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Not the same old feeling to me as it use too!

We choose this cruise because of the itinerary. Also because 30 years ago I had a great experience aboard Princess cruises. This time was different. Despite having been on at least 50 cruises, we found this ship very hard to navigate. The layout is just terrible and makes no sense. We also found the interior very kitsch, outdated and tacky. This ship was originally made for the Asian market and personally I don't believe it's sailing in the right territory. The crew however, was super friendly and professional. The little entertainment in the princess theater wasn't really spectacular, a little amateuristic. We liked the different live lounge music performances by the wine bar. The nature lectures were excellent, we loved Mark Harris.  Our cabin was obstructed view balcony room, but we had a great view The food was alright, although the menu was a bit old fashioned. The Vancouver embarkation process was split in two parts; checking in with Princess was smooth, however the U.S. customs and border patrol after that was horrible and felt like cattle herding which took us over an hour.  We had purchased the Princess Plus Package a year ago, but since then, Princess had changed the rules. For example the 2 fitness classes, were no longer included. So when I showed up for Yoga, I was  refused because the package rules had now changed (other passengers had the same problem) 

We wouldn't sail with Princess again and we cannot recommend Princess because of this cruise. 

IMPO; the cruise company lost its charm since Carnival took ownership.

Not a pleasant ship

Darwin

I am impressed with Princess.  We sailed on the Enchanted Princess in February and just did the Majestic Princess in a 12 day Land/Sea cruise.  Ships are almost identical.  Everything was great--good food in the dining room and buffet, good comedians, great Enclave spa, good ports, no trouble disembarking or embarking, great bartenders, great room steward, etc.  We especially liked the Medallion.  We got the drink package, and the bartenders knew what we wanted and knew who we were as we walked up the bar.  It unlocks and locks your door, and the steward knows if you are in the room so he knows when to clean.  The Marketplace Buffet several lines and we never had to wait in line even during peak times.  I felt sorry for those on other ships when we explored the ports as they didn't have the advantage of the medallion and had their key card hanging around their neck.  The land portion was also good.  I don't know how Princess coordinates everything but they do a pretty incredible job.  This was our 16th cruise mostly on Carnival and NCL but our next cruises will be on Princess if possible.

Loved Medallion

I just had the time of my life on a Majestic Princess Cruise Tour to Alaska.  I admit my cruising experience is limited, having taken one deplorable Bahamian Carnival cruise in the early 1990's, but I think thought Majestic Princess was elegant, our balcony stateroom was plenty roomy for our needs and the staff, even this late in the season, were friendly and accommodating, and some were downright exceptional. 

The food choices are somewhat redundant, in that the three main dining rooms share the same nightly menu, but we four individuals, with very individual food preferences, always found something we enjoyed.  High marks to the Harmony, an Asian-inspired option. The menu had some adventurous items, our server was attentive and knowledgeable and we tried nearly everything!  The Crown Grille made for a very nice evening for our last evening celebration, though it was bustling and busy. Again, the staff provided great service and the food was excellent. We did schedule our meal time reservations in advance, other than a couple days when we knew we'd be returning from port later in the day. We were always immediately seated. Even the days we had no reservation, we had no problems being seated quickly. We did not partake of the optional upcharge restaurants on this ship, The Catch or Alfredo's. Some good pizza would have been great, but at $40 per person, no thanks!  Breakfast options are limited to a 24 hour coffee/tea venue in the Piazza with light bites (main dining, open only until 9AM, or the World Fresh Marketplace (typical of "all-you-can" eateries) which has a revolving menu of breakfast/lunch/dinner fare with  internationally diverse options. I am a pretty light eater and am satisfied with coffee* and croissant most mornings so I can't speak to the quality of the food, but it is plentiful and a crowded place at least for breakfast. Oh, and room service is also available.  By the way, the * next to coffee was purposeful. The brewed coffee is pretty awful by most coffee lover's standard, I'd guess. After a few days, I began ordering a triple cappuccino at the International Cafe and it became pretty tolerable.  The barista, an artist with the milky foam, always provided a decorative heart or flower on top.  It made the bitterness disappear, almost.  

