Anyone with experience on Princess?

[hrhdhd]

In 13 Princess cruises, I have NEVER heard the captain (or anyone else) announce anything about what can or cannot be flushed or even mention toilet paper or what you already ate! IF something like that were to be announced, I'm sure the captain would have someone else do it - not himself. But, if there is a big issue on the matter, they may post something in the restroom.

The captain and/or the cruise director makes this announcement on the first day, when they also mention smoking rules and remind parents that they are responsible for their children. I have heard it on each of my 7 Princess cruises.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The captain and/or the cruise director makes this announcement on the first day, when they also mention smoking rules and remind parents that they are responsible for their children. I have heard it on each of my 7 Princess cruises.

On our recent Star Princess cruise we only heard that particular announcement ("Except for the toilet paper provided, unless you ate it or drank it first, it doesn't go in the toilet") once. By the cruise director at one of the main shows during the cruise.

 

[lucas]

Guess I'm wrong again!

 

[RedSox68]

On our recent Star Princess cruise we only heard that particular announcement ("Except for the toilet paper provided, unless you ate it or drank it first, it doesn't go in the toilet") once. By the cruise director at one of the main shows during the cruise.

Making it at the show I can see, but I can't imagine them making that announcement over the ship's PA system LOL

 

[chamberj]

We tried Princess for the first time last Christmas. Grand Princess out of San Francisco to Mexico. I was extremely disappointed. The ship had just come out of dry dock for mechanical issues. The overall ship had a lot of wear and tear. There were buckets on the pool deck catching dripping water, even some in the buffet (very disgusting). There was always a toilet out of order in all of the public restrooms I visited. I found the staff to e very disinterested. I dropped my ice cream cone and went back to tell the staff - they were more interested in giving me a new cone, when what I wanted was assistance in getting it cleaned up so no one would slip on it. We have a credit that was given due to the itinerary changing from 10 days to 8 days, but I'm having a hard time even with that wanting to try Princess again.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I found the staff to e very disinterested. I dropped my ice cream cone and went back to tell the staff - they were more interested in giving me a new cone, when what I wanted was assistance in getting it cleaned up so no one would slip on it.

Hopefully, that staff member won't stick around long! I remember when we were with DS on the ship, even though it was technically his day off, he was always helping passengers.

 

[mevelandry]

Unfortunately, this I strongly disagree with. I forgot about the ridiculous (and unnecessary) procedure on the Royal Princess that they required (demanded) passengers to do (maybe I blocked it from my memory LOL). The worst forced "sanitation" we've ever experienced. Embarkation day, they had crew members at the door blocking your entrance to the restaurant until you washed your hands -- yes, stepped into a tiny cubical with two sinks, one entrance in and out, and washed your hands. There was a purell station right behind them, but they would not let anyone use it. So we thought, well maybe this is just the first day form of sanitation for the buffet. No, it continued every single day you tried to use the buffet -- to the point where someone was trying to pass through the area to get to the other bank of elevators and the crew member actually put his arms out and blocked them and said no, no, no -- you MUST wash your hands first. By the fourth day, many were getting rather irate and some walked past the crew member and insisted on using the Purell station. The washing station was very tiny and only had one door and out and it caused a horrible traffic jam. In 15 cruises before that, I had never seen anything like it. It was (we thought) insane when people could have moved along and just stuck their hands under the purell machine.

Now I touted earlier how much I loved their buffet and the food and the cruise -- so much so I guess I forgot about that one OCD ridiculous situation. So I'll take DCL handing me hand wipes anytime rather than stand in a line to the elevator waiting to wash our hands in a tiny wash area behind a wall!

On our last Disney Wonder cruise (last month), they did not go as far as blocking the entrance if you did not wash your hand at the station but they were making sure pretty much everyone was washing their hands at the station. I agree with the "forced" hand washing but it is annoying if the area is too small and creates a traffic jam.

 

[RedSox68]

On our last Disney Wonder cruise (last month), they did not go as far as blocking the entrance if you did not wash your hand at the station but they were making sure pretty much everyone was washing their hands at the station. I agree with the "forced" hand washing but it is annoying if it's too small and created a traffic jam.

I didn't even know they had a washing station on Disney. Is that new?

 

[mevelandry]

I didn't even know they had a washing station on Disney. Is that new?

I think it is. I think they added it on the Wonder during the dry dock.

 

[RedSox68]

I think it is. I think they added it on the Wonder during the dry dock.

Arrgh, maybe this is the new trend!

 

[mevelandry]

Arrgh, maybe this is the new trend!

Apparently, washing the hands is more efficient to kill bacterias and it's better for your immune system... Hopefully, the areas will be well organized.

