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Topic: How do you rate Princess?

kiamil
Just Boarded
Member # 648

posted 03-01-1999 09:19 PM

There seem to be a lot more comments about Carnival, Celebrity, RCCL, than Princess. Does this mean Princess is unpopular? Or does is just mean that there are so many more contented Princess customers who can 't find anything to complain about?

Posts: 3 | Registered: Mar 99

Joe at PwC
First Class Passenger
Member # 225

posted 03-02-1999 12:29 PM

The only knock I have on Princess is their apparent tendency to continuously sell you on whatever they happen to be carrying "on sale" in the ships' gift shops. Other than that, the food is great and the service and atmosphere are such that you feel quite at home. My voyage aboard the Crown Princess to Alaska was one of the nicest vacations I've ever had. In all fairness, however, I've only had the opportunity to cruise with them on the one occasion thus far. At this point, I'm planning on being aboard the Grand Princess sometime next year, although, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men....

Posts: 385 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Bobby G
First Class Passenger
Member # 49

posted 03-02-1999 06:19 PM

Kiamil,
We had a land tour and cruise with Princess to Alaska in 97. They really messed up our land tour. The Crown Princess was nice but after our land tour we did not enjoy the curise as much as we should.
Go down this cruise ship list to "Holland America v Princess - alaska" by kbk last entry 2-13-99 and read my comments.

Posts: 36 | From: SC | Registered: Feb 99

Sleepy
Just Boarded
Member # 428

posted 03-02-1999 07:13 PM

Sailed on Sun Princess last April. Loved it so much we are taking a 10 day to panama canal March 17. Can't wait. Princess does a great job which is why we are going back. They even upgraded us to a deluxe suite this time. Have been on RCCL and Carnival. So far Princess is the best.

Posts: 3 | From: Fredericksburg,Va. | Registered: Mar 99

jbrob
First Class Passenger
Member # 609

posted 03-03-1999 03:02 AM

Have been on three Princess Cruises, one RCCL,and American Hawaiian Cruises- Princess is best of these, in my oinion. The staterooms are bigger, and the service, food, etc. is as good or better. The one fault I find is their quest to SELL, SELL their products on board, but I can tune that out. The entertainment on board my cruises have also been excellent.

Posts: 39 | From: Rome, GA, USA | Registered: Feb 99

CruiseAholic
First Class Passenger
Member # 93

posted 03-05-1999 08:01 AM

I've been on 23 cruises to date (I'm 40) and have sailed on Celebrity, RCI, NCL, Holland America and Princess and I'll take Princess any day. The food is great, service wonderful, they do everything right. I sailed back-to-backs in January on the Grand Princess (1/3) and the Mercury (1/10) and the Mercury was an extreme disappointment.

Posts: 32 | From: Hagerstown, MD USA | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

scotto
First Class Passenger
Member # 766

posted 03-11-1999 05:56 PM

i have been on four Princess cruises - twice on crown princess, once on sun princess and once on regal princess to Alaska. I felt the food, service, entertainment, ships, were neither bad nor outstanding. They were just simply nice, competent cruises, with a nice crowd aboard. Nicer in the sense of somewhat more upscale and cosmopolitan folks. There were some nice touches such as string quartets, but i also remember another princess cruise in which the best entertainment of the week was a celebrity singer brought on board for a 'big show.' the cruises that were most memorable to me have been on NCL and Carnival.

Posts: 28 | From: florida | Registered: Mar 99

Nancy Beckman
Just Boarded
Member # 345

posted 03-17-1999 10:28 AM

I sailed on the Sun Princess to Alaska in 96 and loved it. Last October I did the "leaves changing" Canada/New England cruise on the Royal Princess. On both cruises the food and service were excellent. My only complaint is the size of the cabins, which are small but efficient. I've sailed on Carnival, Costa, Regency, and NCL. I like Princess the best. I've booked a Millennium cruise on the Crown Princess, though I haven't heard from Princess as to what they are planning in terms of celebration. I assume it will be memorable!!

Posts: 1 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Mar 99

Allie
Just Boarded
Member # 15

posted 03-18-1999 03:45 PM

I have cruised Princess twice, the Regal and the Grand.Both trips were wonderful, I have no complaints at all. I cruised NCL Star it was awful. We are cruising Carnival in Oct. from New Orleans. I'm a little leary of this cruise, have heard good and bad, mostly bad.I highly recommend the Princess Grand, it was the best cruise so far. Some of ther other comments about the high pressure sales, I never saw or felt that. I am very satisfied with Princess and look forward to many more cruises with them.

Posts: 5 | Registered: Mar 99

Lynn
Just Boarded
Member # 290

posted 03-26-1999 01:45 PM

I have sailed on Princess three times, the Sky, Star and most recently the Crown Princess from Tahiti to Hawaii this past fall. Up until the last trip, I could only rave about Princess, but this last trip reminded me of my first cruise (which was my only bad cruise experience) and that was on Carnival. The shore office was a mess, the air/sea program left much to be desired, the food quality was much less than we had been served before--on Lido, the lunch time buffets were usually pans of glop and at supper I had to return entrees 2 or 3 times without ordering a replacement. This has *never* happened to me before on *any* cruise (total of 7). In all fairness, however, dining room "service" was still at an exceptional level. At this point, the only way I would sail on Princess again was if we got an extremely good deal and if it was on one of the newer ships such as the Sun or Grand. Many comments shared with us by other passengers concurred with what we felt. My favorite line since this last cruise is Holland America.

