Not what was expected. Very unfriendly staff. Outdated vessel. Very small. Not well kept. Food was worse than hospital food. Balcony very dirty. Not a lot of activities on-board for 4 day duration. Age group 50-85. Disembarkment process very early. Shops with expensive prices. Atrium is a small hole in the vessel. Elevators are old and dirty. Not sailing again with a Princess. The staff seem to agree that Royal Princess have higher standards in food, cleanliness and ship entertainment. The cocktails were very overpriced. Coffee tasted like water, looked muddy. Tea was better option. Same breakfast menu every single day. Buffet posts and glass were extremely dirty. Staff around ship couldn’t answer badic questions, but gave honest responses, “sorry, I can’t answer that, maybe someone else knows”!!! I would spend a few hundred more and get a better experience with an alternate cruiseline. Many seniors with books in hand and ready for relaxation. Read Less

This was a three night hop from Vancouver down to Los Angeles, an excellent way to pick up cruise credits en route to free laundry. :) The Ruby is not our favorite ship by a long shot. It’s small, and it feels small, despite her ability to carry so many people. When we got on board, I couldn’t believe the Horizon Court wasn’t a snack bar. What the heck? This was our second time embarking at Vancouver, so we know this wasn’t typical for them - or at least, this wasn’t what they used to be. There were three ships in port and boarding was a zoo. We came into the garage and were shuffled into a queue to a single elevator with our luggage to go down to the second garage level to drop off our luggage, then into another queue to take another elevator back up to queue up to register to get on board. Word to the wise: if you use a cane or are handicapped at all, GET A WHEELCHAIR as soon as you arrive. I was using a cane and was in significant pain by the time we finally got through all the check-ins, customs, immigrations, etc. Just... swallow your pride and use the damn chair. The food was, unfortunately, the least inspiring we’ve had on Princess. Not bad, just not great. Well, no. The Horizon Court selection really was quite poor, probably because it was just so darn small. Dinners were average - nothing special, which was disappointing. What really got my goat, however, was Princess is now so into increasing revenue on board the ships, the menu in the dining rooms include “selections from the Crown Grill for your convenience”... so if you didn’t get a chance to make a reservation at the Crown Grill (the pay-extra dining experience) you can fork over $19 - $29 for an entree in the regular dining room for an upgraded dinner. That is one slippery slope, IMO. Where does that stop? When do we start paying for all our meals, regardless of what we order, in the dining room? This I do not like. At ALL. I didn’t see anyone order upgraded meals, so hopefully that will stop, but who knows, maybe they will expand the practice. I sure hope not, but they seem to be pushing sales for as much as they possibly can, all the darn time. They’re now selling escape room activities, albeit for only $5 each, but it’s another pay-to-play, and $20 for a family of four. Bingo is getting more and more expensive (it’s now $59 for the most expensive package). Gelato will set you back $1.50/scoop, and sodas are $9.95/day + 15% gratuity + tax. Don’t ask about the unlimited booze, you can’t afford it. Someone (anyone) needs to teach them what afternoon tea is. It is NOT a hard roll and sugar cookies. It is finger sandwiches and little decorative cakes. It is scones with clotted cream and jam on BOTH SIDES of the scone after it has been split. It is a selection of tea (not just Earl Grey, which is all they had). That was just bad. How about the good stuff? The staff is great as ever. I love the trivia games (I wish they would schedule them a bit further apart from bingo...) Disembarking was a breeze (although the LA Port is a pig, there’s almost no where to sit while you wait for your ride, but that’s not Princess’ fault). Will we take Princess again? Unquestionably. Just not the Ruby Princess. Read Less

First, let me say that we have not cruised in about 10 years. We are retirement age people who cruised often as a family with our 2 children. They enjoyed it more than we did. Recently, we decided to give it a try again and visit some cities we've never been before, namely Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia. In the past, we cruised on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess. These were standard size ships (2,500 to 3,000 passengers). The Bliss is a new (almost 1 year old) "Mega" vessel with a capacity of over 6,000 passengers (although the ship lists it at 4,000 passengers). And despite its immense size, no matter where you go, you were always jammed in with a huge crowd of people. On this ship, be prepared to do a lot of walking. From the back end of the ship to the front (or other way around). Or going up or down stairs from one deck to the next. The elevators on the ship were always jammed with passengers all day and night long. My wife found it very difficult to get around, having had knee replacement surgery recently. • I'll list all the "pros" of my experience first: • Entertainment: "Jersey Boys" was the best show on the ship. Standing ovation. Get your seat a 1/2 hour before the show starts, because it fills up fast. "Havana" was a good latin song and dance review. Elaborate costumes and stage decor. The stand-up comedians were terrific, hosted by Tim and featuring Jay Black and Larry Omaha. Book your seats on your first day on the cruise at the theater asap. I did not go to the Cavern Club shows. Way too late for us. However, "Siglo", their resident rock band that played at functions around the ship (the atrium and the pool) throughout the day were awesome. Be sure to go to the functions at the atrium, there's a lot games and shows with lots of audience participation. If you can find an empty seat, grab it fast. • Food: The best specialty restaurant for us was Cagney's steakhouse by far. Great Prime Rib (16 oz). La Cucina was good, not great. But "Q" was very disappointing and hardly anyone besides us were in the restaurant. I guess they got the word of mouth on it. The main dining rooms are good, The Manhattan room is the best of the mains, be sure to book a dinner reservation (even in the main dining rooms) or else you will wait in a long line before you are seated. Beware the breakfast and lunch service in the main dining rooms are slow, but sometimes a better alternative than the buffet. The Garden Cafe (the buffet, on deck 16) is a mad house. It's the largest buffet restaurant we have ever experienced anywhere and you can have ANY kind of food that you can imagine (asian, italian, mexican, deli, salads, on and on). But you have to scramble to find an empty table and you have to dodge and weave around the other passengers getting their food. Overall, the food at the buffet is standard in quality. Our cabin: see my separate review • The observation lounge: what could be bad about lying on a long lounge chair with a pillow behind your head and overlooking the ocean along with a drink and a snack, This is the observation lounge, a quiet area one deck below the buffet. • The Cons: • The elevators were always jam packed! I would have taken the stairs if my wife wasn't with me. • Excursions: because of scheduling problems, our time at the cities were very limited to a short quick afternoon. Plus, because of the number of passengers, we were very slow in disembarking the ship. Very frustrating. Overall, the cruise had some great aspects with a few not so great aspects. If you come in with a positive attitude and are not annoyed by the bad aspects, you'll have a great time. If you read this review you will know what to expect and figure out how to avoid the bad and indulge in the good. Good luck. Read Less

