Our cruise was almost 5 hours late leaving San Pedro (LA). Because of this our port time in both Ketchikan and Juneau was severely shortened. Our stop in Victoria, B.C. was skipped entirely! Very disappointed. Buffet foid was always cold! Even breakfast items like oatmeal, eggs and waffles were cold. Very minimal low carb or low sugar items available. Sabattinis extra cost restaurant was disappointing. Not worth the extra. Crown Grill extra cost restaurant was superb. Our cabin steward Jadeah was supern! Room was kept made up and very clean. Shore excursions were very goid even in limited by time in port in both Ketchikan and Juneau. Yukon Adventure and Whites Pass & Yukon Railway excursion in Skagway is not to be missed! We saw orcas on our whale watch from Juneau and bears eating salmon on our excursion from Ketchikan. Our ship did not allow us to go ashore in Victoria, BC as was advertised. Overall our cruise experience on the Royal Princess was positive. The extremely late departure from LA cause several very large disappointments later in the cruise. Read Less

DW and I choose this cruise due to no flying. LA round trip to Alaska. First kept getting delayed boarding notices. Was supposed to board around Noon but instead 6 PM. Then our traditional dining at Allegro which was booked and confirmed 1 1/2 years go was changed to Anytime. Had to take vacation time to change it to a not as good substitute set seating dining at Symphony. The room steward was perfect, he met all our needs and went beyond the call of duty, gave him the highest rating on the post cruise eval. Entertainment was uneven. The main production numbers were cut short. We had done the Royal last year October and we saw more versions of the Princess singers and dancers. Some of the guest entertainers were very good and some not. Jennifer Singer was terrific. Was disappointed in the Princess whale excursion out of Ketchican, saw none. The Juneau Tour and Whale Watch was great, saw many whales, saw 3 spouting next to each other, several flippers hitting the water, several diving with tails in the air, and several jumping out of the water and making very large splashes. Food was good or just OK in main dining, worse with few exceptions at Horizon, very good at International Café, very good at Alfredo's, excellent at Sabatini's. Balcony cabin was smaller than older Princess ships. Matt O, cruise director, was all over the ship and terrific, made the otherwise too many sea days in a row do-able. An on that note, Victoria was skipped due to the last portion of the new extended dock not being finished due to that part lost a sea during a storm. Princess should have substituted another port, say Vancouver. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was a conveniently located port in San Pedro as well as a chance to visit Alaska where we had never yet been.m We booked a mini-suite which was conveniently located front midship near the stairwells and elevators, surprisingly quiet! Check-in was quick and efficient. Embarkation was anything but quick and efficient, we spent lots of time in the terminal sitting waiting patiently for our boarding group number to be called. Upon boarding we were directed to our room and because of the late hour we were unable to have lunch or even order a cocktail. Our cabin steward greeted us and introduced himself promptly and then brought us our mini-suite welcome aboard glass of champagne. Our luggage also arrived promptly. Once we left port we had to attend muster drill. In the past we have had to lug our life vests out to a crowded deck area where we would stand packed together for a lengthy period of time while the ship staff demonstrated their required safety drill info. This trip our lifevests were left in our rooms and we gathered in an interior area with comfy seating (unless you arrived late). Our dining was in a regular dining room and even though we had pre-requested to dine with friends also on the same cruise, we had to stand in a long line the first dinner night to set this up for the remainder of the cruise. Dinner food was just OK, breakfast was boring and not exciting. Food was just not up to the usual Princess food we were accustomed to from past cruises. Our waitstaff were generally pleasant, friendly, and efficient. We also tried the pizzaria and grill area by the pools - both of them offered fabulous food choices! We found the buffet & International Cafe to be our preferred breakfast areas. We ordered room service once and it arrived quickly. The soup and salad were tasty but the sandwich left much to be desired. Nightly shows were offered in the theater as well as another large entertainment area. You definitely had to arrive early to get a decent seat! Disembarkation was smooth and uncrowded-actually they were about 30 to 45 minutes ahead of schedule! Read Less

We chose this cruise because we could sail to Alaska for 12 days plus no airfare as it left from Los Angeles. This was the main factor for choosing Princess. Having sailed many times with Princess we were expecting the best as we had always experienced before. We have always rated the food quality with Princess equal with Celebrity----no more. I can honestly say the Star Princess dining experience was the worst we have ever had with Princess and it ranks among the world of any cruise experience and we are not choose eaters. The dining room staff and service were great as usual---clean as usual--but the food was not good. I ordered a pork chop one night that I could not cut. I requested a steak knife and still could not cut it. Finally they brought me fettuccine. My wife had a beef pot pie. The beef was like shoe leather, she couldn't eat it. We ate at the steak house 4 times to avoid the dining room. The steak house was fantastic. For over 50 years I have taken my coffee with half & half and never had a problem on a cruise except this time. The Star Princess does not carry it--your choice is milk or skim milk. You can request heavy cream if you can get a staff member to go to the kitchen to get it. Talking with other people at dinner our opinion of the food quality seemed to be a common opinion. Read Less

