We chose this cruise for the itinerary, which did not disappoint, especially both Petra in Aqaba and Herculaneum in Naples were amazing. Sad to say the Sapphire Princess did ,the food served up was at best ordinary and at worst downright bad, bad veggies, rotton fruit. Menu repeated over and over with no regional menus associated with our port calls. Drinks were overpriced. The shows were mixed some very good others not. You had to be there 1/2 early to get in to some of the entertainment venues which were too small to accomodate the 3000. passengers on board. The lectures offered were too few , Bridge was not offered by the ship and was organised by one of the passengers and this was a godsend to many of us on the many sea days. The library was very poorly stocked. We had to pay exorbitant fees for shuttles that were in the past complimentary when the port was a distance away from the nearest town.We only had one chair provided in the cabin and had to ask for another which was provided .On a positive note, the staff in the main, were both cheerful and helpful . Read Less

This was our 3rd Cruise, two of which were only 7 days each.Our last one being with Princess in Alaska. We were happy then so tried them again. This time it was 37 days at sea on the Sapphire Princess ship from Southampton to Singapore. Before we booked we wondered if it was too long a cruise and also could we cope with the 6 days in a row at sea? This cruise was AMAZING!! its itinerary with long shore days, mostly 7am -7pm. It was such an interesting itinerary with amazing ports of call. We found plenty to do on our 6 day stint at sea, so we were never bored. The staff are so professional and really look after all their passengers as if they are family. From Booking, Boarding, dining, entertaining, service, cabin steward, shore excursions it is all a breeze. They are ultra organized!!! We had a balcony cabin which had plenty room inside and out. We have been on another cruise with a different company and the balcony was too small. Fantastic entertainment onboard and it was very varied. So many dining options. We were informed regularly on where we were, where we were going and what to do onboard. Some days we did not have enough time to do all we wanted to do. Activities covered all age groups and interests. We only did 2 offshore tours with them and they again were really organized. We loved hearing the Destination Presentation in the Theatre so we had a idea on what to expect from when you left the ship to go ashore to returning. these were so helpful in planning you day ashore. Whether you were doing one of their tours or doing it independently so much information was given eg: what the terrain was like and how many steps you might need to climb. etc etc etc. Everything ran smoothly from booking, boarding to disembarking. We did not want to leave this ship after 37 days so this tells you how impressive this company and cruise was. We are already looking at where to go again with PRINCESS CRUISES. Read Less

This is where it goes a little off course---so to speak. Do to this being the first time the Sapphire did this route. Well the weather dictated the what, when and how the cruise would unfold. We wanted and did the cruise for 2 reasons: To see the Eiffel Tower ---weather made us bypass that port---the the Vatican---Oh guess what "closed" on our tour date. That made our trip of a lifetime with a party of 10 almost unbelievable to say the least. The ship was great---people, food and entertainment ---expected and near 5 stars. But missing the ONLY two points of interest NOT to our liking at all. Then being booked by your cruise line person and putting us all over the place instead of exactly where WE wanted was also unforgivable...but being halfway around the world and on the ship---making a point to those in power on the ship ---well we stayed where we did not request the whole cruise...not happy campers. Then our seating for dinner (5 star food and waiters) NOT where we requested through our cruise agent by Princess---a party of 10 of us---no--we got seated on the main food delivery route...and the window seat for our party which we have had several times on other trips (we do family cruises) the whole trip there was only 4 people max to use that table. Again requested by the powers that be and told where you are is where you stay... Travel time by air and those seats booked by our Princess agent also were terrible...and the very last day---follow me here---up at 4am to get off ship---tour of around the area where we were supposed to see the Vatican (saw the roof) to get there on a bus and that took an hour and 45 minutes---walking for 3 hours plus---back on the bus to the airport--check in---wait another 2 hours---fly to France (in the dark---no Eiffel Tower in sight) wait at that airport another 13 hours---get on a airbus travel by air to Los Angeles by air like 13 hours---going back in time as opposed to "loosing time" on our cruise that not one of us was even told about---then wait a couple hours then fly HOME to San Diego...over a total of some 27 hours plus---it took almost 4 days to recover from this "trip of a lifetime" before we could go back to work---owners of our own business that made it even worse not to be able to "bounce" back do totally in fact to our Princess booking agent who needs to be fired for doing such and injustice to a party of 10 that spent A LOT of money for this once in a lifetime trip. We have even gone so far as to write a long letter to corporate that we certified. I would not recommend this trip to Europe to anyone. Read Less

