Sea Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first time cruising on Princess Cruises and we were drawn initially to this particular itinerary because of the attractive option of a B2B that would have us embarking/disembarking at Fremantle with a 28-day cruise in between - how many times do you hear anyone raving about the flying part of their holiday!
We have only ever cruised with Celebrity in the past, and even then, not that many times. So we are relatively new to cruising and don't have that much experience to make comparisons anyway. Anyway, we think comparing the two would be like apples and oranges anyway, with both pitched and priced at differing sectors of the market.
Embarkation at Fremantle went as smoothly as could be hoped, we think mainly because we had stuck to our pre-arranged arrival time. On and having an explore around the ship in around thirty minutes. Even without any welcome drinks, we felt there could have been a bit more enthusiasm and staff for that initial greeting, but we were soon off discovering/getting lost on our new home away from home.
Cabin Review
Interior
Even though this cabin is probably no different to the vast majority of other inside cabins, it was located directly across the corridor from the Art Auction store room. Now unless you wanted some insider info on what each painting was likely to sell for from the assistants, being woken up each and every morning at around 6-6:30am from the movement of trolleys, became very frustrating. Avoid like the plague.
Port Reviews
Lombok
Probably not a fair comment on the whole island, but if you are intending to just go ashore and have a walk around, don't bother.
After the barrage of taxi/moped/horse and cart spruikers, you won't be that impressed with the first kilometer walk.
Might be worth arranging own/ships tour.
Penang
Cruise port is right near the action. Hop-on, hop-off is nearby, but do your research and just find the nearest circuit transit free bus service (it goes in a loop, so you'll eventually end up back where you started).
Plenty to see and do for a days visit even if you just stay in the city.
Langkawi
Organised our own tour here and well worth it. You have to get a bit further out from the cruise port. Duty free haven apparently (found out afterwards, after seeing the mountains of duty free alcohol on return to the ship).
Will have to do this island again for a longer stopover.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Had visited Ho Chi Minh on a previous occasion, so took the ship's shuttle bus service to Ba Rai (about 25min bus ride). Not a great deal to see, so if you really only want a short leg stretch, ask directions to the large multi-storey market about 300-400 mtrs away. We just got lost!
Sihanoukville
Unless you are a beach lover, not a great deal to do here.
Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
Took the ship's offered shuttle service to Pattaya on this occasion (had previously visited Bankok and didn't want the four hour round trip on a one day visit this time around).
Not a huge amount to do in the city itself - especially in the daytime - unless you like shopping or water sports.
Bali
Took this opportunity to see more than the 'touristy' bits of Bali that we had been to on previous holiday. Ventured up into the hinterlands on a self organised small group tour with two other couples. Took in Ubud (alright, it's already going down the tourist route, but not yet quite as busy as Kuta or Legian), Monkey Forest, Batuan Village compound, Ubud Market and a few other places squeezed into a five hour tour. Had a great guide/driver with Nyoman Ariasa of BaliIslandTours doing everything he could to make it a memorable day.
Singapore
What's not to love about Singapore - although we're still trying to find that one day of the year when it isn't humid!
If you want a fast, cheap and easy way to get around, invest in an MTR card. This is valid for years and can be re-charged for future visits. Will get you just about anywhere on the island, the hardest part is the 500m walk from the cruise terminal to the the nearby train station.
Koh Samui
Once again, not much at the tender drop-off pier. A single strip of the usual shopping 'tat' and not much else. We would take a self organised tour next time around as there seemed to be many of them picking-up/dropping-off at the jetty.