This was a very special trip for its purpose, family bonding, celebration and adventure. As much for the cruise, we booked it for the excursion possibilities because it's Alaska and Alaska has to be experienced to even begin to grasp its beauty and grandeur.  We were very pleasantly surprised by the cruise itself though: the ports, our incredible adventures (seeing the Hubbard Glacier up close in a small boat, helicoptering over Juneau then trekking on for miles on the Mendenhall Glacier, visiting two National Parks, AND we had a blast on board.  I'm sure there are more flashy, more entertaining, (more expensive) cruise ships, but our multi-generational crew loved the Majestic Princess.

Things are what you make of them! (4.5 STARS, if it were an option)

Prefacing this by saying I am exhausted, angry and disappointed. As someone that is a part of the service and hospitality industry, Princess fails in my eyes and while I rarely write negative reviews this one spilled out of me. There were a few positives, being the rare staff member who tried their best to help us. I will name them at the end to note their efforts, but first comes the long negative experience that made a fun family vacay into a stressful nightmare. 

The first day we arrived on the boat, we find out that while every member of my family was put on the Princess Plus Package, I was somehow forgotten. We went to guest services, to explain how my family member had already called them a month ago after receiving our confirmation for the cruise because it looked like I was missing from the pp package. The individual over the phone guaranteed that it was just a mistake on the confirmation, but that I indeed was on the Princess Plus package and it would show up as so on the boat. This was clearly not the case, and instead of being helpful or empathetic to the situation, the guest service agent said that if I wanted the package it would be double the price my family paid, even though this mistake was on princess’s end. He never once apologized for the confusion or mistake or anything at all seemingly annoyed the whole time we were speaking to him. He just said there’s nothing he can do, but that his manager will give us a call tomorrow. We never received a call, so went in again to speak to the manager who at that point said it’s too late now for us to purchase the package. 

This was a horrible way to kick start the trip and while we tried to remain positive, this trend only seemed to continue. 

I’ve never so clearly seen that the staff gets a commission off of its products than on Princess. 

One of your fitness/ foot sole staff members was the epitome of this realization. He pushed me to take diet pills after doing my BMI test, as a young female. After I agreed to hear about the products, I had to turn him down to purchase the item 3 times before he backed off and seemed annoyed I wasn’t willing to buy over $500 of product right on the spot. He then pushed my family member to purchase shoe soles and we both felt we had to turn him down aggressively multiple times for him to finally stop pushing us to buy. 

Another prime example of this was with your Spa. I went in to get my hair blow-dried and after being pushed to do an extra hair treatment, where the man did not mention once that these extras he insisted I needed cost any extra. I had to ask him if they cost more and he said yes but didn’t know how much. He then had to go ask someone how much extra those treatments were and after reporting them back to me, I agreed to the cheapest option and made it abundantly clear that I did not want to spend money. To the point where after he critiqued my choice saying I should go with the more expensive one I said “ I do not have that kind of money to spend”. Even after all of this when I was sitting in the chair getting my hair washed he goes “I’m going to use this scrub on you” to which I say “got it”. Turns out this scrub which he did not even ask if I wanted or I approved of getting was an extra cost I didn’t see until the end. When we finished washing and he was drying my hair, I also expressed my concern about using heat on my hair as it breaks very easily so I’ve been trying to not use irons. He then proceeded to tell me he was going to curl my hair with an iron, I expressed concern again and he said “It’s fine I used a heat spray”. I felt horrible after this experience and angry that what was supposed to be a fun pampering moment, turned into one where I felt unheard and manipulated. And OF COURSE gratuity is already added to your bill so I have no choice but to tip 18% for this service. 

The ship is disgustedly focussed on squeezing every bit of money out of it’s guests as possible, considering how much we have already spent to be on the cruise you think spending extra would feel like a choice, not like a requirement. 

My family members were invited (as in a note from Princess was left in our room inviting them to go) to a sip party to meet others, nowhere on the card mentioned it was an extra charge, but then on our portfolio they found out they were charged for attending the event that Princess personally invited them to. 

“Customer Service with a smile” I don’t know what franchise they stole that from because it couldn’t be Princess’s slogan. On our cruise, we were met with far and few between smiles from staff the entire time. When we were met with a smile it automically felt disingenuous as they were just trying to sell us something to put money in their own pocket. 