I cruised on the Sapphire to the Canary Islands this time last year. It was a great experience. The ship was then going onto Dubai and Singapore so I thought this year I’d do the London to Dubai leg through the Suez. It was considered 2 cruises- London to Rome where about half the boat got off and the Rome to Singapore although loads got off in Dubai. I took the NEX bus from LHR T3 down to Southampton for a cost of £24 and stayed overnight. Embarkation at around 12.30pm took about 10-15 mins. I had an interior cabin. The steward brought me a small table as they are no longer provided and I like somewhere to put my breakfast tray. I loved the new lamps which have the USB port in the base and also the lamp arm can be moved closer to the bed for reading. So handy for my phone and fitbit. Shortly after we set sail the Captain announced that due to bad weather we would not be going to Le Havre. Many people were upset at missing out on Paris, the Landing Beaches or just meeting relatives. I’d been to Paris and Le Havre before so it didn’t affect me. We went to Vigo in Spain instead. Around midnight Captain Ravera who fortunately is very calmly spoken, advised us that we would detour to somewhere off the south coast of England so a medical evacuation could take place. It would be at sea. It was like being woken up by say the TV and not the usual roar you get over the PA that gives you a fright. On embarkation, in my room, there was a 4 page A4 leaflet from Guest Services with Immigration, Tips and Shuttle and Taxi Services for each port from London to Rome and another given in Rome for Rome to Singapore. It listed what was needed, when they would collect/give back passports, where we were docking, costs of any shuttles running and so on. Of course this was updated in the Princess Patter/ port talks if there were changes. Unless you had difficulty reading English it was all very clearly laid for you. I was pleased to see Debbie Shields on board. She’s an excellent port lecturer with so much knowledge of history, practical information and visuals to make the most out of your day in port. The lectures are later put on TV and she is available for questions. She even prepared lecturers for the 2 unexpected ports. I ate dinner in the International Dining Room most nights with a few nights in the buffet. The menus were varied but repeated now and then, but I never got sick of the food for the 26 days. I like breakfast in my room as I rarely dress for breakfast. Its continental but I always go up the night before and grab some snack from the buffet and keep it in the fridge to go with it. Room Service during sea days was hopeless. I tried on two different days for over an hour to get through and couldn’t. They just don’t have enough staff working that area. So if I wanted a coffee and biscuit I’d just go up and get it from the buffet myself. Annoying, but hardly a deal breaker. My cabin was mid-aft, the buffet was aft so the walk probably did me good. I noticed quite a few people with thermal cups so I’ll get one for my next cruise. The staff were always professional, cheerful, helpful and hard working. I had to laugh in Abu Dhabi where I saw quite a line of them buying fridge magnets! Must be newbies who haven’t been there before. Laundry facilities were very good with 4 washers and 4 dryers on each deck. The token machine played up and charged me 3 times. Guest services quickly removed the two I didn’t get tokens for. I always check my account each day on my mobile so I can query anything straight away. Vigo was followed by Lisbon, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Toulon, Livorno, Rome and Naples. Seemingly all went well. I enjoyed all the shows and guest performers but as usual the theatre usually filled up about 20-30 mins before the show started. The shows were repeated on the second leg of the cruise but I usually only went the once. The guest performers also did a show elsewhere on the ship. As we were leaving Naples around 6pm, the Captain announces there was a storm brewing and we wouldn’t be going to Messina but heading for Santorini instead. I was a bit disappointed because I hadn’t been to Sicily but had spent 5 nights on Santorini. The ship experienced force 11 winds and I woke up in the night yelling “stop it, stop it”. It felt like someone was at the end of my bed jolting it backwards and forwards. I didn’t eat much the next day and rested. Sick bags were hanging all over the place but fortunately I didn’t need one. Santorini was a tender port which I try to avoid where possible. From the info given it seemed there could be quite a wait to get on the cable car which took 30 at a time. I decided, along with about 200 others, to opt for the “Santorini on you own” which was advertised as “beat the queues” with around 4h free time. We waited in the theatre for 70 mins! Too many people for the buses (some sneaked on I think). So much time wasting we ended up having 1h 40 mins free time. Then halfway back to the ship the shuttle went back to the pier and picked up more people! Why I don’t know as they had to stand as no-one would sit up top as it was raining. Time wasting and stuffing around in the extreme. I’ve never been on such a dreadful excursion. If it was free fair enough but they charged US$50 for what was basically a transfer, an absolute total ripoff. I complained as did many others to no avail. No excuses Princess. They regularly call in at Santorini and should be organised. After a glass of wine or two I’d recovered and thought well if that’s the worst that happens in a month its not too bad and then I focused on Rhodes our next port. Delightful experience. After Rhodes we started what I consider the adventure part of the cruise. We anchored of Port Said overnight, then early morning we headed into the Suez. We were ship number 4 in a convoy of 22. Its single file. At around 6.30 – 7.00am Debbie started her commentary pointing out things of interest. She was a trooper. She kept this up on and off all day until 4pm when we reached Port Suez. It was great. I spent most of the day on deck. We passed the northbound convoy in a part of the Canal they have widened and divided into a two lane canal. When I returned to my cabin that evening there was a Certificate of the journey waiting for me. The next port was Aqaba followed by for me, the dreaded 6 sea days in a row. I thought Princess did a good job of occupying people. My dinner companions loved trivia and they had 3 or 4 games a day. There were crafts, dancing, learn musical instrument and so on although I think these filled up quickly. They even put on a couple of matinee sessions of the production show from the night before. The Cruise Director Matt and staff worked tirelessly entertaining everyone. Passengers also performed in a talent quest or showing off their skills learnt on board. I like the lectures best. I went to Russell Twomey’s maritime history and contemporary lectures. I loaded up some new computer games and had been to the op shop before I left home and got a few books which I donated to the library onboard. I did walk around the upper and lower decks at least once a day but with the ship going so fast it was windy sitting out there. The officers did a couple of lecturers on how the ship works and operates. I’d never thought of it before. Learning about pirates was interesting. In the area of the Red Sea and Horn of Africa they have pressure hoses set up everywhere ready to squirt any pirate boats but they mainly outrun them. The ship goes much faster in these parts. The promenade deck was closed after dark while the security people took their stations but everything else went on as normal. They had expanded their Internet room and there would have been at least 20 computers and lots of comfy seats. I spent a few happy hours in here researching future cruises. Princess.com is available in there free of charge. Internet was slow particularly on the second leg of the cruise. I got 500 mins free plus bought another 200 mins for US$40. I reduced my food intake because I wasn’t doing much but the time went and the bottom line is you either want to go through the Suez or you don’t. I wouldn’t bother doing a cruise with so many sea days in a row just to cruise. I’d buy a plane ticket and spend the time on land. We did make an unscheduled stop in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for a medical evacuation. It was supposed to take place at sea but we ended up docking in the port. The lady managed to climb into the waiting ambulance with most people on the ship looking on. She had to put on a head scarf as did one of the doctors. Two travel companions went with her. It ended up taking over 4 hours to complete the formalities for this stop but the ship had plenty of time to make up the lost time. Then onto Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There wasn’t much departure info on Dubai as its not considered an end port, although many get off. Princess didn’t offer transfers. I was told there were taxis outside the terminal so I got one to my hotel near the airport. I’d been to Dubai before so I then took the metro and connecting bus to the Miracle Gardens. They’re wonderful. Princess offered the Gardens followed by lunch for US$200. Go yourself for less than US$30. Must have been a nice lunch. I then flew home the following morning as the ship continued on to Singapore. I see the Sapphire is coming to Australia late next year so perhaps I’ll get to sail on her again. We had 2670 guests, a nice number that makes activities most viable without the overcrowding and long queues. I’d thoroughly recommend this cruise as you get to see a lot of different things in a short space of time. Read Less