We chose the 4 day California Coast cruise to extend our 10 day Sea of Cortez cruise. Embarkation went smoothly and we were on the ship within an hour of arrival at the port. I had a few misgivings after our fall 28 day trip on the Emerald Princes but the Ruby is so much nicer and the food so much better. The ship is beautiful and well maintained. Service was good but the best part for us was our cabin, Aloha 304, an accessible cabin with balcony. It is large with a huge bathroom equipped for someone like my husband who needs grab bars and no step up from the room to the bathroom. We probably spent more time in our cabin than we usually do on a cruise, enjoying the space and the view from the sliding door as we headed down the coast keeping the mountainous profile of the Baja in sight. Our waiters were attentive and very helpful to my mobility challenged husband. We enjoyed every meal as well as the big production shows but had trouble hearing and understanding the comedians. At Cabo San Lucas we took our only shore excursion, Princess whale watching excursion. Did we see whales? Oh my, yes. Jumping, tail slapping and generally cavorting about. There were so many whales we could even see them from the ship! At the other ports I got off and explored on foot while my husband stayed on board. All in all it was a lovely cruise and a good experience. There were few children onboard and we would definitely cruise on the Ruby Princess again except that his doctor says my husband, at age 92, needs to stop traveling. We have been to 77 countries and 35+ cruises. Read Less

Embarkation went smoothly; there was consideration for our limited mobility (we both had walkers) and did not wait in long line-ups. Our cabin was on Plaza deck and as we approached we heard a considerable level of noise in the hallway which was a mystery to us at first. The cabin was spacious and met all our needs. Accessibility aboard the ship was never a problem, except in the hallway outside our stateroom. We were disappointed with getting around the steward's laundry and service carts; the hallway is narrow. We enjoyed our dining experience. Staff was considerate of our limited mobility and sat us near the entrance.Similarly in the buffet, the staff assisted us with our plates taking them to our table, as well as providing us with our beverage requests. We did go to one show, which was entertaining, however in choosing to sit in the accessible seating area at the end of a row, I had to get up six times to let people pass by so they could sit with others. I finally started to say no and directed the people to go to the other end of the row. We discovered a great entertainer in one of the bars and spent most evenings enjoying his talent instead of going to the theater. Similarly assistance was provided as went ashore in Astoria. It was the attitude which impressed us; we were never hurried along, the staff was always patient and helpful. Disembarkation was disappointing in terms of walking-we could have been directed to a closer exit even though we did not request wheelchair assistance (I noted that those passengers who were in wheelchairs, appeared to exit closer to the gangway). Next time, I will ask. Read Less

Another winning itinerary leaving from our local port of San Francisco. Despite the traffic, we were able to get to the ship before 1 pm and watch a good portion of the Fleet Week air show from our balcony! What a treat to have a glass of champagne and watch remarkably skilled pilots. While we only had two full sea days, we had to be more conscientious of what we chose to do--or NOT do. We had an excellently restful week. A shorter day than we would have liked in Astoria, and it seemed even shorter in Victoria, but gorgeous weather at all four ports. The lovely long day in Seattle allowed us to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island and allow my husband to play golf for the day. Sadly, his work intervened and we stayed onboard for Vancouver, but enjoyed the sites visible from deck. For first timers on the Grand, yes, she is an older ship, but comfortable and newly updated a year ago after being in dry dock. The Grill and Sabatini's are great celebration venues, and the menus are updated from last year. This time I took the opportunity to have afternoon tea in our cabin, which allowed us to enjoy it without being rushed. It was much better than having it in the DaVinci dining room. The comedian and magician were both stellar with multiple shows. And you can choose to do a little, alot, or nothing at all. For a week long excursion this was well worth our money! Read Less

Prior to the ship being built , I booked. I followed this vessel for months and read countless posts and reviews-this is unadulterated. I wish I continued on the next 8 day sailing! The embarkation in Vancouver was sketchy-but it was their first time with the Bliss. From the moment we boarded it was special. Our cabin (13844-balcony mid) was awesome and clean. The Garden Café fantastic-no problems with food or seating as prior reviews stated. Met a great gang at Spice H2O and we gelled (smoking section)...so I missed all other meet and greets. La Cucina was fabulous/Cagneys was good/ Le Bistro awesome...Savor and Taste great...didn't care for the Local.Mario and team at Spice H2O did a great job at bartending and providing exceptional service. Jersey Boys good, ample theatre. The Beatles show awesome! The Casino was also great-wish more machines but they played nicely!!! the waiters and waitresses were phenominal, food exceptional, drinks great, our cabin steward was so so...do the racing experience! I wish they get rid of Margaritaville-it was dead space. Elevators were also fast-not as many reviews stated. What I realized is that you cant please everyone....many passengers would try to cut lines, complain about trivial things, not respect the staff...it is sad. I met many seasoned cruisers who loved this experience for a larger ship I believe I got hung up with many posts and prior reviews but this was exceptional! If staying in Vancouver-Sutton Place is phenominal! Victoria a nice stop, San Francisco was good-did the Hop On Hop Off and not disappointed-only disappointment was the behavior of a few folks who wouldn't disembark for customs and the behavior of the mob to get back on! The only other thing I can say-the karaoke was dull and machine wasn't good....met many nice new friends from all over! Many friendly people! A few that should have stayed home! Read Less