Two members of my family of 6 on the boat are vegans. They had emailed princess before and called to inform them of this. When we got on the boat, we quickly realized there was close to zero vegan options freely available and when we asked about it, were told by restaurant staff that we would have to go talk to every restaurant we went to a day in advance, to see if they could accommodate us. This was an extra chore every day where someone in my family had to walk to a restuarnt to see if my family could eat there, even though princess was made aware of this dietary need far in advance. Not to mention when we went to do the land portion of the trip, there was not a single vegan option for my family besides a plain salad. It was painful, especially considering how isolated the hotel was, we had no option, but to eat there. In addition, food on the land half of the trip is NOT included which is not made clear by Princess. We did a half sea half land trip, so our last week was spent off the ship, but still hosted by Princess. Princess transported us and put us up in all their hotels, yet we had to go to their restaurants where food was not included, So another extra charge that we had no other choice but to spend. 

Another call my family member made before the trip was to inform them that we needed three beds in our room for the three individuals, which we were guaranteed off the ship. Only to of course find that none of the rooms had three beds and this was the first the hotels were hearing of this considering they don’t have any rooms with three beds. The hotel even went so far as to automatically switch me from the reserved room I was in on the boat with my fellow female family, into a room, with a male member of our party without our consent.  

It is clear that communication from pre-arrival to the actual trip is horrendous. None of the our requests or calls seemed to be listened to and followed through on. Everyday felt like a chore of making sure my family could eat and what activities could we go to where there wasn’t a secret charge. 

On top of all of this Getting a hold of Princess takes hours and when we finally reach them I expect to speak to someone who can solve our issues. Instead, we end up on the phone with a woman who for Princess’s sake I hope is still in training as she could not answer a single question, constantly responding “ I will have to get back to you in 15 minutes” When we asked to speak with someone else she just asked us to keep relaying our problems with her so she could help to yet again, only be told we’d have to wait. 

We had Unknown charges, as in we got charged for an excursion that we didn’t go on. Nowhere on our folio is it listed what excursion we were being charged for and when we asked the woman on the phone, she couldn’t figure out what we were being charged for and yes you guessed it answered “ I’ll call you back in 15 minutes” Needless to say this call was made hours ago, to no call back. 

The icing on the cake is there is not only automatic gratuity on our service charges, but on the entire cruise, so another 18% of my cruise money was given automatically to this team which was rude most of the time, unhelpful and condescending often. Would not recommend and will never be back. 

The stars of the trip that deserve positive shout-outs: 

Valentin, the manager at the grill, and our waiter Francis. As well as Reymond(or Naldo) our waiter at Harmony. These three individuals went above and beyond to cater to my family’s dietary needs and to make us feel not like a burden, but welcome at their restaurants. They helped us get reservations, went out of their way to make sure we were eating enough and were just overall kind smiling human beings. 

Neal, with shore excursions as well went above and beyond helping us with changing a shore excursion and made the impossible possible for us. He led with a smile and seemed genuinely wanting to help. While his counterpart (bald with glasses) had just brushed us off moments before and made condescending comments to me. 

Rosie and Edgar our stewards, were on top of their jobs, cleaning up our room what seemed to be an impossible amount of times a day and always with a smile.

Dissapointing

Majestic Princess was lovely. The nice Alaskan enrichment program was fantastic. WE enjoyed the shows and all the nice entertainment onboard. great wonderful nice crew, The nice cabin attendant was very happy to accommodate our preferences. very very good food very good ship. it was clean and very well maintained. Ok, now for the bad, there is no bad! all nice and good. we liked the Alaska stops. we had the land and cruise package so it was actually a relief to get on the ship. the land tour, abs us rides and long trau=n ride was ok but not as good as expected so what more is there to say? the lodges where lovely. but very remote and very limited food and the water was well water challenging to deal with very rusty and orange. the water coming out of the faucet was so smelly and bad were were afraid to wash our hair. so it was mixed feelings about the land tour.

Perfect cruise

We wanted to tour Alaska and this 7 day, 6 night cruise showed interesting ports.  What we didn't understand was that out of 7 days, there were only 3 port days (except for the day we embarked and disembarked.  Two of those 3 port days,  we had to return to the ship by 3:30-4:00, leaving so little time to schedule any interesting excursions.  