This is really down market. Food is a very low standard - eating in the main dining room is like eating in a cafeteria. Food in the main dining room is often reheated from the buffet. Orders are taken in a hurried manner, plates are slapped down, and often plates are taken away by wait staff while others at the table are still eating. The ship is old and desperately needs a refurb. My shower had mould and a not very clean looking shower curtain. Entertainment was pretty good though. Everything is an add-in cost. They even charge for bottled drinking water, and gratuities are constantly added onto prices. Better to go on an all-inclusive cruise line (like Crystal or Scenic) because at least you know what you are getting for your money. Nothing would persuade us to ever travel with the Princess line again - it’s a bit bogan! Read Less

We loved the small ship! The size was just right for us and we didn't miss all the bells and whistles and thousands of other passengers on the huge other ships we've sailed in the past. Embarkation in Civitavecchia was the fastest and easiest we've ever had. Our cabin, 7088, was in the perfect location--just a few doors down from the laundromat and close to the elevator. Disembarkation and transportation to the Venice airport arranged by Princess was quick and easy. The food was amazing. I never disliked anything we had and there were so many choices in the main dining room. Every server and bar tender we encountered on the ship was excellent, friendly, and efficient. We loved the entertainment including Dan & Elliott (The Cruisetones) in the Casino Bar, Walker Black in Pacific Lounge, Paul Barton in the Casino Bar, and the very talented singers, dancers, and performers in main showroom. The ports of call were wonderful and all the tours we took with Princess and the ones we arranged on our own were great. The recently refurbished decor was very pleasant. We've never slept better on the most comfortable bed and bedding we've had on a ship. The temperature was easy to adjust in the cabin and the balcony was a good size. Our steward kept everything in tip top shape. We'd happily sail again on the Pacific Princess. Read Less

Pacífic Princess is the smallest ship in the entire Princess fleet. It’s size allows passengers to meet others and form new friends, on a first name basis! The relaxing ambience means it is unlikely to be pushed by other passengers, which is an awesome feeling. The nightly entertainment is outstanding and the Cruisetone group, consisting of two men, who play jazz and other tunes is captivating. There are activities throughout the day, at times it’s hard to decide which one to attend. The captain is a young super tall man who hails from Italy. He’s so gracious with the passengers and comes out daily at breakfast to say hello, surveilling the ship as he’s walking about. This was a 12 day Mediterranean cruise, 9 days in port. Personally, I’ve learned to enjoy the sea days more than the port days. I made two ports additional sea days. The ADA inside cabin, 4035, is a quiet room with no neighbors. There was never any noise from the Medical Center which neighbors this cabin. The only downside of this room was the small size and placement of the TV and the size of the refrigerator. I would have loved it if they would have mounted the TV on the wall opposite of the bed. It is offset of the bed and odd to view at the angle it’s mounted at. The closet area where the refrigerator was at was odd, because of the head from the refrigerator nothing could be placed on top of it. It’s a small refrigerator that I wish could be larger... as if I could bring more snacks to put inside of it. There are so many relaxing pool chaise lounges available, with nobody dragging them or saving them for others. There are large pool towels and blankets available should anyone need one. I noticed new teak sofa type furniture, pillows and a coffee table have been added in the grill area. I loved sitting there to hear the outside band play poolside. The gym literally had nobody working out so it was awesome to have the space to oneself. The jogging/walking track seldom had anyone using it. The ping pong table gets a lot of use, mainly if there is anyone less than 30 years old onboard playing. The internet could use some beefing up with their satellite system. It was completely down for close to 1.5 days. Most of the time it was consistently slow. It has not been converted to the Medallion Net. I’m wondering if it ever will be! As an Elite loyalty passenger, I got 250 free internet minutes plus I used my husband’s 250 free minutes. LOL The Pacific Princess is known for older passengers cruising, occasionally, there are a handful of kids, maybe because parents failed to investigate what types of children activities/play areas were available before they booked the cruise... there are none available, nor any babysitters. It’s the only ship where Princess doesn’t provide children’s activities/play areas nor services. The food choices are good, as well as the quality and taste. A passenger is easily spoiled by their awesome staff, who are hard workers, always ready to help make your cruise the best you’ve ever had. I doubt anyone lost any weight while onboard. It’s my fourth cruise on the Pacific Princess in the last 18 months. Needless to say, it’s my favorite ship. I’ll be back onboard two more time within the next six months. Definitely for the World Cruise in 2020! I’m saddened that the Pacific Princess will not be doing the World Cruises as of 2021. I hope that Princess reconsiders and puts it back on this intimate cruising ship. I’ve cruised on many other Princess ships but none can compete with the cruising experience of the Pacific Princess! Read Less

We've cruised the Mediterranean twice before and have been on many other cruises. We chose this trip because friends were going and we had loved visiting Spain, France and Italy in the past. We had never been to Gibraltar and really knew very little about it - yet it turned out to be our favorite port! We upgraded to a Balcony room so we could enjoy quiet time to ourselves - turned out to be a waste of money. The Pacific Princess is a very small ship - easy to get around, however, not much to get around too. The staterooms were typical, however, no special touches or service from the staff. The entertainment was VERY limited and honestly poor quality talent. Cruise director staff was the poorest and most boring we have ever experienced. There was no energy or enthusiasm on the ship - no dancing, no "playing". Even in the casino the staff was not engaging. If you are looking for a very quiet ship, basically in bed by 10 - this may not have been the disappointment it was to us. We found the quality of the food to be below average as well as the service. This was our first Princess experience, so I don't know if this is typical of Princess, however, when we get together with our friends and/or family to decide what our cruise will be next year, we will make a pretty strong case that we would prefer not to sail again on the Princess line. No special touches or special care in ANY of the aspects. Poorly scheduled and planned activities, excursions were very generic and the tour guides for the excursions spoke very poor and accented English so it made it very hard to follow. Read Less