Holland America Line - Nieuw Amsterdam Sept-Oct 2018 I thought to myself what a great way to arrive in San Diego from Vancouver for those who don't care to fly, and quite reasonable especially if your prime goal was just transportation with no frills attached. I had high expectations for this 4 day repositioning cruise which continued on from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale which for some I believe was a total of 23 days. My high expectations were due to this ship being newly refurbished in 2017 and we've sailed on HAL before many years ago and it was by far at the top of our list for favorites. I recall the food being exceptional ( before the days of specialty restaurants) and the entertainment stellar. So how did it fare this time around?... Embarkation: Vancouver BC Terminal This was SUPERB! HAL does it right. Your informed of the time you should arrive. Don't come earlier, you won't get any further ahead. Check in was a breeze due to the set time for arrival. We had no line ups whatsoever. After we checked in we were seated in a waiting area for about 10-15 min before we boarded. Once onboard we weren't bombarded with staff promoting dining, activities etc. While waiting for the "Cabin ready" announcement we went to the dining reservations desk to pre book our MDR reservations. Our cabin was ready in about 10 minutes after we boarded. I rate this Embarkation 9/10 Sail Away: That's it folks...we just sailed away. No live band, NO MUSIC WHATSOEVER! No countdown when going under the Lions Gate Bridge. NOTHING! On the Lido Deck they set up 2 tables with black spandex coverings which became a 'pop up bar' in addition to the existing bar. They also set up 2 cocktail tables! Two for 2500 + passengers? They stacked the lounge chairs and tucked them aside so no place to sit except for a handful of scattered chairs and the existing bar stools. I don't know why they had to stack them...It wasn't a rainy day, just overcast but still fairly warm. There was no build up of excitement, the Lido Deck was a bland, boring space. This was sooo disappointing. I hoped when we sailed away in Seattle perhaps it would improve...nope we just sailed away. For this sail away I'm rating it 1/10 Main Dining Room: For being a ship that just went through a refurbishment I expected the main dining room to have all the glitz and glamour that most shipboard dining rooms have. I was quite disappointed with the decor of the MDR. It was definitely stuck in the 70's ( no appearance of refurbishment here) with the orangey red laminate divider walls and serving stations. Our first night we were seated directly across from one of the many open, unsightly, very noisy server stations. We were seated so close to it that the waiters butts were almost touching our table when facing the serving station. Not a pretty site! Also the fluorescent office type lighting above was very dated and bright overhead so I learnt to ask to be seated in a dimly lit area of the dining room, which had a much nicer and calming appearance as you would be seated closer to the windows and it was also much quieter. What we thought was really strange was there was no music, none, nothing even piped thru a speaker system, odd to say the least. We had anytime dining and made reservations as soon as we got onboard for our preferred time. There was one evening we had no reservations and only waited a few minutes before being seated. The food was actually quite tasty and we did enjoy most meals. Always enjoyed my breakfast here especially the Lox...so fresh and superb quality. I rate the MDR 6/10 Specialty Restaurants: Tamarind- This is the only restaurant we dined in while onboard and for the $25.p/person charge was worth it. If you book onboard and dine on embarkation day they do offer a discount. The ambiance was relaxing and peaceful just what is needed after dining in the noisy MDR for 3 nights straight. I ordered the Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon. This was a full size filet, not the tiny piece of meat you get in the MDR, it was cooked perfectly as requested and the flavor was delicious. My husband ordered the Lobster Tempura main entree, where they cut the lobster meat, tempura it and stuff it back into the lobster shell beautifully prepared. The lobster was fresh, tender and not rubbery. There was only one item I didn't care for on the shared appy plate, but that could be based on personal preference, otherwise everything else we enjoyed immensely which made our last evening on board our favorite. Service by the all female wait staff was attentive and courteous. We wanted to tip our waitress but no 'tip option' on the receipt so we had to tip with cash. I rate Tamarind 9.5/10 Dive-In- no fee This grill on the Lido deck served the most delicious burgers and fries. We ordered the Cannonball burger, very yummy. The wall-mount menu has milkshakes listed on it, however you have to go across the deck to actually order them from the bar. Definitely worth it. Rating 9/10 Pizza- no fee Good pizza here, wait time was a bit long over 1/2 hr but they were lined up before we ordered. While we were waiting we could smell cigarette smoke drifting our way so the smoking area is nearby by the bar. Rating 7/10 Tea is Served 3p.m.- Allocated in the MDR where your usually able to order all kinds of beverages. Don't expect to be able to order any other beverage. I love having an afternoon cup of tea, my husband does not ever drink tea so he asked if he could at least order a beer. "NO! This is TEA,TEA,TEA! NO BEER!" was the response. Ok we get that but we also understand that cruise lines will 'bend over backwards' to please you within reason and I don't think it was too much to ask for one beer as a beverage preference. Also a kinder response would of been appreciated. The Buffet: Nothing much to write about this was your average nice buffet, not as big of a selection that we enjoyed on Celebrity but you still get a fairly decent selection. The behind the counter servers plate your choice of items for you which I really appreciated instead of everyone touching everything with self serve buffets. We really liked the salad bar where there's an array of salad items you choose and the 'salad chef' tosses it altogether for you with your choice of dressing in these large salad bowls. The oriental dressing was my favorite. Rating: 8/10 Entertainment: On the Mainstage over the 4 nights there were 2 magic shows-Magic Rocks, a musical production-One World and a comedian-Frances Dilorinzo. We didn't go to the magic shows, the musical production was boring also the young performers timing was off on the dance moves. It was like they were dancing just to get it over with. I thought I was watching a high school performance, it was so bad we left. I was now skeptical about going to see the comedian but she was fantastic. The theatre itself is large and even though it appeared a bit dated it's still beautiful. There was plenty of room and a seat could be found easily on any level. The cup holders are hidden in the chairs arms, but some were a bit rusty and difficult to pull out to open. BB King's All Stars: Fantastic! The music, singers and instrumentalists were all top notch! Three performances per evening all different sets except we noticed on the 4th night they started over again with the same show and music we saw on the first night which isn't so bad unless you were staying onboard for the entire 23 day cruise. Billboard Onboard: The When & Where daily newsletter would just print Billboard Onboard 1970's. So what does that mean? There was no explanation of what type of entertainment this was. We weren't even sure if it was live entertainment. It was right in the casino where we never ventured except to purchase a used casino deck of cards at the lottery booth for only $1. We discovered it after exiting the Mainstage show one evening and this ended up being our favorite night time place to go for drinks and fabulous music. This is the venue to be at to enjoy 2 pianists dueling out tunes from the 60's, 70's and All Requests later in the evening. Now that should of been the newsletter write up. We absolutely loved it! Lincoln Center stage: This was a small group of young Performing Arts graduates playing stringed instruments with a pianist performing Beethoven to Buble. We never saw a full performance but stopped for a bit to hear them play one afternoon and they were a fantastic, extremely talented group of musicians. Overall Evening Entertainment rating 8/10 Drink Package: ( make sure you continually check your onboard account for accuracy) You would think that your drink package regulations, rules, and restrictions should be basic knowledge by onboard staff especially by those who work behind the customer service desk. To me it's fairly simple....we purchased a basic alcoholic beverage package online which included gratuities ($206. ea USD for 4 night cruise) which allowed us to have ANY drink on the menu valued at $9 or less. Anything over $9 we would have to pay the full price for, not the difference in price like you're able to do on Celebrity & NCL. There was no shortage of drinks (except wine-very few at $9/glass) that fell within this price range which was excellent. So did this end up being so straightforward? Oh no, why would it? After signing into the free onboard Navigator App ( which is excellent by the way) to view our shipboard expense account I noticed we've been charged the full price for every drink with an added gratuity! At first I thought they're just listing every drink we've ordered and it will be reconciled later. So off to the customer service desk to double check. " NO" says the young man at customer service. "You have to pay full price for all those drinks". " You see because you ordered a drink for $9 you have to mentally calculate what the gratuity will be, which now brings the drink total to $10.28 which exceeds your $9 package allotment, so really you should be ordering drinks at about $7.75." WHAT??? First of all there are no drinks on the menu for that price and second it's not my responsibility to mentally calculate the gratuity which by the way I already paid for. Then I mentioned that I specifically asked the bartender if one of the drinks I ordered was included, and she said it was. He asked me what her name is so she can be reprimanded for giving out the wrong advice! He then gave us a printout of the drink package policy and told us we obviously need to pay heed to the 'fine print'. His co-worker also peered at our account and said "yeah that's how it works". Frustrated and not wanting to waste anymore time there we questioned a few bartenders about the policy and told them our predicament. They told us exactly what we thought... that we're entitled to ANY drink on ANY menu that's $9 or less which is exactly what the policy states. No gratuity should be added as it's already been calculated into the package price. The next morning back to the service desk we go ( not how I want to be spending this short cruise). Thankfully the other person there spoke to the bar manager, reversed all our charges and apologized for the inconvenience, and thankfully we checked our shipboard account on a regular basis which I advise everyone to do. My advice to HAL is coach your staff so they at least understand and are on the same page for your basic policies especially on something so simple like the beverage packages. Overall: A beautiful boat, but nothing grandeur. Aside from the evening entertainment we found this to be a bit of a boring cruise. Few were under the age of 70 so there was no shortage of canes, walkers and scooters. Kindness and patience is a must. I personally don't want to fill my days with acupuncture appointments, reflexology, and how to reduce swollen ankles and then pay a bomb for their so called remedies. Overall we found the daytime activities quite boring...I love cards but don't play bridge, however we did enjoy Americas Test Kitchen in the afternoons. Earlier I mentioned that there was no music piped into the MDR at any time. Actually it was nowhere during the day anywhere...not in the observation lounge while enjoying a coffee, not in the buffet having a meal, not in the atrium area waiting in line at the customer service desk...nope I listened for it but no daytime music whatsoever except at 2pm for a Lincoln Stage performance which was live. Overall if you want a completely relaxing do nothing cruise this is for you, if you want excitement and a more youthful variety of things to do cruise on another line. Overall rating 7/10 Read Less

