We chose Princess because of prior positive experiences on other ships like the Royal and Regal. We sailed 25 times on Princess before this cruise. We paid a premium for the full South America cruise. Unfortunately the ship was disappointing compared to other Princess ships. Embarkation was smooth and fast. My stateroom was outdated and worn. The carpet was stained and old. The bathroom was worn out and old. The hot water was not working and it took five days for them to fix it plus four different technicians to verify that it was broken. The TV was old and did not have any on demand capabilities. I remember sailing on ships in late 2000’s with on demand TV so it was shocking this ship did not have it. The hallway carpeting was also old and stained. The only evidence of updating was the dining rooms and main atrium.

The food was the worst I ever experienced on Princess. The beginning of the cruise was worse. The portions were tiny and quality poor. Shockingly, Princess did away with the wine package on this cruise. After restocking in Chile, the food was markedly better. The service was good and the wait staff always tried to make you happy.

The specialty restaurants were good but now the Crown Grill charged an extra $10 for surf and turf. Share restaurant was good but not worth $39 per person. I miss the Italian restaurant. The Horizon Court was packed for breakfast and it was hard to find seating. We did the sit down for breakfast after looking for seats the first week of the cruise. Read more