We tried Club Class this time. Very worthwhile. Enjoyed dining in private section with dedicated wait staff. Always welcomed with warm greetings. Waiters quick to point out excellent daily specials. Tried Crown Grill one night. Steak and lobster for a $47 pp add on fee. Nice special evening. Cruise Director Victor one of the best we have ever traveled with, Shows were overall top entertainment as well. Multiple comedians, mentalist, singers. The four production shows were lavish with the dancers excellent. Singers were young in experience but acceptable. Variety of ports in NZ. Many did not have a full day but multiple tours were still offered. The daily schedule was packed with activities—from music to movies, games to enrichment. No shortage of things to do. Besides the main shows, there are always three or four smaller venues with varying music, Our goal was simply a warm weather break from the US winter. Read Less

Like to travel on Princess ships. This was a amazing itinerary. Two things I really wanted to do was Easter Island and the Nazca lines. For me that was a over the top experience. There where many other things that I really enjoyed. Zumba in the morning, the shows at night. The Entertainment team was super. The whole crew, starting with the captain was concerned to show us a good time and to keep us safe. Embarkation was a little lengthy, but that will change once the Island Princess is a Medallion ship. The disembarkation went smoothly, considering there where 6 cruise ships docking at the same port on the same morning. Cabin B623 was nice and we enjoyed the balcony. On the days we had a excursion, we ordered breakfeast to Be delivered to the room. It came timely. The food was great, we had a choice of going to the buffet or eating in the dinning room. I belonged to the singles group, so there was no waiting in line since we had a table reserved for us. Then we had special lunches sometimes, that where announced in the Patter ( on board daily 4 page news ) at 3 pm we could have English tea. Then in the evening there where specialty restaurants or wine tasting. There was so much to do, also different areas to relax in, arts and crafts, anyway I never got all of it done. You just have to deceit what your priorities are. A wide variety of excursions where available or you could just go on land without a excursion, there was always something to see and do. Not many children where on board, it was mostly a older crowd. Some people in wheelchairs and walkers. Would love to do this cruise again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had not visited most of these ports yet and Princess is our primary cruise line. We also wanted to experience Sky Princess, since it's the newest ship we have ever cruised. We enjoyed it greatly. It's a beautiful ship. We had hired Victor Rosales of Mahahaul EcoTours for a day of birding in Costa Maya. We went to several different areas and saw some colorful species that were new to us. Victor also included a delicious lunch at a little beach-side cafe in Mahahual. He is well-trained, educated and experienced and speaks fluent English as well as his native Spanish. He also does other types of tours as well, specializing in small groups. I would be happy to use Victor again anytime. While in Cozumel, we took the Princess excursion to Tulum. Our tour guide, Marco Polo, was great and quite informative. While in Roatan, we contacted Jensen Wesley and he drove us to the Carambola Gardens as well as Sandy Bay where I was able to do some great snorkeling. We enjoyed being off the beaten track there so it was not crowded with people. Jensen was very helpful and we were lucky to connect with him. Sky Princess is a bit larger ship than we usually book but it did not feel crowded most of the time. However, anytime dining did have long waits if one went to dinner after about 6:00pm, which we usually do. Food in all venues was excellent. We did not use the specialty restaurants. Our balcony stateroom was super and even though quite forward, ship motion was very minimal. Captain Tuvo of Sky Princess is a real treat too. The fitness room is well equipped. The casino is good and has a computerized Texas Holdem table that made for some good poker games. The Medallion system worked well on board although we did not download the app for use on our phones. The ship's internet was the fastest we have ever used on a cruise. Read Less

Selected cruise for its Hawaiian ports and warm weather plus sailing on the Grand via San Francisco. Amazing cruise, amazing service by Grand Princess staff, and beautiful islands. Highly recommend Grand Princess for its world class service, wonderful and warm staff, and clean ship. Though it's an older ship, staff work hard to maintain the Grand Princess, and officers and staff were present throughout the ship 24/7. Had an excellent cabin steward and professional and wonderful dining room wait staff. Amazing trip onboard the beautiful Grand Princess! Like our waiter, Jonel Bola said, "The Grand Princess is known for #1 service out of its entire fleet of 18 vessels." The entire dining room staff was amazing and wonderful to all its dining passengers. The food was good, plenty of desserts to choose from, and staff are generous with service, extras/portions, drinks, and smiles! All staff throughout the ship were kind, courteous, warm, and provided consistent service and were very hard working. Service throughout the ship was consistent and amazing! Ship Captain, JP Bryant, was very nice and courteous and always greeted passengers pleasantly. This was a 16-day cruise! Have done shorter and longer cruises, but a 16-day is a perfect amount of time for a winter getaway! I highly recommend the beautiful Grand Princess! Others might be concerned that it's an older ship but I find it to be quaint, comfortable, has character, beautiful, has internet service, and has excellent and consistent customer service. I've sailed on the Grand 6 times and each time I've experienced consistent customer service! And, if something wasn't right, staff will work quickly and very hard to make the problem right! No complaints when I'm on the Grand! Read Less

