Overall, it was a nice cruise, and we enjoyed the ship and the service, and the itinerary was interesting and well paced. We noticed that many of the Princess staff are long time employees of Princess, and they seem engaged with the guests and the brand. Since this was our first experience with the Princess brand, I felt a consistent lack of communication in almost every area from cabin service (had to ask for breakfast room service order cards), embarkaton (confusion about where and when to report to muster stations), and disembarkation process. While the medallion is loved by many guests for many reasons (ease of ordering, unlocks your cabin as you approach), it was a little creepy knowing that all of my movements and orders were trackable on the ship by any staff at any time. Being welcomed by name upon arrival to the dining room is nice, but creepy when I have never introduced myself.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Overall Embarkation was good, but this was our first experience with Princess (though we have been on about 12 cruises overall), and the communication was only fair/average. There was NO guidance on what time to show up to the port in FLL, so we just decided to go a few hours early. Princess uses "medallions" that you wear all the time, rather than room keys. The medallions were easy to pick up at the port and boarding was smooth, but lacking ANY communication re: open lunch venues while waiting for our rooms to be available, and completely lacking in direction to muster stations, though overhead announcements chastized the guests for not reporting to muster stations in a timely fashion (though no one knew where they were supposed to report?)
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
dining rooms were very nicely furnished and the food was good. The buffet on 16 was good, but not great. There were many choices, but very basic/plain food and I often had difficulty finding anything that was really appealing. Overall, I think this buffet was fair/average, and not to the level that I have come to appreciate (and expect) by being on other cruises.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Cruise director and activity staff were exceptional--lots of activities and creative interaction with guests. But the overall number of activities and types of activities were somewhat lacking, especially for a longer cruise like this one.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
musicians were good, but not fantastic. Performers that are normally "club" type performers (appropriate for a crowd of 150-200) were scheduled in the main theatre. I am accustomed to seeing bigger shows (musicals/variety shows, etc.) in the theatre venue and it seemed like Princess was trying to save some $ by downsizing the entertainment.
Children's Programs
No kids along with us
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Really liked the ship layout and decor overall, but there is a REALLY awkward design to the main dining room (Celio, Deck 6 Aft) which is only accessible from Deck 7 if you are walking from the other end of the ship. This is poorly designed and caused regular back-ups from people with mobility problems clogging the elevators on 7, trying to get to 6. There were also some anxiety provoking situations of people getting frustrated waiting for the elevator, and unsteadily attempting the stairs with their canes and family members trying to brace them. The Gym (that we went to every day) was spacious and very well appointed! I was pleased and surprised, as this is far better than many other ships we have been on. The one thing that I really disliked about this ship layout is that the "Promenade Deck" did not allow for any promenading! The only place to take a walk after dinner is on the pool sundeck while the movie was playing, or on the running track on 18, which was a little too windy at night. This is where I walked every morning, but since it is the ONLY place to walk, it quickly becomes like a mall at holiday shopping time.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Really comfortable bedding and great cabin size overall! The bathroom and closet areas were much more spacious than I have experienced on other ships and we slept well and were very comfortable. Room service for breakfast is still complimentary, but they will not voluntarily advise you about this (they no longer keep the order forms in the room--you have to ask for them)
Ship tip
International Cafe on Level 5 midship is a great place to stop for a snack (Much better food options than the buffet). If you get the drink package, ask for extra bottles of water at the end of the day so that you can place in your cabin fridge and enjoy anytime. They are really pushing the use of the "Order anywhere from your APP" service, but it costs $15 to activate (Why not just include this in the cost of the cruise??) so you can also just call room service.
We took an excursion at this port since few people speak English, and many businesses were closed during Ramadan. Sadly, we arrived after sunrise, and the ship left port before sundown, so much of the city was closed down during our time in port. I think this port would be better enjoyed with a privately booked tour.
This is always the most time consuming part of a cruise. They did invite customs representatives on to the ship to "clear" us before we reached Southhampton, but then failed to communicate that we would not have to stand in line again to clear customs after picking up our luggage. This created a long line of people wandering around asking where they go to show their passport.
With regard to why they do not include in price, it is because they want you to purchase the Princess plus or premier pkg in which you do not have to pay the one time fee separately…its rolled into it
Glad you mostly enjoyed your cruise. For future reference….when you complete the information on the App…your arrival time is part of the process. Regarding the muster drill….we have found the TV on when we get to our room and all the information is provided when you watch the video.
Great review. I agree about the promenade deck. I have not been excited to get on this class of ship. I really like the grand class ships with full promenade deck. But that will change for us next year. Thanks for sharing.
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