The ship was clean, the pool area nice, the food was good, the employees were all very nice and even pleasant.  The cabin was ok (just like most midship, balcony cabins on cruise ships), except the noise of other cabin doors being opened and closed during the night was unusually disturbing.  It would help to have quieter door closing mechanisms. The ship was crowded and many times, there were up to 22 people in an elevator.  Not surprisingly, I got covid on the day after I returned home. There was very little activity scheduled.  There was a theater production on only one night.  Two other nights, they had the same guitar player/story teller, and the last night, they had a single solo singer from the one production several nights earlier.

We had had to cancel a previous cruise due to my husband being told he was unable to travel due to a medical condition, and this cruise proved to be a disappointment all around, despite the fact that we were really looking forward to it.  (BTW, we bought Travel Guard insurance through Expedia, something we will never do again).

Lastly, even though we knew this ahead of time, embarkation was Vancouver, Canada, necessitating that all U.S. passengers (I would believe most of the ship) had to go through the hassle of customs in Canada.  It was such an unnecessary problem for most of the passengers and one can only assume that it is somehow easier or less expensive on the cruiseline to end up in Vancouver instead of Seattle.  Recommend paying attention to this, as we didn't focus on this when we booked the cruise.

Boring.  

Was uncertain at first about taking a cruise, but this seemed like a good way to see Alaska, and the Majestic hit the ports we were interested in. I thought the time spent in each port was suitable and allowed us to do the activities we were interested in.  I actually LOVED the on board trivia & games (especially ACD Dave!!!! he is incredibly talented and I highly recommend looking for him as part of your entertainment staff!). For dining went to World Marketplace, Symphony & Concerto and the Pizzeria - food was fine and service was really efficient at the Symphony & Concerto. The World Marketplace chef was very accommodating when I requested a particular dish pretty much every morning.  The bartenders outside Princess Live! were outstanding - addressed us by name after the first day (maybe because they could see from our medallion - but its the attention and thought I appreciated), and gave great drink recommendations when I couldn't decide. Our steward was ALWAYS around and very attentive.  Also loved how the medallion opened the room as I approached.  We were in an aft cabin with a balcony (which a princess rep happened to suggest) this was a great location because we could see both sides of the ship! Disembarkation went very smoothly.  I was delighted by the free shuttle to the airport from the welcome center in Anchorage and the ability to leave my bags there during the day while I explored the town (I was not aware of this perk earlier and it should definitely be promoted!).

Awesome Experience for a First Time Cruise

We were on as 17 day Connosseur Cruise Tour. 10 days land , 7 days sea on the Majestic. The land portion was great. We took this cruise because of land not the cruise. Two nights in 5 different lodges. I have review this on the Alaska forum. The lodges were fine, and the food was also great.  The Majestic was OK. We had a standard balcony. It was fine, clean, no complaints. The food was very good. We have cruised Princess many times and felt the food was up to par. Ate mostly in the main dining room. We do miss traditional dining. We are trying to make anytime work. This cruise had lots of families, so the indoor pool was generally full of children. Not normally allowed, but Alaska, they make exceptions which is OK. Had problems with the Medallion, never really got it working great. We prefer smaller ships like 2000 passengers. The entertainment was good, Princess also had a couple of lectures, which were very good. Princess does this well. No problems with embarkation or disembarkation. We only visited Juneau, Ketchikan, and Icy Straits (if you can call that a port). We cruised Alaska 26 years ago. The ports were quaint, Alaska. They are now like Carribean ports, of tourist shops. It is a shame but money talks. That is why we liked the land portion.

Great 10 days, Majestic cruise OK

We picked this cruise for the land portion of the trip Off the Beaten Path.

one thing I would like to say pack light and wash your clothes. only a few dress for dinner and no one cares be comfortable. 

Make sure you bring Mucinex, cough syrup and cough drops you have no ideal the people looking for that stuff and couldn't get it.

 The lodges were very nice. Fairbanks had the Riverboat/ gold dredge.

We had a driver that took us to Fred Myers we got a six pack of pepsi and  water and some breakfast sweets its nice to have when you want a snack. then off to the Harley Davidson shop.