I have never been on a cruise before and, I have to admit that I will never forget this experience. The embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly. Our mini-suite room was great: comfortable bed, air-conditioned, safe box, minibar, movies on demand and the ensuite bathroom that was small but pleasant. Anytime dining was just amazing. Lots of quality food options were available - Mexican, Italian, French, vegetarian. My favorite place was BAKERY :) The room service is so quick and there were no separate charges. It was a 12-nights on the cruise and has no boring moments because the cruise has a wide range of entertainment programmes throughout the day. Also, it was so big that you will find a new place every day when you explore it. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The events organized by cruise were fabulous :) Fully recommended this ship to all age group of people. Read Less

The cruise was a good value overall but the experience goes downhill when they start to charge $1.50 for a milkshake, spin-class charges, ice cream is given out like it was gold. Ticky tack charges. Carnival has unlimited ice cream and Guy’s burgers on Carnival which is the best. My daughter did not like the heavy sauced foods at seated dinning so I ask for a steak which is standard on Carnival for sit down dinner. When I asked the waiter he gave me a menu with a $25 up charge. Carnival is Supposed to be the lesser ship but in my family’s opinion carnival is the better ship. More stuff to do for kids, better live shows at night and just all-around more fun. All the shows were smutty knowing that children were on board during Christmas vacation. Every show had some sort of innuendo about sex and other non-kid friendly stuff. Crew was great as in all the cruises I have ever been on. The first night we didn’t get to our seated dinner till 530 so we were a half hour late and was chastised by the waiter that we should be there at 5 o’clock but I did not get my bags until 515. Pizza and hotdogs for junkies is the best but all other food is no better than any other cruise line I have been on. We were not able to get off the boat for Kauai because of bad weather. They gave us a apology from the captain and were given $8 per person back. Cheap cheap, you would think they might give something more than $8 port fee returned and a apology. Free photo, drinks, etc.. So hold on to your wallet because Princess will try to pick it! Also stains all over my carpet and the boat looks tired. In between ports the smell of paint as the crew was painting the boat to hide the rust. I would rather have a clean carpet. Read Less

This was our first cruise while we are world travelers. This cruise was beyond our expectation in every way you could imagine. An amazing organization from the start to the end with impeccable staff & all you need to enjoy in 10 days. From the entertainment including great shows, comedy, singers and dancers, then the fitness center with spa, hair & nail salon, relaxation, tanning on the deck, watching top movies, for food, several dining rooms & buffet with variation in taste & freshly prepared meals, & many more to keep every one happy on the cruise. The 4 Mexican ports the ship stopped were really worth visiting. Anything you needed was at your disposal with great services & front desk as your guide. The Captain was always anouncing the big events & keeping us informed of the weather & sailing condition. Thanks to the entire crew. We highly recommend the Grand Princess. Read Less

We chose the Emerald Princess to see the Panama Canal. Ports that we visited were all excellent enjoying Cartagena, Columbia thee most, other than the Panama Canal. All the other ports -Puerto Rica, San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, Huatulco Obando Puerto Vallarta were also very enjoyable. The food on the Emerald Princess was great along with the staff. Live theatre performances could have been better, recommend they install large HD TV sets on the sides for better viewing of the shows. We found the staff to be welcoming and great ambassadors for Princess. We enjoyed the new dining venues of Steamers and Blanks BBQ they are reasonably priced. We also dined in the Salty Dog pub and had a great hamburger. The only disappointment was the disembarkation was slow and we were an hour behind in getting off the ship. We will look at Princess again but there are lots of options to look at. Read Less

My girlfriend invited me for a get away and it was a good time just before Christmas and I had such a wonderful time, one to remember!!! I had a chance to model clothes, eat the best food and food that that was well seasoned, to see some real good ,awesome entertainment and fun activities. Will make Princess my next cruise line. I didn't have to see a bunch of kids. Love them but sometimes they are in the way. I shal never forget my waiters who always made my night at dinner time.Joie and Alex as they were called.Two of the moat loving guys who were so accommodating, friendly and professional and remembered our names which was touching to me. At 71 years attention means a lot no matter where you go and who you meet and they were awesome. Thank you Princess and I will be back and soon Read Less