Going to Alaska was on my Bucket list. Also going from L.A., no airports to mess with. Ship is older, but well maintained. Food in the Horizon court was average to to above average. The main dining room food was for the most part was very good, but our waiters were the Best. Joel Delfin was our Waiter and will be in the Crown Grill from now on. Ask for him, you won't be disappointed. Jr. Waiter Gavrilo Radonjic was just as good. Alaska and Canada were beautiful. Skagway and Victoria were my favorite ports. As others have mentioned, rent a car and see the sites on your own, especially if you have 2 or more in your group. We did in Juneau and Skagway. In Victoria, we used a Pedicab to see the sites. Our driver/tour guide was Chris with Victoria Pedicabs. He was excellent. He has been doing tours of Victoria for the last 17 years and was very knowledgeable of the city. I also thought his rates were very reasonable. Email him at cphamel1@gmail.com and he will pick you up at the ship. Overall, very happy and would definitely sail on Princess again. Read Less

This ship is old and is showing it's age. There were a few maintenance issues but nothing that would keep me from going again. Ship Captain Tuvo was FABULOUS!! He came to almost every meal in the dining room and greeted us. His presentations are funny and he made this cruise for us. The food and service were top notch and the crew members would greet each passenger with a smile and a greeting as we passed in the hallways. The entertainment was great I could not have had a better time. This is our 12th Princess cruise and we are looking forward to our next one. I have spoken to many passengers on our cruises and a lot of them have been on multiple cruise lines. Some like the benefits and services of another cruise line but most seem to think that Princess has the program and cruises they like best. I personally don't think you are going to find a better value based on the total package you receive on Princess. The entertainment was great and the theatre crew works hard to put on first-class shows. The food and service were marvellous and the deserts are so good it is hard to eat just one. The Excursion crew does a great job of letting you know what there is to do and see in every port. I WANT TO GO AGAIN! Read Less

Everything was great, except the room we chose. The room itself was good. Very clean, large enough enjoyed the balcony, room steward was excellent but the location was under the buffet. It was like a basketball game was being played all night long, very noisy. Other than that was one of the best cruises I think we could have taken. The Captain we had, Captain Tuvo was a GEM!!! Don't think we will ever have another cruise with a captain like him. The food, entertainment, servers etc were very good. We had a magician who was spellbinding, two comedians, both were funny. The musicians were top notch, never missed a beat. The dancers and singers were very good. The shows that they staged were entertaining and fun. But the cruise director could have been better. If you ever get a director named Duke from Wales you'll love him. That's why I am spoiled with him and his associates. But the cruise itself all in all was great!!! Read Less

My husband and I loved the Alaska ports and the sea days. The staff and crew were very accommodating. The food was very good, also. We enjoyed the entertainment and lectures about Alaska. The highlight of our cruise was our vow renewal with Captain Tuvo. Our cabin was nice and Madee our steward did an excellent job. We found embarkation to be a complicated process. One thing princess could improve on is to have more of a variety of food in the Horizon Buffet. It was good but not much of a variety. Also, it takes too long from start to finish in the main dining room to eat. The different kind of music that was played around the ship was pleasant. Matt Baxter, the guitar player and vocalist, was fantastic. This was our first cruise with Princess and we would most likely sail with them again. Debarkation was much easier than Embarkation. It would be great if karaoke was offered every day. Read Less

While the Alaska Cruise was pleasant & enjoyed, here are a few thoughts on our experience. Parking: $18/day is overpricing for parking. Other Airports only charge $10/day long term and provide a shuttle. No shuttle here Food: In general pretty good with the exception of the Lido Deck Horizon Court. It appeared that about 60 percent of the ships guests were Asian. The group came in mass, saved the majority of tables, were rude and wasted enormous amounts of food. One person took a whole tray off the service line for their table. Because of the chilly weather the Horizon was always filled to capacity. Pizza: The specialty daily pizzas weak. Vegetable pizza is not a pizza. What happened to the Duck Pizza? Pineapple is something that does not belong on a pizza The Chef’s Table: dinner was exceptional….good job and a wonderful experience. The Crown Grill: still can’t make a good steak. The portions are too large and lack flavor. My New York was dry, poorly seasoned and not seared well as the kitchen can’t use an open flame to sear meat. No demi glaze or béarnaise sauces were offered. I had to ask. Share: was a nice change and presented a perfect menu with flavorful food. Shows: Why have the shows been cut down to 45 min. Used to be at least one hour. The Princess Band is really good Bars: Miss the ability to use a Crows Nest bar forward to watch the ship enter & leave port, read and have a drink. Internet: Offer it for free…Viking does The State Room Account: the daily and final on board bill lacked any details. Was my bar charge a mixed drink, a coffee or a soft drink. Who can remember. Tell us what we ordered Wine Packages: what happened to the wine packages? We always bought a few. Not interested in a $71/day beverage package. Don’t drink that much. Toilet Issues: A Bad Smell: The ship had a bad plumbing issue. Toilets wouldn’t flush, one couple on Deck 8 we talked to had their toilet overflow and also had a wall leak. The men’s toilet on Deck 6 off the Showroom was full of feces and would not flush. The smell was very noticeable not just on that deck Read Less

Have always wanted to see Alaska, and Alaska was great,,Princess not so much. The food and service was very disappointing. I have never seen prices on a main dining room menu until now! It took over 11 hours for maintenance to unclog our bath sink, had to use the shower to wash our hands! My companion got food poisoning on our first night, I called medical and they told me to COME DOWN FOR THE MEDICINE! I hung up the phone and abot 10 min later medical called to inform me they were still waiting for me. When I told them I couldn't leave her they came to our room with the med's! The waiter and helper was very poor. The helper was gone for exactly 20 min getting pre dinner drinks one time, we waited over 20 min for the table to be cleared for dessert. The food quality was also very poor, NOT what we were used to or expecting from Princess! It appears that Princess is trying to save money at the expense of customer service, and I can tell you, IT IS NOT WORKING!! I doubt if my loyalty to Princess will survive my next cruise line choice!!! Read Less

