My husband has cruised on Princess once before (about 12 years ago) and he really wanted to go with them again. I wanted to be able to drive to the departure port so we chose a 7-day California Coastal, round trip from LA. It was just the two of us ages 45 and 46. Left the kids at home since they don't appreciate cruising (which is fine with me as it's much cheaper that way!). After reading many reviews on the aft balconies, I chose cabin B754 which we loved. We did get some movement when we were out at sea but we found it soothing. I chose Baja deck so we would be neither above or below any public areas and it was nice and quiet. Sometimes we did hear "ship sounds" but nothing that was ever a problem. The cabin was adequate and the balcony was larger than I expected, which was a nice surprise. It had two chairs and a small table. We didn't use it for dining or anything- just sat in the chairs (or more frequently, stood at the railing) and enjoyed the ocean. The shower is miniscule! I understand this is the norm on Princess. We were scheduled to visit San Francisco, Monterey, San Diego, and Ensenada. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Monterey because the seas were a bit too rough, making tendering unsafe. Too bad able that as that was the port I was most interested in. We left Monterey that morning, spent the night and part of the next morning at Sea, and docked in San Diego half a day early (noon) so we actually overnighted in SD. Overall I loved the ship and the decor (classy- the Piazza I thought was beautiful) although the constant art displays that took up all of Explorer's Lounge on several occasions was a bit much. Does anyone buy art on a cruise? I guess they must or the ships wouldn't keep devoting that much time and space and effort to it. Buffet food was not very flavorful IMO but we very much enjoyed the MDR three nights and chose to try Crown Grill and SHARE on two other nights. Overall very good. SHARE is a more adventurous menu and I loved the decor but it's high up aft and there was a constant vibration and an intermittent high pitched rattle/squeak in the ceiling that really detracted from the experience. Hope they get it fixed soon. Didn't care for the Main Offenders band or the Magic to Do production show but AJ Jamal (guest comedian) was pretty good... especially his bit about the showers on board! All staff with the exception of the young lady in the soft serve ice cream area were friendly. All in all, we were very pleased and we are already looking at another Princess cruise, hopefully to Hawaii this time. Read Less

The cruise to NZ was the main reason for this holiday. The Golden Princess is a beautiful and well maintained ship. Service in all areas was second to none. All staff members were friendly, helpful and happy. Cabin was spacious and clean. We had a cabin with a balcony. The cabin steward was very attentive and looked after us very well. The bed was the most comfortable I have ever slept in. Dining was a great experience the staff were friendly and attentive. The food was excellent, the menu changed daily . With many dishes to choose from. Entertainment was great so much to offer every night and day. Port and shore excursions were great and reasonably priced. Shopping was also very good. We purchased some jewellery and clothing as well as some spirits a great prices. I would surely cruise with princess again. As a matter of fact I will be cruising with princess in 2020! Read Less

My daughters and a friend of mine decided that a two day short cruise would be fun, but we were more than 4 hours late leaving the port of Brisbane , so no movies on deck least we disturb the people living near the port, but no one bothered to tell us until a fellow passenger told us a half hour after it should have started. Very annoying. When we went to the 9.30 movie on deck the speakers were so bad we couldn’t hear anything so gave up and went inside. The movies under the stars was going to be a high light for us. Then the next morning we got up ready for the advertised sales and shop openings, after looking around at everything and deciding on what we wanted to buy, we were told that passengers on the short trip could not buy anything that was not a necessity and then only up to $50. But there were people walking around with things that were obviously bought in the shops. No crew members could tell us why we were not allowed to buy anything, so I am still unaware what the reason was. If I had wanted to have someone tell me I couldn’t have something then I would have bought my husband along !! The cruise was not at all what I expected and I would not recommend a short cruise to anyone if this is what happens, all in all, I was very disappointed. Read Less

