Pacific Princess Review

-- / 5.0
Editor Rating
0 reviews

Rough weather didn't dampen our spirit.

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Pacific Princess
User Avatar
Rudy Gunther
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2016

This was my first cruise on a smaller ship. It was our 40th anniversary and we wanted to visit Venice and ports in the Adriatic Sea. The itinerary was excellent. The weather did not co-operate though. Our best investment was the $3 rain ponchos that we bought as soon as the ship sailed. Kotor Montenegro was a lovely new port that we visited. We travelled up 29 switchbacks up and down the mountain to visit other places in Montenegro. Lovely scenery. However sailing out of Kotor we had a huge thunderstorm and a small tornado. That was interesting to watch. It didn't really affect our trip though. Then coming into Nice the weather kicked up a powerful wind and our ship hit the breakwater rocks and unfortunately suffered damage that could not be repaired. Our ship made it into the port however the water had to be turned off. We headed out on our excursion to Monaco and returned at 4:30 to find out that we had to pack our bags as the ship could not continue. Princess arranged for our hotel in Nice and we were bussed there. It was a 5 star hotel. The next morning we were organized into busses and driven to Barcelona and checked into another hotel. We spent 8 1/2 hours on the bus but it was a lovely day and the drive had spectacular scenery. Our bus had only 10 passengers so we were well spread out and comfortable. Our hotel in Barcelona was another 5 star hotel. The next morning we were taxied to the airport. The Princess staff went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. They took care of all the expenses other than our meals which we had to submit to head office for reimbursement. Two days after arriving home we received a 50% refund of our cruise and we are also receiving a credit towards another cruise to be booked by December 31, 2017. We have nothing but good things to say about the way they handled a difficult situation.

Now for critique of the ship itself. Because of the size of the ship it is more intimate. It is also easier to get around. We were on the 7th deck. The 5th deck had the entertainment and dining room. The 9th deck had the buffet, pool and spa. So we took the stairs a lot. Two flights up or down was just the right amount of exercise. It also seemed to free up the elevators as you hardly had to wait for any if you took them. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Our room was adequate. It stated that we were getting a Queen bed but it looked more like a King. The closet had plenty of hangers and there were plenty of drawers as well. The dining experience was a little less than I expected. The menu wasn't that great some of the nights. We were so close to Italy that I thought we would have had more Italian dishes. Don't get me wrong. The food was good but there was no WOW factor. I am sure that the specialty restaurants had the WOW factor. We had the first seating that was at 5:30 pm. Interestingly enough there were several times on this itinerary that dining was open seating. If we got into port later and stayed later we had the open seating. The breakfast buffet seemed to have the same thing every day. There was a lot of variety though. I thought the Danish weren't as flakey as usual so I thought they might have been heat and serve. All in all though, this was a very good cruise. The smaller ship does not have the extravaganza shows, there is no International café but there is enough to do on the ship if you choose to and when you go to Europe there is so much to do on shore that many consider the ship as a floating B&B. I would recommend this ship to a couple. There isn't much on the ship for young people though. Although the ship is used for World Cruises I think I would go stir crazy if I had more than 1 sea day at a time.

Cabin Review

Port Reviews

Barcelona

We were bussed to Barcelona because of a ship accident. We were not planning anything there any way so we spent the evening in our hotel.

1 Helpful Vote
previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.