We were delighted to do round trip cruise out of San Pedro but disappointed in changes since our last princess cruise. We either book mini suites or the Caribe deck for its large balcony. The Ruby was refurbished and loved the new large screen tv and on demand. We hated that there was only one desk chair in a balcony room and no longer a padded comfortable chair. Two passengers in a room where are we supposed to sit? One of us would sit or lie on bed and other at desk. Really Princess two passengers and one chair. We noticed our elite gift bag was missing some of the usual toiletries like hair conditioner and room mist. Our cabin steward was excellent and kept ice in refrigerator two times a day. Our cabin was cleaned and serviced twice a day and he was eager to please. We saw lots of cutbacks in food selection and quality. Butter had to be requested in dining room for rolls. Same choices over and over in buffet. Steaks have a charge now in regular dining room. Pizza was outstanding on pool deck. We cruise Alaska every year and being able to do so without a flight is a big incentive but quality is another. Come on Princess think of what your cuts are resulting in? Unhappy passengers Read Less

We had a wonderful cruise because Alaska is gorgeous, however the Ruby was the worst ship I've sailed on. Not only does the ship appear old and tired, so does much of the crew. Our steward didn't address us by name, so if that's your thing, good luck. Personally, it doesn't matter to me. I'm more concerned about having service, like ice in the cabin, without having to beg a few times. It took 3 days for pre-purchased alcohol to get delivered to our cabin. The flowers finally made it on day 4. Air conditioning seems pretty basic and certainly expected in a premium aft-facing balcony. No, it's wasn't. Four phones calls, three techs, and finally we were told that would just be the temperature of the room. Never thought we would literally sweat all night on an Alaskan cruise. So, if air conditioning is high on your list, look elsewhere because sleeping on the balcony for cold air is miserable. The food...well, it's there and usually lukewarm. You pay extra for the good food. We did have the $100.00 balcony dinner and that was awesome. I can't comment on the MDR because we never went. On all other cruises, the stewards are like ninjas. You walk out your cabin for an hour and POOF, your cabin is refreshed and the bed made. Our bed was made 5 times on a 12 day cruise. I told y'all the crew seemed tired. I can say that the big suite next to us seemed to always have their door open with the steward in there. Lucky dog. Anyway, I know that I forgot a lot because this looks much too pleasant. Oh, it's a 2ft square shower with a non adjustable shower head. Take a good bath before you leave and when you get home. Not sure how a large person fits in there. Definitely can't shave legs. No, I'm never going back on Princess. Never, ever. I've sailed Holland America, Norwegian, Carnival and Princess is absolutely last place. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it left from the Port of L.A. and returned to same Port plus we liked all of the ports that were visited over the 12 days. We live in L.A. so this made it very convenient. The ship itself felt very outdated. The Jacuzzis were constantly being shut down randomly for no apparent reason. This being a cold weather cruise, we looked forward to spending out time in the spas/jacuzzis. The HOT sauna was constantly broken. The robo calls to the room from the Lotus Spa were excessive and inappropriate We received 2 and if I hadn't complained, they might of continued calling our room. This ship seemed old, out of date and in need of upgrades. Embarkation was confusing and disorganized. I am in a wheelchair and couldn't find support on where to go and even difficult to flag down a porter. The thermostat inside the stateroom was difficult to keep at a low temperature. it was always very stuffy. Toilets backed up easily in our room. The Staff was pleasant. We found the entertainment lacking with only 30 minute shows. We learned the hydraulics on the main stage were broken and had been for some time so the shows were tailored.. unfortunately not in the guests favor. The ship felt very crowded all the time especially in the common areas were there was always picture taking happening.. of course for you to buy later. Offensive ART MURAL FRAMED PICTURE outside explorers lounge-PICTURE OF bull elephant fighting- killing SCENE. SHOULD BE REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH MORE APPEALING ART WORK This was the first ship of the season so it was nice to be at the ports without all the congestions. Unfortunately the salmon were not running during this time. Loud "good morning: GREETINGS BY STAFF IN THE HALLWAYS in the morning TO PASSENGERS AS THEY PASSED NEAR THEM...HALLWAYS NEAR STATEROOMS AT 7 AND 8 AM- NOT COOL- STAFF SHOULD BE ADVISED TO HAVE SENSE OF DECORUM IN THE MORNING AND TO KEEP VOICES LOW. OK TO SAY HELLO BUT NOT AT TOP OF LUNGS. We are not foodies but the options for dairy free/vegan was not apparent. Read Less