First, this is our 2nd cruise with the Regal. Boarding was awesome, however recommend not to pre order your medallion,wait until you get to terminal. They are still working out the kinks with this process. For example,we ordered our medallion 3 wks before our cruise, however received another passengers medallion and someone else got ours. The Technolgy on the ship is amazing and blows all other cruise lines away. It’s so cool because their are cool apps you can download like ocean ready, ocean compass and play ocean. We used play ocean because of all the Triva games and new ones every day. We stayed in a balcony, D332 it was ok however we had to look down on a life boat, not cool. Our steward was Denchi he did and awesome job! Cabin was always clean, only wish Princes would install USB ports near the beds and a outlet in the bathroom. Our most memorable moment regarding entertainment was the group Beatlemania they were amazing, sounded and looked just like the Beatles. We didn’t go to any other shows,most were the Princes dancers which have seen before and the comedians according some of the passengers were only so so. We did however like the The Voice of the Ocean it was very similar to the real Voice. Regarding meals, we love that Princes still does not charge with Room service unlike other cruise lines. We used this service often. The only complaint would have to be the Horizon Buffett. It appeared to be lacking variety and served same food every morning and the lunches were also lacking. The main issue was they would take the lunch Buffett food down by 2:00 to prepare for dinner, so we just went to Alfredo’s Pizza which is free and amazing. We ate at the Crown Grill their steaks were amazing, however I think the choices on their menus are over tops, meaning just a salad would be nice, not all this fancy food . Can’t say enough about the pastry chef amazing desserts with every meal. The dining room meals were ok,again kind of over the top..keep it simple. We bought the beverage package, so totally worth it, unlike other cruise lines you get top shelf without any extra cost. Love the activities, so nice to see Oz who came from another cruise line. We played lots of Triva and met new friends, I wish they would have the Triva not in Princes Live no tables and can’t get your chairs in a circle. Wasn’t crazy about the Cruise Director never saw her except for special events. Love Alfredios Pizza especially Mica our sweet waitress. And omg the Lady Luck lady who hosted Bingo spoke to the passengers like we were kindergarten kids, awful and annoying. Our excursions to Princes Cay was the best, rented a 9.00 raft and enjoyed relaxing. Try to take the first boat off so you can get a good spot and a raft. Paid for a excursion at St Thomas, we took the St John Champagne tour it was second time going, however it was different they hired a new girl and she get pouring champagne mixed with rum punch, not smart... Dissembarking was quite easy we used Princes Transfer to the airport it cost but worth it. Because we opt to come one day earl, we rented a car best idea ever. Alamo rental has a car rental at the port you can drop your car off and a shuttle will take you to the port.. One last note during our cruise a small plane crashed with 2 men overboard, the Regal was the closest ship, Captain and crew did a fanstatic job with the rescue, both men were saved because of their expertise and speed. Read Less

Everything was incredible!! They make you feel like family and you never want to leave the ship! The food was world class and the service on the ship was otherworldly, the drinks on board were incredible and allowed you to venture into a whole other culture and a whole other world of excitement! It is a wonderful mix of people and every passenger on board was so fun and excited and so sweet to everyone else. The stage shows that they put on our like a broadway musical and the performers can sing with the best of them! They have a full range of things for you to do whether it’s hanging by the 5 pools and jacuzzi’s they have, learning about the many secrets of pirate treasure, world class shopping with incredible deals, or anything else you can think of, there is never ever a dull moment. Everything was so smooth especially with their new medallion you use for everything!! It is the best thing out there!! 100% recommend!!! Read Less

Embarkation and disembarkation was amazingly smooth. Dining room and Wine Bar staff were exceptional. Entertainment was not as good as that on previous Princess cruises (9).This was one of many cruises to the Caribbean so the ports of call weren't of particular interest to us but I think most would have been enjoyable to the less traveled cruisers. Internet service...as usual on Princess ships...leaves much to be desired. It's not so much the speed as its reliability/availability. It was up/down much of the cruise. Princess should think about giving the service to guest instead of charging for it. We had a balcony mini-suite which was quite comfortable. The balcony was of nice size and the cabin included 2 large-screen TVs and a sleeper sofa. The food quality and variety was excellent though the service around the pool area and in the Horizon buffet needed much improvement. Be sure not to miss the Culinary and Galley Presentation! Read Less