This was the second of back to back cruises on this ship. The first was around the British Isles and this one was to Scandinavia. Both cruises started and ended in Dover. Transit arrangements were seamless, there were no custom clearance requirements at Dover. We could stay on the ship or walk on and off anytime we pleased. As I reported on my British Isles cruise review, the ship is great. The small ship means everything is close, the crew seem less stressed than on the larger ships, and the food is also just that little bit better than on the larger ships. The highlight of the cruise was St Petersburg. We were right near the end of the tourist season, which meant less crowds at the popular attractions. The weather was cold, but there was no rain. We did a private tour through Viator, which used local company SPB tours. We had a small group of 14 which made it easy to get around to all the attractions Other places, which surprised us were Riga and Tallinn. The old town areas in these ports were well preserved and very interesting to visit. Copenhagen and Stockholm were other interesting ports. Helsinki did not have much going for it, but that could have been that it was the first port after spectacular St Petersburg. Disembarkation was a straight forward process. A lot of people were staying on the ship for the next cruise, which meant it took less than 15 minutes to clear the ship, pick up luggage and head out of the terminal. Read Less

The ship was an average ship, Some of the employees needed more training and experience, service was average, food quality was average. Need lots of improvement in food service and quality of service. The front desk employees, either they were not knowledgeable or not feeling to assist or they were tired. At least the one who was helping us. Food was average quality, we return our food back in the dining room because it was not cooked and or was not prepared right. Our waiter in dining room was a very nice guy. Fitness center was clean but they were permitting kids in the center, kids were all over on the equipment creating a danger first to them and others. The cruise company leave the responsibility on the parents. Entertainments were not as interesting as it should be at least to our test. Maybe some customers that have not seen other cruise ships was satisfactory. Read Less

We boarded the ship in St. Petersburg, specifically so that we could spend two full days with a private guide and driver before the cruise. After doing a lot of Internet research I settled on Best Guides (www.bestguides-spb.com). From the beginning we dealt with Dariya via email and she was wonderful. Not only did they plan a custom tour for you, but they were able to quickly respond to your requests for changes and even provided visa support. We were to leave Washington Dulles Airport on June 3, 2019, but our flight was delayed for over 3 ½ hours. This caused us to miss the only non-stop from Dulles to St. Petersburg for the day. We were able to reschedule, but we ultimately did not arrive at our hotel until 2am. Fortunately, to reach Dariya via email from Zurich. She quickly rearranged our schedule so that we would not be meeting our guide and driver until 1pm (giving us some time for a little much needed rest). She did this all without penalty and even discounted the charges base on the actual hours we used instead of the time we had contracted for. Our guide, Elena Gumennaya, was wonderful. Her English was perfect and she was extremely knowledgeable about St. Petersburg and Russian history. We particularly enjoyed hearing about the changes since 1991. One final note, as of this writing, Best Guides does not require prepayment of any fees until you have completed your tour! This level of trust is rare today, and it deserves loyalty. I can honestly say that I have never had a better travel tour experience. When I accepted The Regal Princess' offer to upgrade our cabin to a suite I never expected the level of luxury we encountered. We were upgraded to the Auckland Suite (E729). This is a corner suite on deck 8 which measures between 585 and 650 square-feet (I found multiple numbers). The service was magnificent. We were greeted by live orchid, fresh fruit, two plates of canapés and a stocked bar. Our cabin steward was extremely attentive. Suite service includes free laundry and we were able to have most of our clothes clean when we traveled home. Suite service also included breakfast at Sabatini's restaurant, private Club Level dining in the Concerto dining room and a private reception each evening in the Elite Bar. The entertainment on board was also excellent. There's something for every taste. We loved listening to music at the various bars before and after dinner. Because we like to stay active we signed up for bicycling excursions in three ports (Estonia, Germany, and Norway). These were by far our favorite activities, and enabled us to meet people and see parts of the countries we visited that we wouldn't otherwise have had access too. Read Less

My son chose this Cruise as he had sailed with NCL and Royal Carribean and had nothing but praise for those two companies and the brilliant time I was going to have. He chose it as it seemed comparable with those two companies on price and Marketing jargon but did not live up to the hype. The entertainment was more Butlins than West End, although the theatre was very good and the last show was ok but according to my son, with RC & NCL that happens every night. The food at best was adequate and did not live up to my expectation. In fact, the conversation around our table and talking to other guests was that the standards were not as good as similarly priced competitors. Even the waiting staff agreed that it was a common observation by guests, although according to my son, when you mention this to Princess Customer Services, they deny it all (rather unsurprisingly) My son worked as a chef in top establisments for many years and is quite capable of making the distinction. The crew were very good, the ship was lovely, the public places clean and nice to be in but the whole thing was a bit of a let down for us, as my son felt guilty at encouraging me to come along at a cost well in excess of £1000, a lot for me on my pension ! The cabin was nice enough and served its purpose. I will go Cruising again, but not on Princess, I will take my sons advise and go with NCL next time, suggest you do the same. Read Less