   The Train trip was  great. included breakfast and 2 drinks

Denali princess Wilderness Lodge: we did the History tour  we have done it  on our last trip also saw a few moose and elks.

we were so far from the lodge we ate before we took the shuttle back to our room.

Mt. Mckinley: we did the Jet Boat Adventure if i would have known after riding for hours I would have to get back in a bus a ride for an hour to go on the boat I would have pasted. 

we were so far from the lodge we ate before we took the shuttle back to our room. food was good this is were you can view Denali just beautiful.  

Kenai wilderness Lodge: was neat the rooms were like cabins with fireplaces ( it was to warn for a fire) we heard some people did  build them and the rooms got way to hot. all these lodge's have washer and dryer.  

 all the stops have things to keep you busy seeing the sites.

early on it was know to me there were a few people getting sick but no one from princess stepped in to ask those people to mask up.  I ask one of the bus driver and she said it was the cottonwoods.

It was a cold  July, I wish I would have packed warmer clothes and fewer as well.

this was our 3rd. time to most of the destinations they were warmer the other times.   

Boarding was fast and we were on the ship with in 15 minutes didn't fill out any health forms.

Ate Breakfast in the dining room or just got Danish from the buffet.

the buffet was not our cup of tea we ate lunch in the pizza places on 5th and 6th floors not extra but eat in.  also on
deck 16 hamburger/ lobster place, lobster rolls are 15 bucks the burgers are free they have good fries and even popcorn there. They did have potatoes chips on the buffet.

 The movies under the stars  were only a few nights but like I said it was cold and rainy the nights they did have them.
(not princesses fault). They have blankets you can sign out that was a nice touch. popcorn for the movies or just the munch on is at the Ice cream swirl. they give you a cup of popped corn in and bag lol I ask for 3. 

(deck 16) outside the buffet in the pool area

People were using the hot tubs and the indoor pool. it says the indoor pool is  for adults but they were letting  kids in it.

 The area is beautiful cabanas line the sides and you can watch for whales and wildlife at this area.

didn't see the shows but they are the same as always if you like the shows you will like them. they also had a comedian and a magic show. 

 There are 2 smoking areas plus the casino when its open ( not a lot) on  17 rear of the ship. this  is a large area 4 tables that are covered and about 15 big chairs also covers. the loungers and tables are all also the smoking area on 17.  The coffee and tea is one floor down the waiter will bring that to you also. aft. side toward the back on 7  is nice area for the glaciers and taking pictures they have chairs and tables too. not a lot of cover if it is raining.

Dining room: had the same table every night the food was good never had anything we did like

Disembarking: was easy just follow the sheet and they will get you of the ship within 15 minutes of the time given

came home with covid

After always sailing Royal Caribbean for our previous 12 cruises, we found that Princess drastically lacks in comparison. 

We had an Alaskan iteneray, leaving from Vancouver and ending in Whittier. The on boarding process in Vancouver was chaotic, it felt like we were walking in circles without any clear directional signage. 

The service is slow. They have an app that you can use to order drinks and food to be delivered directly to you. It's a great thought but it ultimately useless. The quickest we received an order was an hour, with most taking over 2 hours just to have water bottles delivered to your room. 

The ship felt extremely understaffed. It's hard to get service at a bar just to order a cocktail or bottled water. 

The staff does not seem happy to be on the cruise. When order a coffee, you're met with annoyance. It's honestly an uncomfortable feeling.

They included fitness classes with their drink package. I was unable to attended two of the classes I signed up for. They just allow anyone to walk in and treat it as a frist come first serve basis. I just didn't understand the point of pre registering for a class and planning your day around it if your pre registration means nothing. 

Be certain when booking through the Princess website that any advertised promotions show on your account immediately. The advertised $100 credit did not show on our account which was extremely frustrating. Customer Service would not help remedy this situation. I was told by the Customer Service desk that I should have read the fine print. After paying $5000 for my husband, myself, and out infant it would have been nice if they honored this promotion. It's honestly just the principal of it for me. 

If you're sailing with a baby please note that there aren't any baby changing stations in the public restrooms. You'll have to go back to your room to change diapers or change out in the open. Very frustrating as infants require a full price ticket. 

I would not recommend Princess Cruise Lines to anyone, especially the Majestic Princess.

Slow Service, Not Impressive, Terrible Customer Service

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