Cruising.....Princess

I have been fortunate to travel to many different places.  Some of those trips have been by plane or car, but many of them have been by cruise ship.  I have cruised on Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean.  When I cruise, I like to make lists of things I like and dislike about the particular ship and compare it to the others.  Obviously each ship varies within the cruise line, and upgrades are being made on ships all the time.  Keep in mind this is my own personal opinion of ships I have sailed on.

Dawn Princess

 

Dawn Princess - Atrium

Princess (Star, Golden, Grand, Tahitian, Dawn) - Many years ago, we sailed on the Tahitian Princess (now the Ocean Princess) to Tahiti, Moorea, Marquesas, Raiatea, Rangiroa and Bora Bora.  It was a much smaller ship, and we liked the idea of fewer people on board.  We got to know people everywhere we went.  We had an inside cabin, but our friends had a balcony where would enjoyed breakfast one morning. The Grand Princess was an amazing ship.  We sailed on the Grand through Italy and Greece.  It was outfitted with MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) where you could watch movies while sitting out on the lido deck.  At the time, this was new for cruise ships.  When we sailed on the Star Princess to Alaska, I made a detailed list of likes and dislikes….

Star Princess Santuary and Celebration Party

Star Princess  (and most of the other Princess ships)

·        Princess used to serve ice cream free of charge only between 3-4pm in the buffet.  This cruise, it was free in the ice cream parlor from 11am-6pm.  You could also buy malts and shakes.

·        If you wanted lemonade, you had to ask you server.  There was no self serve lemonade.

·        On our Alaska Cruise, we paid extra ($10 per person for half the day) to go in the Sanctuary.  The Sanctuary was a serene area with thick cushioned chairs and nice warm blanket, perfect for view the cruise up Tracy Arm to the glacier.  They also had free hot chocolate and yummy pastries.

·        They served Panini sandwiches and fresh baked cookies in the International Café – free!

·        The wine bar served specialty appetizers, including sushi, for free if you bought a glass of wine.

·        They had recently upgraded to flat screen TVs in the cabins

·        They offered homemade waffles with toppings as a snack in the afternoon buffet.

·        There was a thermal suite (hot stone beds, several different saunas and steam rooms) for $20 per day or $149 per week (per couple).

·        Free popcorn was available during MUTS!

·        Servers came around the lido deck in the afternoon with cookies and milk.

·        Princess has coin operated laundry facilities (with ironing boards), but you cannot do laundry and dump gray water while cruising in Alaska.  It’s only allowed in ‘international’ waters.

·        Juggler’s performed during the day in the plaza.

·        They have a champagne fountain for the captain’s cocktail party (before dinner) and servers offer free champagne and mimosas. 

·        They also offer a past guest party where there serve cocktails – you can request your drink of choice.

·        They do give you tickets for embarkation.  You need to wait till your group is called.  It was still easy to walk off when our number was called.

Grand Princes                                            Tahitian Princess (Ocean Princess

As this particular blog is getting lengthy, I will continue another day with more……