My partner and I decided on Princess after seeing the recent tv series, and running out of destinations with our favourite Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean. On the surface they seemed on par, in reality they are lacking in just about every department. If its your 1st Cruise, you will probably think it is fine, but for a seasoned Cruiser with "better" cruise lines this will leave you frustrated and disappointed. 1. The food was simply not good enough compared to NCL & RC. Very small portions in the Open Dining Restaurants, badly presented, not hot enough in stark contrast to NCL. 2. Cleanliness was lacking throughout the ship, again in comparison to NCL where you see crew members cleaning all public areas all of the time. Here they are noticeable by their absence. The ship is clean and tidy, but it is reassuring on a cruise ship to see proactive staff. 3. The entertainment was simply adequate compared to NCL and RC who pretty much put on a great show nearly every night. On this cruise the last nigh twas ok but the rest was pretty much time filling yawn. 4. The excursions are so expensive, its not worth looking at them unless you are on a really good budget, and the ports are pretty mundane apart from the town on the Bordeaux stop which is pretty and free shuttle service to get there. Guernsey was really nice.. 5. We had stateroom 327 which waw really nice apart from a completely useless air conditioning which made it impossible to get a good nights sleep. Bed comfortable and good tv service but that was all let down by the air con 6. The crew in all departments were exemplary in stark contrast to the above, but thats what you pay your money for isn't it? 7. My partner spent a lot of money on 2 drinks packages for us as he wanted to spend his late nights in the Casino which they shut every night at 1.30 latest despite their being players at the tables, rendering his drink package unnecessary. Be warned, there is no compromise with Princess cruises, when he complained and asked for 1 of the packages to be refunded they declined. When you consider what a drink actually costs to supply in contrast to what you sell it for we thought that at best a little miserable and unacceptable. I would seriously recommend you go with NCL ahead of these operators. NCL just get it right and Princess could learn an awful lot from them Read Less

Excited to take part in the cruise as we have always been interested in the Baltic. Loved the port selections and also the length of the voyage, as we began our trip with the transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale. I would recommend this to anyone who might have "jet lag" issues. The transatlantic was a slow transition of time zones. Princess excursions and selections were very good with a few exceptions. We took Princess excursions at every port. A little pricey but the assurance of quality and timeliness was worth the extra. Some guides on our excursions were difficult to understand, their attempt at English was very shaky. I think an improvement would be a narrated dialogue pre-recorded and broadcast on the bus. Then the guide could give other information rather than attempt the entire dialogue. In some cases, it was painful to listen to which was a downer for the sight-seeing. We also had a guide who's personal hygiene was very bad, and while he was very interesting, we couldn't get past the smell. Very nauseating. However, the majority of our guides were very good. Dining, service, etc. is very good. Food selections in the buffet were the best I have seen on a Princess ship. The crew led by a very affable and capable Captain, were excellent in every way. We encountered very few unhappy crew members which is a testament to how they enjoy their working environment. Our statement room was an average balcony and adequate. The bed however, was horrific. Needs to be replaced asap. We appreciated the effort our steward made to make us comfortable in a bad situation. Each statement should have two chairs - it ridiculous to have only one chair with two guests. Maybe a folding chair could be provided. Entertainment was good. As we sailed for 26 days and also as we had recently done another Princess Cruise, the entertainment could have been upgraded and varied. The new show Bravo was excellent. Fiera was weird - did not appeal to the audience at all. Movies were ok, but should be recycled and upgraded more often. Princess Transfers, Embarkation and Disembarkation were very good however the airport check in was a disaster. We were satisfied with our flights but the airport terminals were unorganized and unprepared for the amount of passengers using Princess Air arrangements. Princess should have a representative on hand to quell the insanity. Many passengers felt EZ-air was to blame and stated they wouldn't use them in the future however we would still use EZ-air because of the good price. Overall, we really enjoyed the trip and felt that Princess Cruises is the best way to see the Baltic for us. I think Princess made every effort to make this trip excellent and we thank them for that. Read Less