We took this cruise to celebrate Dad’s 90th Birthday. What a blast! Dad had always wanted to take a cruise, but seemed impossible. First Mom never wanted to go. Then he had dialysis. We investigated dialysis at sea, and found it too expensive, but realized we could take a 3 day cruise between treatments, so that’s what we did. It was still challenging to make it all work. In addition to dialysis, dad has mobility issues and recently started on an oxygen concentrator. He loves to travel, but it isn’t easy! We had 7 people in four cabins, but I’m going to concentrate on how we dealt with dad’s mobility issues, what worked, and what didn’t. I haven’t seen many reviews that cover this in any depth. My sister drove Dad from his home in Idaho the day before, just after his treatment. We all met up at my other sister’s house in Seattle and boarded the ship as a group the following day. Parking wasn’t easy or cheap at the port, but we found the lot and managed to get dad on the shuttle bus. As far as I can tell, the shuttle was not wheelchair accessible, so if you can’t do at least some walking/stairs, this may not be an option for you. I’d call the port and ask. Embarkation went smoothly. RCI has a special check in for mobility impaired. Everyone associated with the port or cruise line noticed our matching t-shirts and made a big fuss about his birthday. He was thrilled! Once on board, we grabbed lunch and then headed to the room. We got rooms 9337 (accessible interior cabin) and 3 “large” balcony cabins across the hall. The accessible cabin was twice the size of a standard cabin and very nicely laid out. It became a default meeting location. I’m glad we got it because his wheelchair (we alternated between his walker and wheelchair) wouldn’t fit through a standard door. IMPORTANT! Speaking of doors: the closer on the accessible cabin was very tight. Dad could not open the door without help, and there was no way to prop it open. Keep this in mind if you need to be able to get in and out of the room without help! The bathroom door would stay in the open or closed position and did not cause any problems. There were call buttons on either side of the bed and lights on the wall within easy reach of the bed. There was enough space that Dad was able to get from his wheelchair or walker to the bed and out without assistance. We noticed an important issue though. Since Dad uses a CPAP and an O2 concentrator, we needed plugs by the bed. The only plugs we could find were on the desk. We addressed this by requesting an extension cord. It was provided promptly by Jaypee, our room steward, who was great throughout the whole trip. However, the cord was barely long enough to reach the right side of the bed. We added a small power strip, which gave him enough plugs and some USB charging ports. It worked, but the cord was laid across the middle of the room, so a longer cord would have been much better! The ship was easy to navigate, even in a wheelchair. There were very few places that dad couldn’t go. At the MDR, our waiter must have been briefed about dad and his birthday because he knew about it before we even mentioned it. Food and service was very good and we ate there every night. We enjoyed the sea day by watching the shows and relaxing. I especially liked the ice spectacular. We saw three shows in the main theatre. The magician on the last night was the best of the three. Read Less

We chose this cruise hoping to find a method of travel and cruise line that would work okay for person of limited mobility. Sadly, we felt that this trip was overpriced, and that we were misled by sales people. The Spirit is in need of refurbishing. The salesperson I spoke with said it had been done. The cabin was clean enough, but I have traveled on much older vessels that were more updated. I was told that the Spirit would be the next ship to be replaced. The fitness equipment on board was pitiful. The equipment was outdoors and not plugged into power. The salesman said there would be freeweights similar to what you find in a hotel fitness room. There were none. While we appreciated the size, it is a very noisy little ship. Our cabin was on the stern, and engine noise is deafening at times. We were next to the rear outdoor steps, and ship personnel would run up and down at all hours. I finally caught and discussed the door slamming with one of the housekeeping staff. Cabin 321 should be converted to storage.This is an upper level priced cabin. For this price some shore excursions should be included. This was not. Warning to those going to Butchard Gardens...This is a 90 minute ferry ride, 40 minute motor coach, 90 minutes in the garden, 40 minutes back to ferry, and another 90 minutes on the ferry. The gardens are beautiful, but see them on another trip. I appreciated the dining room. We were not assigned seats. There were minimal choicees, but I was happy not to have to fight my way through a buffet to find something to eat. Read Less