Chose this ship for its round trip out of Los Angeles to Alaska itinerary. Have previously done a one way inside passage. Embarkation- Flew in the day of the cruise from the East coast and took an uber. No problems, had a great Uber driver, booked air through Princess EZ air, no issues. Cabin was on Aloha deck, Balcony, standard, 1 chair at desk, 2 on balcony, no extra chair in room so you had to sit on bed if chair in use. Storage space limited. Bathroom appears small even by Princess standards. Balcony was nicely sized, door worked well and was easy to open and close, TV worked well. Safe in working order, standard mini fridge. Our pre-ordered cases of water were in the room upon arrival. The stocked minibar for Elite was not quite as plentiful as prior cruises. Beds were soooo comfy! Our room steward Rodelio was absolutely wonderful! The ship itself, has a lovely interior, the exterior is weathered and showing her age. The consensus amongst passengers myself included is that the ship was very crowded and finding a place to sit in the buffet, or international cafe bordered on ridiculous. Im not sure if they have removed some of the chairs or just redesigned the seating but it doesn't work very well. Nevermind the elevators. (a word to the wise- sometimes it is easier to just go the opposite direction to get on the elevator than fight the masses- at least you will be on the elevator) The Internet- Okay Im blond lets just get that out of the way shall we, the internet is quick once you get on, but and i mean BUT make sure you log off. If you somehow opened a window and that window got shut and you didn't log off before you shut that window well guess what - you will lose your minutes (I'm talking about complimentary minutes not the package) I went down and spoke with IT they reset my minutes and the IT said make sure you log out many times if needed. I repeat verbatim "many times if needed" clearly this isn't an uncommon issue. Still, it happened again today and I really don't want to go downstairs to IT again. Im just over it. I am very glad that they have a fast internet now because it use to take 10 minutes just to get on. (now it just takes ten minutes to get off) Dining Room- Uh Oh... okay so lets start with sea day breakfast, limited choices and while food was not bad, but it wasn't great. On some other lines you go to the dining room because you think it is better than what is in the buffet but sadly that is not the case for breakfast here. Sauces were flat, while breakfast breads were offered it was not until 10-15 minutes later that butter was offered and then 5 minutes later jam/marmalade which wasn't helpful since the bread was already eaten. Things appeared very disorganized. Dinner- Anytime dining- can make reservations at 8am the day of on reservation line ( if you want to eat at a table for 2 this is especially important on formal nights) Dinner choices were average, some dinners were good while others were just okay. We did eat in the specialty dining many nights. Yes there is still lobster on the last formal night. Princess still does a good Creme Brûlée. Specialty Dining- CROWN GRILL- Our first night at Crown grill was incredibly disappointing, i don't know if the chef was sick or what happened but it was not up to standards however, every restaurant gets a free pass because sometimes stuff just happens and we did not say anything. We did eat there several more times and it was very good. I had the lamb and it was outstanding! (incidentally I did not have lamb that first night) The tomato/goat cheese salad is delicious. Our waiter Wilfred was wonderful SHARE- Decided to try Share for something different. Nice location on the ship, the menu was explained to us, 6 courses. I had the Charcuterie with the duck Proscuitto, very very good- please know that the pepper spread has a health kick to it. If you don't like spicy things don't get it. Really delicious. Tomato and Buratta salad is one of the tastiest salads I had all week, really yummy. The soup had beets, I don't remember exactly what it was called but it turned red when you stirred it, It was also tasty. The duck was my main, and I did not care for it, the skin was nice and crispy, the duck was moist but the flavors just didn't seem to work well, almost seemed to have an artificial smoke flavor to it. Got the cheesecake for dessert and it was good but didn't wow. Im glad I tried SHARE but I would not do it again. Casino- Casino is so tight it squeaks, I'm actually going to cancel my players club cruise in October because my experience in the casino was so bad on this ship (way better perks from other lines) Shows-did not attend any PORTS- Ketchikan- we got off briefly walked to the usual tourist shops, got back on, pretty mundane Juneau- got crocked at the red dog, had a great time, ate crab at Tracy's had a wonderful day, spent entirely too much money but have many great memories. Lots to do Skagway- Did Whitepass Railway- cold not have asked for a more beautiful day, well worth the money, absolutely gorgeous!!!! We were the first train of the day, guides are fresh, morning glow on the mountains. Debarkation- Im still on the ship but If there is a catastrophe I will let you know Overall- I still like the atmosphere on Princess, the ships are beautiful and not tacky, the staff are wonderful, the itineraries are great. There is no one single big thing that makes me not want to cruise with them but more a series of little irks. I feel like I am getting less value for my money, more nickel and diming. Read Less

I had never been to Alaska (or Canada) before, and I already had experience with Princess, so we booked this cruise. First off, the ship was really nice, way better than the Star Princess (which desperately needs an upgrade). The beds are very, very comfortable. I booked a mini-suite, which I prefer over the suite due to the combination tub/shower. (I disliked the separate shower in the suite because it's tiny and there is nothing to hold onto). There was plenty of sitting room in the living area, plus there are two tv's in the stateroom. I enjoyed the overall look of the ship, which seems to have undergone an upgrade. The dining was good news/bad news: The Michaelangelo and Da Vinci dining rooms served very good food (included in the fare). The Crown Grill was just as outstanding on the Ruby as it had been on the Star (try their filet mignon!) and well worth the $29 charge. However, the Share by Curtis Stone and Salty Dog restaurants (which are not included in the fare) were major disappointments. The entertainment activities need improvement. There just isn't enough to do on the ship during the day. I enjoyed the night time entertainment in the various venues, and I really appreciated the first-run movies at my disposal. But there really isn't much to do before dinner. I would recommend replacing the often obnoxious trivia games with something more substantive, such as a lecture series. The service was really, really good. I cannot say enough about the consistent helpfulness of everyone I encountered. Bravo to Princess' training department! The ports were pretty good: Loved Skagway especially. I recommend taking the train ride there. I also enjoyed viewing Glacier Bay although I think it was twice as long as it should have been. But still, very beautiful. I would definitely go again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it started in Los Angeles and returned to Los Angeles, we did not have to Fly either way. Also we did not have to worry about weighing our luggage. We loved having a balcony, the King size bed was heavenly and the food was fabulous. We came on this cruise to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary, at our Dining Room they brought us a delicious dessert and the staff came arround our table and sang Happy Anniversary to us. We met 3 other couples that were sitting at our table and we ate together every night and we became very good friends. The 12 days of the cruise we were very happy with everything on the ship, the excursions were terrific. All the shows, games, auctions were so much fun. So glad that the weather was somewhat comfortable, and that Mr. Sun was with us the whole time. Read Less

