balcony for a Caribbean cruise. We were satisfied with the size and the comfort of the bed.
As for the stateroom itself, we awoke one morning with no power. I’m no electrician but “something tripped the circuit breaker” (in the middle of the night?) Was a bit disconcerting for a brand new ship! Also one evening our toilet suddenly wouldn’t flush (and I KNOW we used it only for its intended purpose!) Again surprising for a new ship. NEITHER of these things have happened to us before on much older ships.
Ship tip
Plan to do a lot of walking and if you’re able, take the stairs!
Took Princess sponsored cooking excursion. Was at nice resort with pool and beach we could enjoy after eating lunch we prepared. Very fun. Highly recommend.
Took sky tram to Paradise point. Nice views but a bit overpriced. Small kitchy gift shop and also a restaurant and bar at the top. Beware the Bushwacker! Looks and tastes like a Baileys slushy - is 100% alcohol.
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