 

[riot23]

We're considering an 11-night Baltic cruise on the Regal Princess in Summer 2018. We've previously sailed on the Disney Magic both in the Caribbean and Western Med. The savings for us to sail a very similar itinerary on Princess vs DCL is over $3000. I keep going back and forth trying to feel okay with choosing Princess, but we've never sailed with them before. This thread has me thinking maybe we'll try it. Has anyone done a Baltic itinerary with Princess? How does the Regal Princess compare to the Disney ships?

 

[mevelandry]

We're considering an 11-night Baltic cruise on the Regal Princess in Summer 2018. We've previously sailed on the Disney Magic both in the Caribbean and Western Med. The savings for us to sail a very similar itinerary on Princess vs DCL is over $3000. I keep going back and forth trying to feel okay with choosing Princess, but we've never sailed with them before. This thread has me thinking maybe we'll try it. Has anyone done a Baltic itinerary with Princess? How does the Regal Princess compare to the Disney ships?

I haven't sailed with Princess yet but I found it easier to have a good time on a non-DCL cruise knowking in advance what was going to be different. (Now I could sail on both without any problem!)

3000$ is a lot of money. You can book a short DCL cruise with that money if you are not satisfied with your Baltic cruise.

 

[Dug720]

We're considering an 11-night Baltic cruise on the Regal Princess in Summer 2018. We've previously sailed on the Disney Magic both in the Caribbean and Western Med. The savings for us to sail a very similar itinerary on Princess vs DCL is over $3000. I keep going back and forth trying to feel okay with choosing Princess, but we've never sailed with them before. This thread has me thinking maybe we'll try it. Has anyone done a Baltic itinerary with Princess? How does the Regal Princess compare to the Disney ships?

I'm seeing good things about Regal on cruise critic. A lot of the major differences I'm seeing are 1) fewer children - not that they're not there, but the age seems to skew older in general, which leads to fewer children; 2) more enforcement of the dress code; and 3) entertainment can be hit or miss, but if it's not a deal-breaker you should be ok. Oh, and if you're into the "must be entertained 24/7" then from all I gather, Princess is definitely not the line for you. Yes, they have activities, but they are calmer and not as go-go-go. No slides from what I can tell, which is fine with me.

I'm super excited to try Princess - I'm calling my upcoming one my "Geek-Out Cruise" - Aquarium of the Pacific pre-cruise, hearing "The Love Boat" theme from the horns, Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, Monterey Bay Aquarium, San Diego Zoo, and then a two winery tour in Ensenada Mexico. I know it will be different, but I'm ok with that.

My challenge will be that I'll be about a month and a half out from my DCL Wonder cruise rather than several months - I know that made me more critical of the Adonia my second time on it (though I also think that it is slipping a little as they approach their last sailings as fathom - and that the P&O crew is more than ready for their "usual" clientele). But I'm definitely willing to give Princess a chance. I like the overall vibe I get from the website and ads and so forth - calm and relaxing. That's what I want in my vacations - relaxing.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Princess has always had Movies under the Stars with free popcorn as far as I remember. We have sailed Princess a lot and enjoy the line.

We especially loved their Baltic cruise and their partial crossing of the Panama Canal cruise.

We enjoy their anytime dining feature.

I've participated in their "book club" and Tom won elevator roulette!

 

[DCLSailing]

I'm a Platinum and loyal Disney cruiser with trips across all 4 Disney ships. Never thought we would venture outside of Disney. However, with prices climbing and our desire to have more days in the Caribbean, we've started exploring. We tried Norwegian a few months back and most recently off the Royal Princess.

We originally had the 11 night Fantasy planned for June but ended up finding a 10 night sailing on Princess with a similar itinerary. This was her last sailing in Caribbean for the season. The Princess trip was spectacular in every aspect! I need to do a comparison post and did take many notes along the way.

A few highlights -

Service for us is key and obviously Disney sets the bar. The service on Princess was exemplary and very professional. The food options were incredible - very plentiful and available. They even had a nice 24 hour cafe with many different options. The buffet was superb and I skipped many Main Dining nights because there were just so many options in the buffet! Very fresh and very well maintained. One touch that we really enjoyed - when you sit down with your food in the buffet, someone comes over and takes your drink order. This little touch would be wonderful in Cabanas.

The Royal Princess is a beautiful ship and the places throughout very well maintained. The audience is a bit older and there indeed are far fewer kids. As a result, the kids tend to immediately find one another and group together which is very nice. Movies Under the Stars was one of my favorite features. The included popcorn, the fact that they change over the seat cushions and bring you blankets was wonderful!

Cannot wait to have for my next opportunity to sail!

 

[RedSox68]

I'm a Platinum and loyal Disney cruiser with trips across all 4 Disney ships. Never thought we would venture outside of Disney. However, with prices climbing and our desire to have more days in the Caribbean, we've started exploring. We tried Norwegian a few months back and most recently off the Royal Princess.