Have sailed with Princess twice before, so knew what to expect. Had been on the sister ship, Diamond Princess, so the layout was very familiar I chose a balcony at the rear of the ship, as it is an nice quite place Embarkation at Southampton was very smooth, with two items of luggage waiting when we got to the cabin, with the final item some twenty minutes later The cabin was attended throughout by Sdravko, who was most pleasant, efficient and unobtrusive. It was a pleasure. A nice touch was having a kettle. With so many from the UK on board, this was much better for making tea I think the beds have been upgraded from my last trip as they were much more comfortable than before. The same with the pillows. This is a good improvement For most of the trip, I dined in the Pacific Moon dining room, looked after by Sebastien and Luis, who did a professional job The menu was much as before. The same four Curtis Stone dishes popped up often several times during the journey. I had the pork belly on one occasion, which was ok, but not as good as before, not being crispy. Surely he can supply some new recipes after even the three years I have been using Princess? Most nights the food was good. There were occasional misses, but that's to be expected. I was happy with the food supplied The cafeteria on the 14th deck was as expected. I never tried it in the evening, but it was ok for breakfast and a light lunch. One puzzling thing though, was that on a far eastern cruise, smoked salmon was available for breakfast nearly every day. On this cruise in Northern Europe from the UK and from Alaska, it wasn't, which I found strange On the last night, I ordered a plate of "luxury" canapes to have with a bottle of Champagne. I did wonder at the low £14.99 + service cost, but assumed they must be ok. They were disappointing and I've included a photograph. The bread circles were quite dry and unbuttered. The breadstick with the prosciutto wrapped around it was soft and stale and there was none of the promised pate de foie. I tried them, but wouldn't again I didn't make any of the shows, but was impressed with the on demand movies available in the cabin. This is a great improvement on before and I enjoyed catching up with some newish releases. Moving to a flat screen TV is welcome, but left the space where the old cathode set used to be as an odd empty space. It did at least provide another power outlet.This needs remodelling Getting on and off the boat in port was very smooth, as a foot passenger, or on the one Princess tour I took. So much better than the experience with a different cruise company last October Now for the not-so-good: After a busy couple of days, my companion didn't fancy dinner the embarkation evening, so I went to the Santa Fe dining room alone and was accommodated. I ordered a bottle of Sancerre, had two small glasses, expecting to finish it on my next visit. I asked the chap who served it to put it on ice as it needed cooling further. He served me both of the glasses I had. The following evening, I didn't fancy wine, having had good beer in Bruges. I did mention that I had a bottle saved. The third night I missed dinner, but the fourth night, I asked for some more from the bottle. This was in the Pacific Moon dining room, as apparently the Santa Fe wasn't accepting "anytime dining". There was trouble locating the remains of the bottle, but the head waiter, was apologetic, offering two complimentary glasses while they searched The following evening I again asked for the remains of the bottle, but again it couldn't be found, so two more complimentary glasses were supplied. The head waiter again was very helpful, apologising that the bottle couldn't be found, promising some of the "chef's special limoncello" the following evening. I'm not keen so never did take this up. I gave up on the bottle being found, so ordered more for the remainder of the trip I was at the reception desk for a different reason and mentioned this missing bottle. They said they would contact the dining room to investigate. A short while later, a message was waiting for me from the head waiter who had been searching for the bottle. He said that the waitress'who had served me that first evening, told him I finished all the wine. I have on occasion finished a bottle of wine while dining alone, but not on this occasion, the first night. I was also disappointed as the waitress hadn't served the wine, just her assistant. That evening I was again offered complimentary glasses of wine, but I declined, as I had a bottle started. I should have taken a receipt, but haven't always in the past and haven't had a problem before. Whether the waitress was mistaken or being dishonest, I couldn't say. Later in the cruise I checked my on board account and noticed I had been charged twice for another bottle of wine. It was explained as an accounting error, caused by having to move the bottle from one dining room to another. This shouldn't happen though and it makes me wonder for those who don't check their accounts how often it happens This time I only booked one tour with Princess. Previously, I've booked all, but on this occasion, I was astonished at the prices charged. For instance, a round trip transfer from Zeebrugge to Bruges, through a different provider was around $20/person. Princess were asking $79/person. This seemed to be the same throughout the itinerary, so I booked independently. Possibly the most striking example was tickets for the ballet at the Mariinsky in St Petersburg. My tour guide purchased the tickets- good ones, for about $90/head, took us to the theatre and arranged for a port taxi to pick us up for a cost of around $30, which she said was extortionate. A total of just over $200 for the both of us. Princess were offering similar, admittedly with a glass of champagne and a tour of the theatres prior to the performance, for the grand sum of £299/person- three times the cost. I was talking to an elderly English about the tour costs and she agreed, but said she felt she had to order from Princess, just to be safe The one tour we took was in Gdansk and included a walking tour of the town and a trip to Malbork Castle. I chose this tour as it was about the longest on offer and included two lots of free time, one at each stop. There was a lunch included, that I thought we could miss, if we needed further free time The time was extremely tight on the tour, with only ten minutes given for free time in the city centre and five at the castle. The lunch, which was very good, by the way, was at a convention hotel off a motorway, so there was no reason to miss the lunch, as nothing to see. We got back to the ship just around 15:20, with all passengers due to be on board by 15:30. We weren't the last bus back If time is going to be that tight, tours of that length shouldn't be offered. The tour was interesting, but being so rushed didn't help One final issue from before boarding, was that I contacted Princess and asked if it would be possible to block casino access for our shipboard accounts. I was told that this wasn't possible, as it would block access to everything for our accounts and that I should contact the casino manager after embarkation to see what might be done. I very nearly cancelled the entire cruise after receiving this answer. I was told, by guest services on board, that you can choose from a menu of what services you don't want to access, be it casino, shops, spa etc. I think it odd the cruise consultant wasn't aware of this Overall, whatever you may think of the above, the experience was fine. I intend to use Princess again in the future, but will not be shy about exploring other lines or checking the services offered on board Read Less

All was so great! Wonderful way to see the world. Food was terrific, help and service on board second to none! Entertained all the time and except for the fact that every live production thinks that louder is better all was wonderful.The staff was so accommodating with moving chairs so 6 in our party could sit together, at the lounge and next time we will have to get our egg just a little closer to the mark. I think the shore excursions were good only got stuck in one elevator while on our own and we thought about that later, because if we were on one of the Princess shore excursions help would have been there sooner and no one would know what happened to us if we had not got our elevator unstuck in time for sailing. Really fantastic trip though and we would love to go again and spend a little more time in each port. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the price and cabin. Having sailed with Princess before and in a rear-facing cabin which we loved. The only thing that was not as expected was the restaurant. We normally opt for Any Time dining and usually eat late 8.30pm and have not had much trouble getting a table for two, but on this cruise, everybody seemed to want to eat at that time and tables for two. The system when this happens is that you are given a pager and they call you when a table becomes available. This worked very well as the bar is adjacent to the restaurant and was handy for pre-dinner drinks. I think the longest we had to wait was 15 minutes, no time at all. The shows were a bit low on the quality side and having cruised with Princess many times we have noticed that the resident dancers seem to be doing less and less. Read Less

Very large ship, very beautiful, lots of people. Many changes, including Medallion requirements. Change is good, I hope. After several days, was able to maneuver around the ship without getting lost. Art auction was very disappointing and we felt like we were being pressured to hold up our numbers. Left before it was done along with many others, and never went back. Bingo rules have changed and the money prizes are much lower which makes me rethink whether I will play Bingo on my next cruise at $59/game for a tablet and I only win $118. Made reservations at Sabatini's and told only could go at 5:30 or 8:00 so chose 8:00 because it was my birthday. Got to the restaurant and it was empty so don't know why they told us it was sold out. Food was delicious and service was good. Still don't understand the empty restaurant and why we could not have gone earlier. Left a pashmina by mistake at Bingo and the Casino guy told me he saw it and told the operations manager to send it to Lost and Found. Never got there so guess someone else is enjoying the pashmina, but not me. Went to Lost and Found 2 to 3 times a day until the end of the cruise. Think the Pursers desk was tired of seeing me. Overall, really like the cruise ports and will probably enjoy the Royal Princess much better the next time I cruise. Read Less