We have been on 5 cruises in the past but this was our FIRST Princess Cruise and what an Incredible time we had! Princess Cruises really knows how to spoil their passengers! The food that was served in the Bordeaux Dining Room was absolutely Superb! Our waiters were both entertaining, as well as, accommodating. Our cabin was Beautifully appointed and our bed and pillows were sooooo incredibly comfortable! I slept like a princess each night! The entertainment was first rate and the comedian was a total crack up! We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Princess Cruises has it down pat as to organization when it comes to embarking and disembarking. The process flowed very smoothly and was seamless. Even though we had very specific time constraints for disembarking, a front desk staff member was Outstanding when taking our concern into consideration, and took care of the matter, personally. We were able to make our appointment on land, without a hitch, all thanks to the exceptional professionalism of an accommodating front desk Princess Cruise Staff Member. The staff went out of their way to make me feel special during my birthday cruise! I can assure you that our future vacation cruises will certainly be spent on Princess Cruise Lines, from here on out! They also had an ample amount of spacious, clean bathrooms throughout the ship, which made it very convenient for us as well. Read Less

Beautiful Location, short trip, excellent small boat with personal service and great entertainment. Food selections were varied and fresh. Unfortunately our trip included several wet and misty days, but knowing this ahead of time, we dressed appropriately. The well appointed rooms on the boat are very comfortable and the boat includes 2 dining rooms and 2 lounges. We had plenty of time to get outdoors and exercise our legs, but the well organized hop off, hop on buses were a great alternative. Local Guides were well informed. I Would recommend to elderly, couples or families, although no young children. Each port of call had interesting museums, river walks and information about the local area. Shopping wasnt as good as I expected. A cruise like this is a great getaway to spoil yourself, get refreshed and learn about another part of the country. We look forward to booking a Missippi River cruise in a couple of years. Read Less

We travelled in a group of 4 couples on this short cruise from Brisbane and had a very good time. The main entertainment was several comedy shows, some rated PG which were (usually) ok for children, and some R rated for the adult themes and language. We preferred the PG rated shows, which showcased the quick minds of the comedians without the swearing. I think that the nature of the cruise meant that there were very few children on board. The shows were generally very good, and we really loved the gong show, where fellow passengers could have a crack at stand up comedy - what a surprise that was! But by far the best entertainment was the range of extremely talented musicians on board. A fabulous singer/guitarist at the Oasis setting the relaxing mood, the girl with the haunting voice at the Lido, the piano player in the Blue Room and the band (Alter Ego?) at Oceans Bar, who took requests and could play and sing anything! The musicians were all superb. Now the food - we all thought that the 'food court' style of The Pantry was a positive step up from the usual buffet and the food there was simple and tasty. It is hard to get a table here though and tables are not cleared very quickly. Breakfast at the Waterfront was pretty good, but other meals were a bit hit or miss. Angelo's (the Italian) was average and Salt was disappointing (both our fish dishes were overcooked). Service is generally slow. We were unable to get into The Dragon Lady even though we tried booking after lunch on the first day - so get in quick if you want to eat here. Drinks: Coffee is best in Oceans Bar. The mocktails were way too sweet so we ordered them with soda water to dilute them. (Refreshment package was well used). Favourite cocktail - Pink ginger cosmopolitan! Drinks seemed to be diluted later in the evening. Suggestion to management: Move the trivia to a larger venue - maybe the Dome? People were sitting on the floor! Read Less

RCL has good reputation, have used before, and a group was going. The food in the main dining room was very good. The entertainment in the main theater was kind a hit or miss, Aa couple of shows were very good and have several shows lacked spark of high entertainment value. They were nearly always vacant Seats at the 8:30 show. The cabin Stewart was very attentive to my special-needs as a handicap Trevor. The dining room staff was very professional. Sitting on the promenade watching people was very enjoyable. The cruise again on September 14, 2017. There are no Royal Caribbean wheelchair accessible excursions on this cruise. Our ports of call were in Astoria Oregon, San Francisco, and Victoria British Columbia. The entertainment in the piano bar and on the royal promenade was very good. This is an actual time of year to cruise the Northwest Pacific coast. I will not try to carry my own luggage off in the future as the staging area was very overcrowded with little space for all the people and their luggage. Read Less

Our first time cruising RC. Explorer is an older ship and the retrofits they have done to increase accessibility can be hit or miss--we found a lot of door buttons that didn't work and really jarring door lips and transfers for folks with wheelchairs. The buffet was not low enough for my husband, in a wheelchair, to see what food options were. The food was just average, but the excellent service of the staff made up for it some. It was a low key trip for us--just wandering around at ports--so we didn't do excursions. We also didn't do many of the shows and entertainment as they didn't appeal to us. The cabin was good but /noisy/ with creaking, clicking, clanking noises from the ship. The bed was too firm, but some people with mobility issues might appreciate that for getting in and out of bed. Enjoyed the cruise, but wish the ship had been a little newer and accessible features better maintained. Read Less

I booked this cruise in December as a gift to my husband who had, until now, never cruised. We wanted to try a short, 5-day, cruise to make sure he wouldn't become deathly ill from motion sickness and to just give him a taste for sailing. Background - I've sailed at least 17+ times on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norwegian but mostly on RC. My husband and I are 40 years old, don't really party anymore but still enjoy good shows, music, friends, fun, and fantastic food. The ship - We both agreed, the ship was absolutely immaculate! I have never experienced a cruise ship that has been cared for so thoroughly! Everything aboard the Oosterdam has been cared for and maintained meticulously. She shows signs of being 14 years old, mainly in the decor, but physically the ship is outstanding. Our cabin - We upgraded from a SY (Signature Suite) to an SA (Neptune Suite - 7062) a week before sailing and are SO glad we did! The suite was a decent size, the bed was extremely comfortable, and the cabin stewards always made sure the room looked perfect. The suite gave us access to the Neptune Lounge which was directly across the hall. We popped over to the lounge a few times during the day to get coffee, juice, and sample the wonderful horsedouvres. The lounge concierge was always very eager to help and definitely made our trip even more special. The complementary guest laundry and dry cleaning also worked out well and came in very handy. We will most likely always book a suite with similar amenities from now on as they are well worth the expense! Dining - Ok, The Main dining room, Canaletto, and the Lido buffet were just par for cruising cuisine. None of them were terribly spectacular and the dessert at all three venues was pretty lackluster. The Pinnacle Grill, however, was absolutely fantastic! We had breakfast and dinner there a few times and thoroughly loved it! When we return, we will likely only eat in the Pinnacle and forego the other restaurants completely. Service - The service on board was outstanding! Everyone we came across had a huge smile on their face, greeted us, and truly made us feel at home. So here is where things get a little funky for me... Remember, my husband and I are both 40 years old. Apparently, HAL's target demographic is considerably older than us. We found this out first-hand before boarding. When we walked into the pier, the security staff asked if we were crew. When we responded "No, we are passengers..." their jaws dropped and they let us pass in amazement. Most of the other passengers, we later found out, were in their late 70's, 80's and early 90's. I'm totally fine with cruising around senior citizens, don't get me wrong. They were extremely nice, quiet, and were all very friendly. We were walking on the Promenade and came across an elderly lady napping, head back and mouth WIDE open, on a couch. I was afraid she had passed away right there and was tempted to place a mirror under her nose to see if she was still alive. Entertainment - The entertainment wasn't that great but, again, it was designed for the target HAL demographic. My husband and I were expecting a Broadway-worthy production yet, well, that wasn't the case. The Lincoln Center Stage performers were wonderful and the America's Test Kitchen demonstrations were extremely fun. There just wasn't much in the way of nightlife. Overall - Great ship, amazing service, wonderful food (at the Pinnacle)! It's a little like a floating nursing home but there is nothing wrong with that! Just be prepared. Read Less