We took this cruise mainly because we liked the itinerary—Princess Cays, St. Thomas, Martinique, Grenada, Bonaire, and Curacao. Embarkation was easy. Princess always has good service, good food, and good entertainment. It was hard not to feel like there were too many people on board. I wonder how many people it originally carried. The elevators were crowded and sometimes the entertainment venues were packed! There were just more passengers than room for them sometimes I’m handicapped and appreciate both the ease of getting around on Princess ships and the attentiveness of the crew. I was quite pleased with my accessible room. I was always seated near the entrance of the dining room, and when I had breakfast or lunch at the buffet there was always a crew member offering to help me get my meal. It’s easy to get the feeling that the ship’s getting long in the tooth, but the most obvious place was the Horizon Court buffet. Both the furniture and carpet were really worn. Princess should make a priority of fixing that. I enjoyed this cruise and imagine I’ll be sailing with Princess again. The pros far outweighed the cons while onboard, and disembarkation was a breeze. Princess partners with the airlines, and for a fee you can have your luggage checked to your final destination when you leave it outside your cabin on the last night of the cruise! Read Less

When it takes 4hrs to have your toilet plunged or at least 20min for room service to answer the phone, what else really needs to be said? This was by far the worst cruise I've ever travelled on. Staff dragged their feet for everything. Barely a smile from staff the entire cruise. People just going through the motions. The itinerary is built for travellers 70+. Nothing except comedy show and bingo worth going to if you are 40 or below. The 80s night at Skywalker's was the newest music you will find. I made the mistake of bringing my 3 and 6yo on this cruise. If you do not drop them in kids club, you will be spending the time with your child in your room watching movies. Movies only because there were no kids channels or cartoons. Jeffrey Santiago (steward) and Edgar (Front Desk Manager) were lone superstars on the cruise. Unless you want to bid on art or do nothing for 5 days, book other cruise line. Read Less

I am a veteran when it comes to cruising. I have done over 20. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland. This was my first and last on Princess. This ship was supposed to be refurbished but our bathroom smelled moldy. I have to steam and use fabreeze to try and fix the smell. I had heard that the service was ok in the beginning and tapers off towards the end of the cruise. That was exactly what happened. By day 4 the waiters in the Buffet areas were down right rude. I always pre-paid gratuities but this was the first time I had to fight myself not to have them taken off. This cruise closes down at midnight, no bars open, disco was dead and only played music from 60-80s. Bingo was over priced and the host talked non stop. It took over an hour to play 4 games. Only one live show in 5 days. The shore excursion desk took us to tender then told us to walk to dolphin encounters. They cut it so close , we never had time to shop. I was offered free play on my next cruise but I tore the paper up. I won’t ever go on princess again. Can’t give me a free cruise. Royal Caribbean or Carnival for me. Read Less

The three areas that were disappointing were entertainment, menu selection and smoking venue. The comic, diva, trio and pianist at Crooners very good; the dance band, guitar players and Wallace Black dIsappointment; The trio played a great selection of mariachi and dance music. Tea Cake Forest Diva performance of Aretha and Whitney Houston excellent; the comedian offered a good show. The dance band played with no soul and the Wallace Black Duo especially the female singer not at quality level for Princess Cruises, the pianist at Wheelhouse advised me doesn’t do requests - really? Movie selections impressive and availablity to see in Princess Theater was a positive option. The menu selection on Horizon for breakfast and lunch unappealing Friday and Saturday. Sailed on Ash Wednesday and a Friday in Lent and found selections of non meat sparse. Salty Dog Street Tacos selections disappointing and exception of Saturday night menu of Michangelos limited, two nights orders were incorrect and avoided ordering wine or drinks as it seemed delayed menu orders. The Speakeasy was a cramped room for smokers and drink service available lnconsistent in comparison to smoking bar on The Star Princess. Read Less