Pacific Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this trip because of the itinerary which, because of high seas and storm Hector, was not all it could have been. We missed three ports and substituted one with a $250 credit for all three missed ports. Considering the ship did not have to pay port fees for these missed stops and the two in Scotland were especially important to many on board, we felt this was a very small credit. Also, while ship upkeep seemed fine, carpets were bumps in certain places, especially in the dining area and Club Lounge, which could be quite dangerous.
Crew was fantastic, as usual, but food was subpar from what we have experienced on Princess ships in the past. Fewer selections in main dining room and more esoteric, although staples were offered every day (My husband got sick of salmon and he loves it!) and we went to Specialty Dining many times and ate upstairs as well, which is not usual for us.
Entertainment was first rate for the most part, especially the guest lecturers=as were Shore Excursions (we took two, another break from past practice). As I said, very good with some caveats, but not excellent!
Cabin Review
Balcony
Cabin was fine with plenty of storage space, but towels never dried so we had to exchange towels each day. Small TV is not what we were used to either and we have been on another ship of this type and LARGE TV was well placed in that one. Most importantly, mattress on bed was very soft and broken down on edges. Our Room Steward got us two backboards to put underneath which helped, but... room remained dusty, bathroom never quite clean, and rug didn't appear to have been cleaned once on our 18 day cruise. Again this is not what we have experienced on other Princess cruises.
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Home port so we needed no excursion. Loved having to board within 5 hours of home.
New York (Manhattan)
Loved NYC and did do NYC 911 tour but did through 911 Center as we wanted to do the whole thing at our own speed.
Isafjord
Loved the tour but felt it didn't reveal that much of Iceland. Singer overslept and didn't meet us as planned so it got a wee bit messy. Tour guide handled it as well as could be expected. Singer never apologized for his lateness.
Akureyri
Took a private tour which was all encompassing, went at our own pace, and added in some things we wanted to see. Would have liked a warning about the flies at Mytvan though as we had hordes of them descend on us there and at other stops in the area. Would have bought mosquito nets to protect our faces if we'd known.
Dover
Private tour to Dover Castle, Dover Tunnels, walk on White Cliffs of Dover, plus drive to Canterbury to the Cathedral and trip to St. Margaret's. Very full day (we opted to skip lunch to do it all) but great one with very accommodating guide!