For our 50th anniversary, we took a 12-day Princess cruise to Alaska originating in Los Angeles. From the moment we stepped aboard the 5-star Ruby Princess, we were surrounded by helpful, smiling faces of staff. Our balcony room gave us a wonderful view and fresh air throughout our cruise. The bed was SO comfortable with cozy Egyptian linens. Our cabin Steward, Christopher, was so helpful and attentive. The ship holds about 3500 guests and about 1500 very service oriented staff- which is a nice size and ratio. The restaurant meals were fresh and fabulous with very attentive waiters.There were fresh food options 24- hours a day! We enjoyed the flexibility of "anytime" dining. The entertainment was nonstop. We especially enjoyed the nightly musical shows in the Princess Theater. They have very talented performers- bands, singers and dancers.The different lounges also had good entertainment and often dancing. The casino is spacious and has lots of variety, including blackjack tournaments which are really fun! The gym provides nice machines with an amazing view! We especially enjoyed the tram excursion in Juneau and the train in Scagway. We plan to fly to Anchorage on our next Alaskan trip to explore the more northern regions and to do a land tour to Denali. We highly recommend Princess cruises without reservation! We look forward to our next Princess cruise!! The 12 days flew by!! Read Less

Within a few days of Princess releasing the 2019 schedule, found a cruise that met our needs. Ruby Princess, doing round trip to Alaska out of Los Angeles on 4/23/19. We now require an accessible cabin due to mobility issues. We prefer the Caribe deck, due to the setback of the superstructure. I call and secure one of the three accessible cabins left. 565 days out and as usual, Princess is asking full price for newly listed cruises. Over the next year we get new passports with only two weeks turn around. By chance I find that they have used our cabin as the example of an accessible cabin https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/ruby-princess-443/accessible-balcony-cabin-276108/accessible-balcony-cabin--v12728343/ As time goes by, we take advantage of two price drops. 75 days out, news groups going nuts about the one comfortable chair being removed from most of Princess’ balcony cabins. Questioned Princess on this policy since we require it, I was basically told too bad. On a second call speaking to an executive assistant, I was told that because I have a accessible cabin, that chair may or may not still be there, they simply have no idea at corporate what is happening on their ships. Still hoping on having a good time, without having to stand. 60 days out and the emails start. “Information about your cruise” from Princess. Cancellation?, change in itinerary?, cabin reassignment? Each time a flutter of anxiety I see it in the inbox. Soon learn this is Princess’ way of trying to get into my wallet before the cruise. Wine, excursions, specialty restaurants etc etc. I quickly learn to glance at them before hitting delete. Embarkation day has arrived. Get a late start out of the house, at the docks “rush hour” has already started. Utter bedlam from people not knowing where to drive, stop, park or drop off passengers/baggage. Inside the cruise center total calm, walk right up to the desk, have passport scanned and have cruise cards within seconds. Slight bottle neck at security because of the number of pax arriving. On the ship in about 90 minutes from when we left the house, far from a record, but nothing to complain about. Point of interest, I had two power strips (not surge protectors) in my carry on, no issue by x-ray or security. At some point after we pass through, new policy takes effect with security checkpoint. ANYTHING looking like a power strip is being confiscated and a receipt being issued. Attention Princess, while they are not your direct employees, security is your representatives and some education is needed. Since we ran into same situation over ten years ago and there has been no improvement. I predict there will be no action from Princess now. Another “new” policy is in place on the ship, fire doors going to cabin walkways are closed. All 3000+ pax are directed to the public areas on decks 7 and 15. To avoid the masses we grab a table near the Trident grill near open sky. We enjoy a bite to eat and start our favorite past time onboard, people watching. I will take this time to point out I’m not a millennial or generation X’er by any means. We retired three years ago, but looking around, I feel like I’ve been dropped into a convention of Wal-Mart greeters who have been terminated due to age. The wife, who notices these things, has counted less than twenty children in total. I have a feeling they will soon be bored. Just an observation, the vast number of passengers fall into two groups: retired Americans or younger foreign tourists, mostly from Asia. Per two crew members, the average age of this voyage is 65 years. Seems the common dinner conversation concerns medical procedures, prescriptions and what relative has recently died. Not all passengers observe the same dinning etiquette and a lot of food has been seen going into bags headed back to the cabins. To some, the idea of getting in line for services is foolish. Much simpler just to step in front of everyone. At times just getting from A to B is an obstacle course going around people who change direction without looking or just suddenly stop in their tracks in front of you. My wife and others using mobility devices seem invisible to the crowd. About 90 minutes pass and by chance I discover cabins have been made available, no PA announcement was made. Before running off to customer service, I check and find the “barrel chair”, removed from almost all balconies is still in this cabin. Only upgrade to the cabin is the 43” LG television mounted on the desk surface above the refrigerator. Doing my best Houdini impersonation, I am able to get a hand to the left side to plug in a HDMI cable. All that effort for knout, this TV is set to “hotel mode”, no changes possible. Won’t be able to watch media off my lap top. Old habits still die hard, first morning I awake at the usual 6:30 AM to a beautiful sunrise. At7:45 AM, the PA gongs and the Captain twice makes an announcement of a medical emergency C255, which is twenty five feet forward from us. No matter the emergency, I know I am of no use to the situation. But of course curiosity makes me open the cabin door and look up the hallway the two doors to C255. No yelling, crying, alarms or flashing lights, had I heard wrong? 7:47 I hear the thumping of running feet coming from every direction. Brown, blue and white uniforms race by. Radios, medical equipment and a gurney are there in a span of seconds. Medical goes to the cabin and security takes over the hallway. This is happening at the forward bank of four elevators. They lock up three of the four to keep anyone from stepping off this deck and the fourth is kept open for transporting the patient. More security is dispatched as far back as mid-ship in this corridor to keep passengers and the curious away. Through the peephole there are 7-9 people standing around for an extended period of time. Around 8:20 AM an empty gurney is taken aft via the confines of the Caribe hallway. Our steward, Damodar Sheldekar (who did exceptional job), later stated that the passenger was in medical getting treatment. Four days later I see two people on 255’s balcony, a full recovery? FOOD I’m not going to say the food was disappointing, just adequate. Basic ingredients prepared various ways. Chicken done Italian, French, Asian, Mexican or Indian is still chicken. First three nights, the menu for the main dining room appeared just tired and boring. Didn’t bother to get “dressed up” and just did Horizon and Crown grill on first formal night. Crown was a ghost town, only five other tables occupied. This