Superb: Service from all waitresses and waiters and cabin steward: cheerful, polite, considerate. Excellent: Food, as always. Menu, quality and presentation the best; also inside cabin (P210 absolutely fine, no need for anything higher). Very Good: Relaxation, on deck and the two lovely evening venues, Crooners Bar and the Wheelhouse Bar, also this time very good DJ in Skywalkers. Good: Entertainment - Princess singers and dancers, Crimson Duo, Sunshine Duo, Stephen Jaymes (but miss the very funny pianist Paul Burton), ventriloquist (very clever), but oh dear the two comedians were dire - miss the very funny Jeff Stevenson. So-so: Why do the restaurant staff give their 'recommendations'? I much prefer to give them mine (Princess Love Boat dessert the best!). Cause For Concern: Environmental Issues - paper paper everywhere - surely in 2019 the ship should be paperless. As a Lighting Engineer, I had the impression the lighting was very wasteful - all inefficient light sources from the last decade, no LED's that I saw. Poor: Drinks - I think (stand to be corrected) 'short' measures (by UK standards), glass packed with ice, sky high prices - small whiskey $8.32, small beer $7. Formal dress code poorly enforced (if at all), I found disrespectful to fellow guests. All in all enjoyable cruise, love the ship, relaxing, wonderful staff - the more junior the rank seems the better they are. But .. oh .. one final point - shouldn't a ship's captain have at least the most basic of public speaking skills? Read Less

We wanted a holiday with the whole family to celebrate my wifes 61 birthday and my daughters 30 birthday looking forward to a fantastic 11 nights cruise. We were totally amazed to find that we were being charged gratuities up front before we started our cruise at what only can be described as extortion even my 18 month old grandson was charged and the total bill between us was more than 1500 dollars in addition to this we were charged 18% gratuities on all drinks I did manage to get the upfront gratuities removed but the 18% on drinks have not been removed even after I requestid this before we disembarked the ship at the end of the cruise. The price of beer and wine was extortionate with a bottle of beer costing 7$ plus 18% gratuities and a medium glass of wine 10 -12$ plus gratuities We were forced to have 4 sea days due to weather after missing a port stop in Lanzarote we were not offered any compensation or reduction in barr expenses while on the extra see day. The food was OK but not great and we all found that food in the buffet was bland and the area felt like a cattle market. On a positive note the staff generally were great. Overall we fell as if we have been robed and it feels like every attempt was made to squeeze every last Dollar out of us even when it came to the options for paying in Dollar or Sterling we were not told the best currency to pay in and it felt as the cruise line were even trying to take advantage of the exchange rates. Our view is that these additional charges should have been advertised clearly and simply in the upfront price of the cruise, we feel we have been mis sold this holiday by the cruise line who seem not to have been totally honest about the hidden costs. In short if you are a teetotaler who likes bland food then you may find this OK but we will never book another holiday with Princes Cruises. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the ports and the fact that it docked at the destination port for two days, allowing us to spend some time there prior to heading to the airport. We did go into Rome three days earlier than the cruise so we could tour sites there. This particular ship was small, which allowed us to get to know others quite well that were on our same cruise. The Dining was experience was so good, because of the small size of the ship, but also because they paired us with two other couples at our table and they couldn't have picked more perfect combinations for us to dine with. The entertainment was top notch. The singers and dancers were well trained and practiced. The others that came in on certain ports to entertain us were well chosen. Comedian was great and the local talent orchestra and musicians were well done to give us a taste of the local entertainers. I would take this same cruise over and over again. The ports were amazing and the timing of at sea days with the excursion days was perfect. The bar staff took the time to get to know you, so they prepared the perfect drinks both alocoholic and non for you during the entire cruise. The cruise directors that did the trivia were fun and the late night music and piano bar were very enjoyable. Read Less