We originally had the 11 night Fantasy planned for June but ended up finding a 10 night sailing on Princess with a similar itinerary. This was her last sailing in Caribbean for the season. The Princess trip was spectacular in every aspect! I need to do a comparison post and did take many notes along the way.

A few highlights -

Service for us is key and obviously Disney sets the bar. The service on Princess was exemplary and very professional. The food options were incredible - very plentiful and available. They even had a nice 24 hour cafe with many different options. The buffet was superb and I skipped many Main Dining nights because there were just so many options in the buffet! Very fresh and very well maintained. One touch that we really enjoyed - when you sit down with your food in the buffet, someone comes over and takes your drink order. This little touch would be wonderful in Cabanas.

The Royal Princess is a beautiful ship and the places throughout very well maintained. The audience is a bit older and there indeed are far fewer kids. As a result, the kids tend to immediately find one another and group together which is very nice. Movies Under the Stars was one of my favorite features. The included popcorn, the fact that they change over the seat cushions and bring you blankets was wonderful!

Cannot wait to have for my next opportunity to sail!

Nice review -- you hit all my favorite things about the ship too. Thanks!

 

[jdb in AZ]

You're welcome! I'm excited to try it! (And I admit the little nerd in me is excited to hear the ship's horn do the Love Boat theme.)

I have heard of people having some success with threatening to remove the tip if they are given a hard sell. But even then it is more a soft sell than a no sell.

When did Princess horns begin playing the theme music from Love Boat? We've sailed Princess four times and haven't heard it yet.

We really like the shrimp salad and French pastries available any time. DCL really needs to up their game there. Thawed Krispy Kreme doughnuts just don't compare. One of our Princess cruises had some strange buffet items -- eggplant pizza, and squid ball soup. No, I'm not making that up. Princess' formal dress code isn't stuffy or mandatory. One night I saw an older guy in a plaid flannel shirt and suspenders. No jacket. Don't remember if he was wearing slacks or levi's.

The most "hard sell" of extra items for us has been on RCCL. It does get real old. real quick, and their onboard shops also have sales that really aren't sales, with a clerk making announcements, almost like an auctioneer.

The best "all-inclusive" we've found is AMA River cruises. All the bottled water you want in your stateroom fridge, free WiFi (and that's important because there's not a whole lot going on at night.) Basic shore excursions are also included, but some of the fahncier excursions have an upcharge.

 

[Dug720]

When did Princess horns begin playing the theme music from Love Boat? We've sailed Princess four times and haven't heard it yet.

We really like the shrimp salad and French pastries available any time. DCL really needs to up their game there. Thawed Krispy Kreme doughnuts just don't compare. One of our Princess cruises had some strange buffet items -- eggplant pizza, and squid ball soup. No, I'm not making that up. Princess' formal dress code isn't stuffy or mandatory. One night I saw an older guy in a plaid flannel shirt and suspenders. No jacket. Don't remember if he was wearing slacks or levi's.

The most "hard sell" of extra items for us has been on RCCL. It does get real old. real quick, and their onboard shops also have sales that really aren't sales, with a clerk making announcements, almost like an auctioneer.

The best "all-inclusive" we've found is AMA River cruises. All the bottled water you want in your stateroom fridge, free WiFi (and that's important because there's not a whole lot going on at night.) Basic shore excursions are also included, but some of the fahncier excursions have an upcharge.

I heard it as a ship was leaving Ft. Lauderdale a couple of months ago when I was watching for another ship to sail away on the webcam. Sea Cruisers also showed if in their Princess videos.

 

[RedSox68]

When did Princess horns begin playing the theme music from Love Boat? We've sailed Princess four times and haven't heard it yet.

We really like the shrimp salad and French pastries available any time. DCL really needs to up their game there. Thawed Krispy Kreme doughnuts just don't compare. One of our Princess cruises had some strange buffet items -- eggplant pizza, and squid ball soup. No, I'm not making that up. Princess' formal dress code isn't stuffy or mandatory. One night I saw an older guy in a plaid flannel shirt and suspenders. No jacket. Don't remember if he was wearing slacks or levi's.

The most "hard sell" of extra items for us has been on RCCL. It does get real old. real quick, and their onboard shops also have sales that really aren't sales, with a clerk making announcements, almost like an auctioneer.

The best "all-inclusive" we've found is AMA River cruises. All the bottled water you want in your stateroom fridge, free WiFi (and that's important because there's not a whole lot going on at night.) Basic shore excursions are also included, but some of the fahncier excursions have an upcharge.

Yeah, we heard it when we sailed. Quite unique and for us older fogies, nostalgic.