was an example for the entire cruise. Fourth night we relented and went to dining room. I again am proven wrong in the need to “clean up”. Jeans, T-shirts, jogging suits and even ball caps are seen in the room. Feel overdressed in dress shirt and slacks. Nine years ago you always went to the main dining room, now there has to be something interesting/special on the menu. Horizon Court, Café Caribe, International Café, Trident Grill, Slices and room service deliver as advertised. As a side note, don’t disrespect the ingredients. We both made the mistake of ordering lobster 2nd formal night. Extremely tough from either over cooking or being held at too high a heat after the cooking process. On second formal night we were seated just before the “Baked Alaska” presentation. Was not impressed by the electric candles stuck in a fake pies. Entertainment? The “Main Offenders” keyboard, two guitars, drummer and female lead who must use iPad for the lyrics. Four fair musicians in search of an adequate front person. AJ Jamal, solid stand up comedian. TWO separate 45 minute sets on different nights. Very unusual to have 90 minutes of material. David Guidice, a “good” piano bar performer. Put into the theater, backed by seven member ship band that’s amplified. Then add reverb to the vocal, computerized moving lights and some fog. Three more shows in the much smaller Explorers. Learned later he’s been doing the cruise circuit for over eleven years. Jack Lee and The Ruby Princess Showband. The above mentioned seven piece back up band steps out on their own. No special effects, reverb or over amplification. Straight music by guys doing their thing, not the charts brought on by the hired help who get off at the next port. Hello Princess, you have an untapped resource here, use them. Tricia Kelly, another Las Vegas lounge act dropped into a theatre setting. Elyse Branch, gave a solid Motown review Medallion Net, I can only compare to experience nine years ago. True, no “dead zones”, but same slow speed. Forget streaming, two minutes from log on to get to first email, 30 seconds just to load a page. “System” was down for over seven hours one night. Another night it took 2:19 to log on, then 12 minutes to retrieve ONE email and write a two line reply. We had complimentary minutes; if we had paid out of pocket for this poor service I would be demanding a refund. Slow service was experienced on two iPhones, lap top and Kindle Fire. On Demand, I have both Netflix and Amazon Prime. Had seen almost all the films offered. On demand movies in roo is far cheaper than having fresh live acts. KETCHIKAN Princess ties up at Berth 4, street construction to the South or is it cheaper. Sales people have taken position at the foot of the gangway, however are not pushy at all. First ship of the season and there is a lot of “on the job training” around the docks. Tourists haven’t spoiled it. JUNEAU Again Princess ties up at the furthest dock away from town. Next to the Chevron fuel dump that has it’s own stench that drove passengers off their balconies. Several thousand feet from town, cheaper or Princess wants you to observe the homeless while you walk to town? More excursion booths at the dock, but salespeople a little more aggressive. Have lunch at a place looking over the sea plane operation, do some shopping then back to the ship. SKAGWAY Due to landslide, the primary dock is unavailable for the foreseeable future. Have to walk to the train for the only Princess backed excursion that is accessible. Wonderful small town, can’t imagine the place over run by three or four ships. Lunch at the new “Sweet Tooth” Café, sign says they close at 2 P.M., they will quickly learn to stay open while tourists are walking around to save for that long cold winter. This will always be a small town. OBSERVATIONS We have been away from cruising and Princess for nine years, I can only go by my own past experience. Princess has changed their target demographics to an older crowd. If it were just this cruise, it would not explain the shift of the dinner service fleet wide to earlier times. There were a couple of days of warm weather at the start and end of the cruise, yet this cruise had the least number of physical actives we have experienced. Musical acts concentrate on songs 40-60 years old. While speaking of musical acts, adding fog, reverb and 60 computerized spotlights to a so-so act still leaves you with a so-so act. My opinion the stripped down sets by the ship’s band were far better than any other act We had already experienced the Princess onboard sales pitches of a decade ago, but that has quadruped. Hard sales pitch while eating breakfast and dinner. Almost every organized event ends with some ship’s store “sale” sepal. As I write this, it’s day ten of twelve day cruise. I have collected close to an inch of ads shoved under my door. Oh, another issue. As stated we are in an accessible cabin. Whose bright idea was it to remove the “mail box”. There are quite a few people on this ship who can’t do the simple act of picking up anything from the floor. The idea of charging more for a specialty restaurant is fine, except there still has to be value. I am speaking from experiencing the first offerings so many years ago. A screened off section of Horizon Court called “Sterling Steak House” for the exorbitant surcharge of $5.00 getting huge steaks with large sides. Rather off putting paying $29.00 at the “Crown Grill” for a $15 steak and a bowl of potatoes and vegetables. As stated before the place was deserted at dinner. Another side note, same venue used for “English Pub Lunch” with the same wait staff. The airs of a high end restaurant disappeared quickly as a two hour line snaked from the entrance. Looked like a toy store on “Black Friday” with waiters confusing what orders to what tables right off the bat. Cruise director and staff were both approachable and knowledgeable of ship’s activities. Although at times some events were questionable for upper end cruise line; paper planes or egg drops………Please disregard comment about paper airplanes. Just saw over 200 people entertained by 50 pieces of paper thrown off deck 6. Princess requires separate form NOW should you be bringing mobility device on board for each cruise. Why not ask for letter of need/requirement of accessible cabins. You keep records of past passenger’s information, this would be a onetime verification and data entry. To get to the balcony of this accessible cabin, a narrow metal plate falls into place to bridge the gap between the inside/outside ramps. Great idea, except the only way to retract this plate is to reach down and lift it up with a finger. If there was a mechanism to lift this plate, it was broken a long time ago. Can’t comment about others, but my wife is physically unable to this maneuver. Princess still “offers” coin operated washer/dryers. Very useful on extended cruises, easily reduces amount of packed clothing over 50%. Although the machines look like the originals from the ship’s maiden voyage, the cost has increased over 100% since our last cruise. $3.00 wash with inadequate spin cycle resulting in a sodden load. Another $3.00 for a 35 minute dryer cycle on high to get a warm damp load that ended up being hung about the cabin. Can I bet a large some of money that Princess will soon totally do away with the laundromat, forcing passengers to use the more profitable ship’s laundry. Bottom Line Been away from cruising close to nine years, but have been on twelve Princess cruises for a total of 100 days. I know what cruising on Princess WAS. I can only say that except from crew performance, this cruise was of a lesser quality. From conversations with others and this experience, it is unknown if we will return. I do know I would not recommend Princess to a relative or friend at this point. I do know a large number of passengers on this cruise volunteered they will not be returning to Princess. Read Less