Embarkation: Embarkation was painless. We arrived at Port Melbourne Cruise Terminal on Friday 16th December 2016 before midday, and joined the queue to get onboard. We were in the first group to be processed by immigration, so got onboard without too many queues. Our luggage however, was another story. As we had been upgraded twice after leaving home, all we had to attach to our suitcase was a folded paper label. Previously we have always laminated our cruise labels so they stay attached. But this time the inevitable happened, and it took a full day for the luggage to find us. Thought we were going to have to spend the whole 13 days in the same clothes!!! Review of the Pacific Jewel: On boarding this ship we were met by staff singing Christmas Carols, and the Christmas decorations made the ship feel very festive. The large atrium area was extensively decorated, and well set out with a Charlies Bar / coffee shop on one side, and the Pursers desk opposite. Also on the atrium level is a Chocolate shop, a Pandora jewelry shop, and a general tax & duty free shop selling everything from daily essentials to liquor. We were directed to our Stateroom 9190, checked out the room, then headed up to “The Pantry” buffet dining area for lunch. Acquainted ourselves with all the public areas. Entertainment: The Entertainment Cruise Director was Sandy Cadwallader, who was very professional and approachable. Sandy ran the morning trivia sessions, and these were always a heap of fun, and very entertaining. All of the entertainment staff were very good, and everyone seemed to work cohesively together. Unfortunately our travel agent did not inform us of the “themed” nights onboard, only that there would be 3 formal nights. So we were not prepared for the “Back to School” night, the “Black & White” night, or the “Gatsby” night. All of these nights were hilarious, and heaps of fun. However, formal nights were not full formal nights, and guys can get by without a suit, only need a long sleeve shirt and a tie with dinner trousers. Formal attire for women was extremely varied, but very neat casual would also fit the bill. Dining: For 1st time passengers on this ship, the “anytime dining option” has to be considered a nightmare. It took us the first 24 hours to realize we could pre book an evening dining time and a dining table, & were assigned table 259. Having sorted that out, we needed to check out how our caffeine addiction was going to be managed. The coffee in the self serve machines in “The Pantry”was semi bearable, but not good. The general coffee offered in the dining room tasted like ground up burnt coconut shells. That takes us to the Café on deck 5, where coffee could be purchased for $4.95 per cup. That was OK, but was going to be expensive over the course of the cruise. P&O have no such thing as a coffee card. Coffee: What they offer on Day 1 only is a “Beverage package”. This can be purchased for $25 per person per day, or 13 days work out to be $325 for 1 person. This ONLY included soda, tea, coffee, & juice blends. For the Premium package that add wine, beer, spirits and bottled water to the above list, the cost escalates to $89 per person per day, or $1157 for the 13 nights. Mind you, it does not stop there, for if you want to add Cocktails up to the cost of $15 to the list, you will be up for $105 per person per day, or $1365 for 13 nights. It also has to be noted, that you cannot just buy individual days beverage packages. It is all up front, or nothing, so if you want it, it is only available on Day 1. It can be purchased online before boarding for a slight saving. So, after getting over the shock of the Beverage Packages, and because I only drink 3 coffees a day, I chose to pay the $4.95 per cup. Being a frequent cruiser, I found these beverages charges exorbitant and unrealistic. You would almost need to have an intravenous line permanently inserted to absorb a premium package worth of alcohol and caffeine. Meals: The meals in the dining room were well presented, although not always hot. Choices were limited, and steak was an optional extra that had to be purchased separately. In comparison to Princess Cruises, the standard was lacking, and choices were not quite as described. As we had finally worked out how to choose a set dining time and dining table, we had a set waiter for the evening dining named Benedictus. We discovered that you could get a special cup of coffee from the small machine in the galley which tasted like real cappuccino coffee. But you had to request that it came from the galley, not the general coffee jug circulating in the dining room. Anyway, Benedictus looked after all our culinary needs for the 12 nights, and always managed to get us the “good” coffee several times each evening. Breakfast and lunch time dining: Once again different to Princess Cruises. Choices were “The Pantry” buffet on deck 12, or the Waterfront Restaurant on deck 7. The menu’s for both breakfast and lunch remained the same for 7 days running, when halfway through the cruise, they varied it slightly for the remainder of the cruise. Definitely have to say the choices were boring. Cereals were not on offer in the Waterfront Dining room, but found after day 7 that the waiter could find us some cheerio’s or cornflakes if we asked. Cereals were freely available up in the Pantry Deck 12. The only good parts about dining in the Waterfront restaurant was the special coffee, and after day 2 we found an excellent waiter with Jeffrey (table 199) who looked after our breakfast and lunch needs exceptionally well. Marquee Theatre: This theatre was set out over 2 levels with a seating capacity of 750. We have to say the evening entertainment was sensational, and far exceeded Princess Cruises. The enhanced computerization of the back drops for the entertainment group the “Pacific Entertainers” left us totally enthralled, and totally bewildered why other cruise lines like Princess don’t do the same. P&O has to be congratulated with this innovative piece of computerization. Absolutely sensational. The Pacific entertainers presented 4 productions over the 13 nights, plus were involved in quite a few other presentations. The quality of the other entertainers was also quite good. The Laundry: The public Laundry was huge, with a large number of dryers and washing machines available. Never heard a problem from anyone having to wait for a machine. Staterooms: Our stateroom was 9190, nicely appointed mid ship, with an ocean view. Unfortunately the window was dirty for the whole cruise, and it was difficult to see out off, but at least it let us distinguish night from day. Our stateroom stewards were Lasono & Virgilio, who were responsible for looking after us for the 13 nights. It was great to return to our room of an evening and occasionally find a new animal on the end of our bed. However, what we did miss was the evening chocolates on our pillows. Only about 5 times in the 13 nights did we see any chocolates left out in the stateroom. The bed mattresses were comfortable, especially when converted to a king size. However, the linen left a lot to be desired. On embarkation the sheets were “pilled” and uncomfortable, and even though the cabin stewards changed them when I reported the pilling, the new ones weren’t that much better. The towels and face washers were threadbare, and grey. The beach towels are well overdue for being replaced. The pillows in the room were flat and uncomfortable. Luckily we brought our own along with us, otherwise we would not have survived. A cake of soap for personal use was provided on embarkation, and was made to last for 13 nights (only a scrap left at the end). There was shampoo / conditioner in the shower, refilled once during the cruise. Internet: An internet package was available for purchase on Day 1 only for $89, HOWEVER, the internet service was deplorable. It could only be used in certain public areas of the ship, with absolutely NO coverage in the staterooms. Even in a public area, reception was hit and miss, with most times a miss. Suggestion: Don’t bother wasting your money on the ships internet, instead, you would be better getting additional roaming services on your private phone, and using that. Shore Excursions: The Shore Excursions desk is a tiny section at the end of the Pursers Desk, There are 2 shore excursion computers nearby where shore tours can be booked online. The tender service is a nightmare, however, I don’t know how else you could move 2000 passengers & staff on and off a ship any other way. Queuing for tender tickets, then queuing again when your number was called, tended to take the excitement off getting off the ship at each port. If you fore went queuing for tender tickets, then you had to wait until everyone else was off before you could try and find the exit, and this definitely would cut down your time on shore. Boutiques on Board: The Boutiques on board sell a large variety of merchandise, and surprisingly enough we managed to purchase a Mova Globe on the very 1st night onboard. (The last place on earth we expected to find one.) Souvenirs were abundant, as were clothing, jewelry, liquor and personal items. Tipping: For all P&O Ships based in Australia, tipping is included in the price of your cruise. We always choose to provide additional tipping to our Stateroom stewards and dining room waiters, depending on the quality of service provided. It is always a bone of contention to tip or not to tip, but if I get exemplary service, it will be rewarded. IN CONCLUSION: This was our first ever Christmas Cruise, and was a highlight of our cruising career. We were definitely not disappointed after running away from home to be on our own for Christmas, for we met many other couples like us doing the same thing. Many thanks to Cruise Director Sandy Cadwallader, & Captain Gavin Pears and all their crew for making our Christmas Cruise so memorable. We had a fantastic 13 nights, and will definitely cruise with P&O again. Read Less