Posts: 3 | From: Uniontown, PA, 15401 | Registered: Mar 99

fllady12
Just Boarded
Member # 574

posted 04-12-1999 12:55 PM

Having cruised 18 times I certainly feel that there are better cruises than Princess. I found the food boring, the so called entertainment dull, and the Dining staff rude! You should also be aware that the longer the cruise is the older the passengers and all the entertainment is geared toward them! I am in my early 50s and could have slept through this cruise. By the way it was the Panama Canal.

Posts: 2 | From: Palm Harbor, FL,USA | Registered: Apr 99

Lynn
Just Boarded
Member # 290

posted 04-13-1999 08:20 PM

Fllady12: You're right about the age of travelers on Princess' Panama Canal Cruise. When I sailed with them through the Panama Canal in 1994, I think there were only about 12 people my age (30-40 y.o.), and most people seemed to be close to 70. We used to sit in the back of the entertainment lounge in the evening and watch all the gray heads dropping as the older passenegers fell asleep! However, this was also the Princess cruise whereby, for us, Princess had their best dining room service and food (although in all honesty, we were sitting at the second Captain's table, which might have had something to do with that).

Posts: 3 | From: Uniontown, PA, 15401 | Registered: Mar 99

Gail M Durniok
Just Boarded
Member # 160

posted 04-17-1999 11:27 PM

We sailed on RCCI x3 and Holland America before we tried Princess. We cruise with two other couples that we met on the Rhapsody. We all decided to sail on the Dawn Princess because we had seen this ship in port when we were on the Rhapsody and it looked like a beautiful ship.
We were all pleasantly surprised with Princess. The service and food were equal or better than RCCI. They offered a wonderful diving program through PADI which the other cruise lines didn't have. I just completed my certification in Oct. Princess offered a scuba review and many other amenities.
I dont think they pushed selling the items in their on board shops more than any other cruise line.
We enjoyed our cruise so much we all booked our next cuise on the Grand this Dec. 12.
I certainly wouldn't hestitate to recommend Princess to anyone that is planning a cruise.

Posts: 2 | From: Norton, MA USA | Registered: Apr 99

Jon Rau
First Class Passenger
Member # 233

posted 04-22-1999 01:36 PM

What it all boils down to is research, research, research. I recommend reading "The Unoffical Guide to Cruises." It's an excellent way to compare all the cruise lines and particularly one ship to another. I've read nearly every cruise book written, and it appears each line is attempting to fill a particular niche. I think they perhaps are all good cruise lines, and it's getting more and more difficult to compare them. It's easier if you decide what is important to you in a cruise vacation and then read the cruise travel books and brochures from the lines you're interested in, and then narrow it down to what line/ship will best meet your needs/expectations.

Posts: 11 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Mar 99

Bob
First Class Passenger
Member # 41

posted 04-22-1999 11:22 PM

Jon/ Would u give us a little more info on the "Unoffical Guide" author etc. thks.

Posts: 25 | From: BC Canada | Registered: Jan 99

Jon Rau
First Class Passenger
Member # 233

posted 04-23-1999 02:42 PM

"The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 1999" is by Kay Showker and Bob Sehlinger, Macmillian Press, $19.95. This guide provides a lot more detail than most books: Who the line is recommended for and not recommended for, past passengers and what kind of people you can find on board, activities, excellent descrption of public rooms and cabins (including square footage -- so you're not surprised or diappointed before being escorted into your stateroom!) all dining option, cuisine, and service on all levels. It's an extremely comprehensive book, and I think it's an excellent read for first-time cruisers. It goes much beyond just the general description and rating other guidebooks provide. It's fairly easy to find in most bookstores.

Posts: 11 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Mar 99

Ralph
Just Boarded
Member # 388

posted 04-27-1999 08:47 PM

My wife and I took our first cruise last Summer aboard the Sun Princess to Alaska. We loved every minute of it. The ship was in tip-top condition, tastefully decorated and had lots and lots of places to hang-out. It never seemed crowded. The food was quite good as was all of the service. We will sail next Summer on Royal Caribbean and only hope that it lives up to our Princess experience.

Posts: 4 | Registered: Mar 99

jstaples
Just Boarded
Member # 629

posted 04-30-1999 09:47 PM

My husband and I have been on 3 cruises, 2 Royal Carribean and 1 Princess (Star Princess) which was one of that lines smaller ships. We enjoyed our experiences on the Princess much more. The rooms are larger than Royals', even on the smaller ship, and the crew in the dining rooms don't beg for "excellent" reviews. The decor of all the ships are very comperable as well as the live entertainment at night. All in all, between these two lines, we would definately choose Princess. The atmosphere is more comfortable. We are planning our next one on the Grand, perhaps this fall.

Posts: 2 | From: monson, mass. | Registered: Apr 99

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