14th cruise with Princess. Granddaughter came along to help. Embarkation smooth for most part. Took a long time with so many passengers. Disembarkation took a while for same reasons.Ship, cabin, service great as always. Dining? Spent more time on Horizon Court this trip. Dining room food seemed overly rich with more unnecessary sauces and not the same kinds of choices we had before. Now if you want steak, it's an extra charge! Thought that was too bad. Seems as though more things we took for granted (free coffee at coffee bar) is now charged. Horizon Court staff are the best! Food was good and mostly healthy. Granddaughter enjoyed shore excursions. We older folks had trouble. For Victoria time was cut short. By the time we got off the ship, it was a very long walk to the bus for Burchardt Gardens. We were not told this and my husband has mobility issues. . Also told, only a step up or 2 for bus; it was about 6 or so. (On way back, husband missed a step and sat down and needed help getting up). Waited then still at ship, a long time for no shows. By the time we got there, we only had about a half hour or so. The gardens need several hours and more. We gave up on the Mt. Roberts tramway. Supposedly close to ship. Not close enough for husband. Granddaughter loved it and hiked almost to top. She loved all her excursions in rainforest, ziplining, etc. Would we go again? We'll have to think about it. 12 days may be too long. BUT we did love being able to go and come back to Los Angeles. And we enjoy the coastal cruises. Haven't give up yet! Read Less

We chose this cruise because 1, it was going to Alaska, nd 2, it left and returned from Los Angeles. We couldn’t afford our normal balcony room, so we opted for a window room. It was just ok. We did learn a lesson though. We won’t opt for a upgrade option. We were put in a room we wouldn’t have chosen. It was too close to the front of the ship instead of the middle or closer to the back like we needed. Like usual on Princess ships, the International Cafe was our favorite place to start and end our days and nights. The waitresses were the BEST!!! Friendly, fun, got to know us by name and favorite drink! The food was just ok. Sabatinis was the best meal we ate! The coffees in the International Cafe were great. Just wish we didn’t have to pay for them. Wish they offered coconut milk as an option. Read Less

We had not cruised for 12 years and we were anxious to try again. Our ship sailed from Los Angeles and the boarding experience was excellent. We had an Aft cabin with a large balcony, B749. Overall the suite was good but the star princess is definitely showing her age, There were cracked tiles in the bathroom and we had to call maintenance to have the shower drain cleared as it was backing up. However, the issues we had weer handled quickly and fixed on the first call. Our cabin steward was excellent and went out of his way to make sure we had a great trip. The crown grill was really enjoyable and we dined there additional times after the complimentary meal they gave us for our first night. The buffet was quite good too. Breakfast was very good. We didn't shop or use the casino so I can't comment on those. The shows were mediocre although I heard that the magician was excellent (we missed that). Seating in the theater was a zoo. You need to be there well ahead of the show to get a seat. I would like to see some sort of priority seating for guests in expensive suites. Priority boarding, club class dining but fight for a seat in the theater? Probably why we missed several shows. The club class dining was excellent too and the staff got to know us immediately and treated us like VIP long term guests. The maître d' was as good as in any restaurant I have ever visited. She prepared a special dessert every night on her stand in the center of the restaurant. My wife visited the spa 4 times and thought that the massages were good but overpriced. She tells me that the facial was below par and she would not try that a second time. The gym was a little disappointing but not bad overall. Read Less