My husband has to use a scooter and walker to get around...................... getting onto the ship was a little promlem having to go up and down on gang planks, but crew was very helpful first day on elevators obviously was horrible, not so much the elevator but other guests who had no consideration for my husband and i...... to and from the dining options ..... no problems.... accessible balcony room....... outstanding..... the only thing that was a problem was the furniture in the room and on the balcony.................... they are built for "little" people my husband is large and could only sit on the desk chair...... could not really enjoy the balcony because the cruise chairs were too small asked to have a larger chair brought into room....... (and i know that there were chairs on the ship that he did fit into) but were told that this couldn't be done... so that either makes us have to upgrade to where there is a couch or forget cruising.... Read Less

Wanted to visit wineries and see the nature of the area. Always wanted to go see Mount Saint Helens and Mutlanomah Falls. The ship was clean, comfortable and attractive. Plenty of public lounges to relax in. The guest rooms were comfortable, but smaller than expected. We used the balcony each morning and often had coffee out there as we watched the passing scenery go by. The lecturer and historian was enriching, entertaining and engaging. He knew the history of the area as spoke a lot of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Bus drivers were also narrators that added to the tours. The tours were well organized and took us to places like Bonaville Dam, Ft. Clatsop (Lewis and Clark's camp), Pendleton and various museums and historic places. The food is a big part of the onboard experience. The food was consistently good with local seafood and local recipes used by the chefs. The dining room servers were always friendly and mostly college students. Hoping to do another American Cruise Lines trip, maybe in Alaska soon. Read Less

This was a Pacific coastal cruise--somewhere I wanted to see. It was vintage Princess, but the Coral Princess is very nice no matter what you may read in these reviews on Cruise Critic. Yes, there are a couple of chips, etc here and there, but it's very nice, very clean. The size is good. I hardly every had to wait in line for elevators or food at the buffet. My husband's leg started giving him trouble while walking when we were gone and Princess staff couldn't have been nicer even going so far as to bring up a wheelchair at Santa Barbara tender port out of nowhere and loaning us a cane from the desk until the medical area opened. The food was so-so, and I thought more varied in the buffet than in the dining room. Why can't there be some regular food like ordinary cake or pie or fried chicken or a casserole? The shows were much, much better than before that I've seen on Princess. They were modern with modern music and enthusiastic singers and dancers and a very funny comedian. The northwest area of the continent is beautiful. We stayed at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver. It's the way to go if you can swing it. The hotel takes your bags to the ship, and you just go downstairs to board. Nanaimo has a beautiful harbor and a great Dollarama store close by. There's also a grocery store and drug store. Just hop on the free shuttle and get off at the harbor. The mall is across the street. Volunteers couldn't wait to showcase their town. Astoria, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco were all pretty and have their own things that you would want to see. Alcatraz, the wharf, vineyards, scenic views--all beautiful. If you use Gray Line in San Francisco, make sure you know exactly where you are going and the address. We and several other passengers had trouble finding it even with a taxi. It's a very small place on a corner. Book your tour of Alcatraz from home. You'll be sorry if you don't. Also Alcatraz is a long winding, slanted (13 story) walk uphill. It's doable, but, again, know your abilities. In Santa Barbara, it is a 3-4 block walk to any shopping or eating after you get off the tender. Most of the walks from the ship to the ports themselves are long. I say this not for those who are used to walking, but for those who may have physical limitations. Santa Barbara is a tender port where wheelchairs are not permitted unless they fold and the person can walk on to the tender. There aren't many activities on the ship. That was a bit of a disappointment since I like to stay busy and not just read and relax although some of that is nice too. Maybe historical classes, free smaller tours of the kitchen. The one tour was much too large to hear what was said. Tours of back stage? Information on the towns we are visiting? Of course, no one wants to get off, but it has to be done. It's my most unfavorite part of the cruise. Get your bags out before bedtime then sit and wait for awhile the next morning. But it was a smooth disembarkation. We had an extremely long wait to get on Super Shuttle at the port. The shuttle was there, but the driver would not leave until the van was totally full. I'm ok with that except in this case we sat there full except for two people for 45 minutes. No one was happy. He ignored us wanting to go ahead and leave. The shuttle people there were on our side, but he refused to leave. There aren't many of these cruises during September and I know sometimes it's rainy. We had beautiful weather the whole way. We were very lucky. Read Less