First the good: 1. Excellent staff across the board. Everyone we dealt with was cheery and accommodating and truly nice. 2. The destinations lecturer was terrific. She was informative and interesting and helpful. 3. The itinerary was well-paced. 4. The dining rooms were well managed and tranquil. There are four of them, three of which are for "anytime dining" and that works surprisingly well. 5. Our stateroom was comfortable (Caribe 747) and our steward (Savio) went above and beyond to keep it nice. 6. As it was a 28-day sailing the entire dining room staff took care to know us and our preferences. Our assigned waiters (Maitree and Anna) were as good as the ones we've had on Silver Seas and Seabourn and Royal Viking, and they were good. All the other waiters we encountered during open seating meals were also excellent. 7. The pizzeria was handy, and the room service menu (except for breakfast) was fine. 8., Embarking in Rome and disembarking in Singapore was easy, as were most of the port visit disembarkations. Now the not -so -good: 1. It had been years since we sailed on Princess, and they've really declined in so many ways. No more festive sailaways (remember on-deck bands and streamers and champagne?) or Captain's parties. No more nice toiletries. As "Elite" cruisers we expected the promised "upgraded toiletries". Turns out they don't exist. Instead of decent soap and shampoo we got a bag with a nail file and eye mask and lip balm. Nice touch, but it doesn't count when you're stuck with the junk that is in dispensers bolted to the wall in the shower. And speaking of the shower stall, it's so small and dingy and poorly lit like the rest of the bath and you keep banging yourself on those nasty soap dispensers that shouldn't even be there. And the shower curtain is too big and long and billowy for the space.... 2. The food is cheap. Bad cuts of meat, scarce vegetables and too much salt on everything. The salad ingredients are so thinly sliced it's amazing they can do it. One radish must be stretched to fill four salads it's so thin. We had a dish that was supposed to be served with asparagus. They actually sliced the asparagus spear lengthwise in half and served three of them cut side down so at first glance it looked like three spears (which is already insufficient) but in reality it was 1 1/2. That's really chintzy. The "coffee" served in the dining rooms and buffet is disgusting. It's some sort of Nestle syrup mixed with water. It doesn't smell or look or resemble coffee, so you are forced to buy a coffee card to get a decent cup. The juices are awful, and the menus aren't very creative. Chicken and leek pie kept reappearing it's unwanted presence way too often.... 3. The ship is a bit shabby in places, but to their credit when I made a negative comment about the bad condition of our balcony and its furniture a crew arrived and replaced the furniture, cleaned up the rusted metal fixtures as best they could, painted the stained walls and trims, replaced the rotten wood rails and washed the crud off the floor. It took them a while, but it made a huge difference. If the ship was properly maintained these things would have been done as routine and not as a special request. 4. There is no enforcement of dress code: "formal night" at the table next to ours showed a big slob in a t-shirt and sneakers seated next to a well-dressed couple. Later that night in the theatre we were next to people in shorts and sandals and some guy with a rag tied on his head. It must have been his "formal dress rag"....5. And speaking of theatre, the entertainment was all over the map: There were wonderful performances by a male vocal quartet and a violin/piano duo plus a cocktail pianist. The house orchestra was also wonderful. There was a totally disgusting "tribute" to Stevie Wonder in which a guy tried to win over the audience by pretending to be Stevie Wonder, right down to pretending to be blind. Since when has pretending to be blind been considered entertainment? It was shockingly distasteful. There was also some kid pandering to the mostly Australian audience with his Austalian-ess and a ditzy Chinese girl cheesily channeling Charo, playing an incredibly loud electric violin and mistating the name of the pieces she was playing. It was like a skit from Saturday Night Live, especially when she'd stick her leg out of her dress and act sexy/coy and say "I love you".... 6. The incessent nickel and diming is unbelievable. Overpriced drinks, souvenirs, shore excursions, internet, photos, etc. are insulting. When you order room service you have to sign a slip acknowledging delivery. Why? Because it's just another way to get you to add a gratuity -- but how do you tip on a non-existent bill? And why should you, when you're paying $13.50 daily? Cruise ships are not ferries, Princess -- we did pay a fare, so it's insipid to be told that if you want a decent steak you have to go to the "Steakhouse" and pay $29 for it. That's $29 on top of the fare already paid for that evening's dinner and you don't get value for it, especially when you see that the "Steakhouse " is just a sectioned-off part of the buffet area and has a stifling hot, stuffy atmosphere....Just make the steak in the dining room decent and all will be well. 7. Plastic plates and glasses in the buffet are gross, and the excuse that you can't have china doesn't work. Other ships have china plates. The buffet is very unappetizing, anyhow, and the drinking water is vile -- it tastes like it comes from the swimming pool. The buffet room itself is a nauseating -- bad traffic flow, people with plates piled high grabbing for tables, no ventilation, no table cloths, place mats, place settings, service. It's like eating in Bedlam. The only good thing about the buffet was watching the people enter into the space and stop at a trough and scrub their hands before proceeding into the room. 8. Beware "Movies Under the Stars" -- it's not just under the stars but it's always. Yup, 24/7, day and night, movies blasting away on the top deck. Is a loud movie track blasting through the air just what you want when sailing through the Suez Canal? If so, then book Princess. If you'd rather tranquility then run the other way. All in all, if Princess could just up their game to where they were twnety years ago it would be nice again.... Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary: from Europe and the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and the Middle East and over to Southeast Asia. The entire process of embarkation and disembarkation was very smooth and surprisingly glitch-free, it was a well-organized ship. Some pluses: Good quality and variety of food Safety drills/pirate drills were informative and reassuring Comfortable beds and hot showers. Indoor stateroom was plenty big for the two of us, and the live ship camera made it feel like we had a balcony view. Some really nice crew members, and a great captain Emphasis on hand washing Cleanliness throughout the ship The down sides: Boring/silly activities better suited to a nursing home. Library was nearly empty when we boarded in Rome. Bad idea when there are six days straight at sea. Sneaky charges (use of the term “complimentary” when things weren’t free) Bombarded with ads for jewelry, spa treatments, etc. It was overkill, and very annoying. Waste of so much paper – ads, daily schedules. Dubai excursion was awful (but guide was good) We had only 8 min to visit the spice souk, and Dubai Museum was lousy (dark, crowded, uninteresting) Recommendations: Have a check-out system for library books Paper recycling system Smarter, more engaging activities – teach about wildlife in the area, or the geography and history of places as we pass by them. Use stateroom TVs to post schedules unless paper is requested, stop with all the ads Bigger and better variety of music for longer cruises versus the same songs over and over for a month Keep sick people out of dining areas, off tour buses (require masks?) Read Less

Entertainment quality exceeded our expectations, especially magnificent dancers, lighting & sound effects and superb backing orchestra. Excellent food and service in restaurants at night. Food in Horizon not quite so good, particularly no variety at breakfasts. Service overall excellent with cabin steward and restaurant staff always cheerful and helpful. Far too much emphasis on sales promotions with constant bombardment of literature about EFFY, spa, photos and casino, none of which remotely interested us. Very disappointed with company policy of not refunding missed shore excursion fees due to illness, unless doctor visited ( i have sent separate email re this). All shore excursions except Cochin and to a lesser extent Colombo were excellent & guides very knowledgeable. We (and many others we met) were aghast at the behaviour of some guests sneezing and coughing over us at meal times and especially in excursion buses when they should have stayed in staterooms. Small items that were free on other cruises were additional charges e.g. Bottled water in stateroom, non-alcoholic drinks after breakfast etc. Read Less

This is the best Princess Cruise ship I have been on. The staff were kind, gracious and efficent, the ship was in very good condition and a pleasure to sail on. The ports of call were interesting and the shore excursions were very good. The disembarkation at each port was efficiently handled and with very little stress on our part (the passengers). The staff were efficient and courteous at all times even in the face of some passengers “behaving badly”. I would like to see less marketing from the Art Auction, Efffy and the like onboard but this seems to be the norm and for some strange reason we cannot get rid of them. If we must have them I would like to see them “less in your face” but that is my only peeve in relation to this cruise. The entertainment was a bit ordinary and the further from England you got the worse the entertainment became but this was of the least importance and as I did enjoy it I did not bother to go. Would I travel on another Princess Cruise definately YES. Read Less