It quickly became evident that our most recent cruise experience was going to be less than stellar. From empty serving pans and poor service at the buffet when we boarded, to the poor quality of food that we received at their pricey specialty restaurant...one thing gradually led to another, to exemplify just how far the cruising industry has degraded over the years. Apparently, the cruise industry is much more interested in seeing how many people they can stuff aboard a single ship, than concerning themselves with customer satisfaction. We loved most of the ports that we visited, and most of the tours that we took. It's a shame that the tour descriptions opted to overlook aspects of tours that would prove daunting to handicapped passengers, and omit the fact that another area of one of their tours will simply not be available to passengers, even after they've paid for the tour. The dining room food quality was disappointing, at best. Ship stabilizers were over-reactive, and often tossed the ship harshly from side to side. Crewmembers admitted that this is not the smoothest ship they've ever been on. On the day of disembarkation, you have to be out of your stateroom by 8:00 am. Guys, make sure you use the restroom before leaving your stateroom, because after you leave your stateroom, and go to the buffet, you'll discover that EVERY men's toilet facility in EVERY public men's room on the ship has been locked, with a sign that reads, "UNDER MAINTENANCE". How interesting that EVERY men's room toilet broke all at once. Or, could it be that the cleaning staff has decided to clean them early (as they will need to turn the ship around in a few hours) and couldn't care less if you've gotta "go" or not? No Board of Health to report them to, I guess. Most of the cruise lines appear to be affiliated with one another these days, so I don't know if one line is any better than any other. Just don't set your sights very high, and you shouldn't be disappointed. Read Less

We like L.A. to L.A. cruises for their convenient location. We also like sea days. Star Princess is familiar for us and we like the old Skywalkers for cocktails at 5pm. I thought the guests entertainer singers were better than usual. We had Teacake and Ric Steele. I enjoyed both. The production show "Born to Dance" was excellent also. Will be doing 15 day Hawaii run again on Star Princess in Nov. so I guess you can say we like it. We like ships in the 1,500 to 2,500 passenger size, and have no desire to cruise on the new mega ships. Some critics will knock Princess Cruises because the Line is not overly fancy or the food is just very good, but we have used several other Lines and have found Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises to suite our needs the best.This cruise we traveled by ourselves, but often we travel with friends and they also prefer these Lines. Oh, and we also like Inside cabins, Go figure? Read Less

I chose this cruise for two reasons. 1st because it was round trip from Los Angeles. and 2nd so I could evaluate the cruise. I am a new Princess Commodore, and I wanted to be able to share my experiences on this cruise with future potential customers. The convenience of Round Trip out of Los Angeles was the major reason we chose this cruise. The crew of the ship were absolutely wonderful !!, from our room steward Charlie, who made our room feel personal and welcoming, to the cruise director Mario, the assistant director Aaron, Baby Face bingo, Gabby, Vanessa & Mark. Our wait staff in the Portofino restaurant were excellent and very attentive. Remembering each person in our party's special likes and dislikes. The head waiter even brought me caramel syrup for my morning waffle at the buffet. Crafts were fun and Vanessa & Gabby were excellent instructors. The bed in our cabin was excellent. Charlie made a point of keeping our ice bucket filled and remembered we needed an extra towel for showering. Overall, the food was not of the high quality that I remember Princess to have on prior cruises. And I was a bit disappointed in the appearance of the ship, the Star Princess, as the shower curtain in our cabin had mold around the bottom edge. The Women's public bathrooms were consistently under repair with many closed at any given time. It was important and reassuring to see crew constantly cleaning the public areas. The excursions were absolutely excellent. I will be giving them excellent reviews on Trip Adviser. We went Bear watching in Ketchikan, Rode the Tram in Juneau, and went Zip Lining at Grisley Falls in Skagway. I give all of them the top rating of 10 Very Satisfied. The shows aboard were also excellent. The Princess Singers & Dancers were wonderful and the entertainers brought on board were Excellent. We really enjoyed the Star Gazing and the movies under the stars. The informational shows on the ports was very informative. Shopping on board and in the Princess shops ashore was nice but repetitive. Same shops in all ports, carrying the same merchandise. I purchased the savings book and probably won't do that again. The coupons were the same in each port, but almost non existent in Skagway. Most coupons were much the same as we were given as we left the ship at each port. Not really worth the purchase price of the book. While the Internet service has improved from even last year, it is still very frustrating. Overall I would rate the cruise 8 out of 10, due to the drop in quality of the food and the maintenance issues I previously listed. Read Less

We chose this cruise to try out a 12 day cruise and we loved it! We have never been to Alaska and we enjoyed it but probably wouldn’t go there again as we are used to sunny weather. The Star Princess is by FAR the best ship we have EVER been on. The attitude of all the staff was unbelievably upbeat, helpful and kind. The casino staff was wonderful and the bar tenders great. The cruise director and the bingo guy babyface were outstanding and I loved the morning “Wake Show”. We ordered room service every morning and the young man who delivered it was GREAT. The night before disembarkation we were told that we could not order breakfast the last morning. Our guy brought us breakfast and surprised us. It was very special. This was consistent with our entire experience - smiles everywhere we went. We will definitely go on the Star Princess again. Read Less