The embarkation was very easy.. everything at the port was handled well.. our cabin was a handicap cabin (which I very much needed,) but we had signed up for 3 people and only had one bed... they did remedy it by bringing in a rollaway.. but that was a little of a hassle to get my motorized cart in and around and it limited us using the desk/ safe area... the windjammer the first day was a bit of a disappointment.. but it did get better as time went on... Dinner in the Sapphire was very spotty.. we had a new waiter that couldn't seem to get things correct... didn't seem to know which steaks were rare and which were well done.. the first night we had an incident at the table behind us that none of us were aware of at first... (A woman got sick) Instead of just covering it up, all of a sudden two guys in masks and full body suits came in with a huge vacuum..... well they parked it right behind two people at out table and then the waiter came by and was attempting to step over it to serve our dessert... well he accidentally turned it on... wow.. it blew a terrible smell right up in our faces.. that incident cleared out 4 tables around us with fresh desserts still sitting on the table... Also at the windjammer on time we were sitting there enjoying our food and one of the busboy type people kept standing there staring at our plates... it was creepy.. finally one girl sitting across from me told him to move on... it was strange... Having sailed on the Explorer a couple times before, I realize this was not a common cruise, in fact we heard many times that much of the crew were new when they hit Seattle.. Our cabin attendant told us it was his first day, But I must say it seemed as though he had been doing that job forever... he was FANTASTIC.... The entertainment seemed spotty also.. but we did very much enjoy the Ice Show... I was on this cruise with 25 friends and family and overall we enjoyed it.. I just felt bad that I talked many of those 25 people to join us as first time cruisers and they didn't see the best service in the world as I had sold it... We all had a great time.. and even greater time meeting up with the Cruise Critic friends... Lets fix this ship and move on.. Read Less

As a seasoned cruiser (over 20+) this by far was the worst cruising experience that I have had. It starts with a lack of feeling safe - muster drill was disorganized and a joke. The promenade is overcrowded and difficult to maneuver, especially with music and the long lines at Starbucks. The ship has no provisions for disabled individuals if there was a disaster. The dining room seating experience created Long- Long-Lines with the impossibility of passage. Shopping on a ship of this size was horrific! The fact is that it was so bad that we bought nothing. This has never happened before. Worst of all was the buffet and dining room. Food Awful!!! You must eat at a specialty restaurant if you want a decent meal. Entertainment was excellent, especially the ice show. This is a must see. The worst part is that RCCL is very unresponsive to cruisers complaints and don't really care. I would suggest you take another ship or cruiseline Read Less

We have sailed with NCL several times & we have done this itinerary before as a repositioning to/from Vancouver and the Mexican Riviera return to L.A. This is the first time that we have done both as back to back. Coming into San Pedro (L.A.) we had the option of staying onboard, which was nice. But we chose to go across the port to the Ports-of-Call just to get out. This used to be a bustling community of little shops, but most now stand empty. We did browse through a great art gallary (Parkhurst Gallary) and a Jeweler, where we found puzzle rings (Middle Eastern style); worth the trip. The NCL Jewel has been into dry-dock & some public areas have been renovated since the last time we sailed on it. Improvements were made to the Photo Gallary, the Blue Lagoon was replaced with O'Sheehan's Pub and the Moderno Brazilian restaurant has been moved to Deck 13 beside Cagney's Steakhouse. The view from Moderno in the evening as the sun goes down is incredible. This space used to be a piano lounge & was rarely used before; good decision NCL, although our grandkids will miss the Blue Lagoon. The staff & crew are very friendly & eager to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Our Stateroom Steward was amazing. Tip: I often tell people that if you desire a robe in your stateroom, just ask your room steward & they will likey provide them. We were travelling with my aged mother who uses a wheelchair to get around. The crew was very attentive to her & assisted at every port, including tendering at Cabo San Lucas. We had no problem accessing any area of the ship & we loved that we could walk around the ship outside on Deck 7. Overall we always enjoy sailing with NCL & this trip was no exception. We recommend this trip to our friends & family, especially those who have not sailed before. Read Less

I was very pleased with Carnival Imagination as my first solo cruise. This was my third cruise on Imagination and I find it very relaxing. A new feature that I took advantage of was the wifi. It was offered at $5 per day or $15 for the duration of the cruise. I opted for the latter. The basic package that I chose allowed me to send me text messages, use instagram and snapchat. If you want to search the web or check email that was an additional package. I pre-ordered water for my room beforehand and had it delivered before I got there and that was perfect as I like to stay hydrated on a cruise. See my cabin review for more details on the water order. The staff as always were very nice and friendly. I spent most of my time relaxing by the adults only serenity pool tanning and the rest of my time in the casino playing the penny slots. I learned that while using my sail and sign card that once you hit 1000 credits that all of your drinks in the casino are complimentary for the duration of the cruise. You had better believe I got all of my drinks at the casino! BONUS!!! I really enjoyed listening to live music at the Dream Bar nightly very chill vibe here. The karaoke bar is always entertaining and I played Bingo each day. I would like to point out the embarkation. Generally when I have cruised before with my husband we would book a suite which came with priority check in. I decided to go minimal with ocean view just to see what it was like. I will never do this again. I wish I would have purchased the FTTF package. Faster to the fun. I saw people that had purchased it swooping by as I waited in an hour line. I had shown up at 2pm to embark. The lines were rediculously slow. If the fast to fun package is offered I would recommend this just to avoid the lines. Overall I had a very pleasant first solo cruise experience. It was exceptionally nice to not be bombarded with people trying to force me to take memory pics. I just floated right by like a ninja. I would definately do this cruise again solo or with friends. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we love Princess lines and also to check out the "small ship experience" prior to booking a higher end cruise line with smaller vessels and the big bucks. We loved EVERYTHING about our experience with the Pacific P., as it felt as though we were in a floating intimate Inn. What stands out the most in summary: the library. Stunning and the pictures posted and Princess's website do not do this incredible library justice. Next, the level of personalized service and happy personnel ! The only downside: the size of their pool and only 1 pool. However, I am a lap and swimmer girl - and I still made that pool work just fine. Also this Princess ship attracts a quieter crowd which we love. I hope Princess has another Pacific P. pacific coastal shorty again because we'd be on it to enjoy the experience over again. I would highly recommend the Pacific and Princess ! Read Less