You'd think it would be difficult to be pissed off after spending a week somewhere as gorgeous as the Caribbean. But congratulations, Regal Princess - you've succeeded. I'll start with a little background: This was the FOURTH cruise I've taken with Princess just this year alone - and my second on the Regal. I'm not the type to complain about every little issue on a cruise - I'm generally pretty easy to please. I did Panama Canal last month on the Island Princess and it was amazing. Zero complaints. I wrote a great review after that cruise because they deserved it. I just got home from a seven day Western Caribbean cruise on the Regal Princess. The ports of call and shore excursions were excellent, as always, but many things about the ship itself were pretty terrible. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll take it from the top... I boarded the ship the first day and headed up to the Riviera Deck to my stateroom - R311. I immediately noticed a funky smell in the hallway - almost like the cleaning products used to deodorize a toilet in a bus or airplane bathroom. It was pretty gross. I noticed that the carpets were wet, too, so I assumed that they had just wet vacuumed the hallways or something. I went into my stateroom and began unpacking. The carpet in front of my bathroom was also wet - bad enough that my socks got soaked after stepping on it. And the bathroom itself smelled like urine, which really bothered me, because I had the same problem last Spring in my stateroom on the Aloha deck. Later in the afternoon I went to explore the ship and stopped by the front desk to tell them about the smell in the bathroom. They said they'd have the steward take care of it, and he did - when I went back to my room an hour or so later, the bathroom had been bleached and scrubbed and the smell was almost totally gone (note: if you want your steward to take great care of you, give him/her a $20 tip at the beginning of the cruise as soon as you meet them and they'll do almost anything for you). I was tired that evening and decided to just order room service. This also turned into an exercise in frustration. I called several times and nobody answered. I was put on hold each time. After spending about 10-15 minutes waiting, I'd had enough and called the front desk to complain. They said they'd have the room service people call me back, and eventually, they did. I tried not to get too worked up about the situation because it was the first night of the cruise, and the room service staff are often pretty backed up at this time. I ordered the lobster and steak and paid $19 for it (it wasn't worth it, and not only that, they got my order wrong). Later in the evening I tried calling the dining reservations line to make a reservation for the following evening at Sabitini's, and same situation - nobody answered. I gave up after several attempts. That night I went to bed in a not great mood but was hopeful that the rest of the cruise would be much better. I was startled awake at 5:30am by a SCREECHING alarm that went off in my stateroom. I called the front desk and they said they were aware of the problem - someone else had also called from their room on Riviera to report the same thing - and that they were working on fixing it. The alarm continued screeching for another 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, I'm wide awake, and I go to use the bathroom. I open the bathroom door and the bathroom stinks like urine again. Now I'm definitely not happy. There's no way I'm getting back to sleep. The alarm is still going off. I go down nine flights of stairs to the front desk to complain about the alarm and the smell of the bathroom. They send a housekeeping manager up to my room to check out the bathroom, and he sends the plumber up. Eventually the alarm turns off. The plumber fiddles around with the bathroom drains for 15 minutes or so, and then says he's sorry but there's not much he can do - the entire Riviera deck was flooded yesterday by a burst pipe, which is causing the sewer smell in both the hallway and possibly the smell in my stateroom bathroom, too. Basically, I'm out of luck. I appreciated the honesty, because this was the first time someone had the decency to actually explain to me what the TRUE situation was. A simple letter of apology or acknowledgement from Princess would've gone a long way here. "Hey, sorry the hallway is flooded and smells like a sewer and we did nothing to warn you", or "hey, sorry to wake you up from a sound sleep at 5:30am with an ear-splitting alarm that went off in dozens of rooms for 20+ minutes with zero explanation and no way to quickly turn off". Needless to say, this never happened. In any event, I called guest services and told them that I wanted a new room on a different deck. They said the ship was filled to capacity but that they'd see what they could do and get back to me. I heard nothing back for several hours. It wasn't until I got my travel agent involved AND threatened to contest the entire cost of the cruise with my credit card company that guest services finally had someone up the chain reach back out to me. I received a call a little later from Dean - the guest services director - and he was fantastic. I really need to give credit where credit is due here. I explained to him that pretty much every single thing about the cruise up until that point had been a complete nightmare, and that nobody on staff either seemed to care and/or had the ability to help me fix the problems I was having. I pretty much gave him a list of complaints and he immediately began addressing and trying to fix each one. It made all the difference in the world to me that he took my complaints seriously and actually worked to correct them. He even made me a complimentary reservation at Sabitini's that evening. Without my experience with Dean and his help resolving everything here, I doubt i'd ever be taking a Princess cruise again. From this point on, some things improved and some didn't. I went to Sabitini's that evening and this was literally the highlight of the cruise. They were so welcoming and friendly - the level of service and quality were amazing. I wish the entire cruise was like this. It meant so much to me that they actually treated me like a guest, because for most of the cruise up until this point (and after it), I felt like just a number. The ports of call and shore excursions were all excellent. Thank God for that because this helped the cruise not seem like a complete disaster. I did have some fun, at least. But overall, the negative experiences I had that first day or two of the cruise overshadowed the entire vacation, especially because many of them were never completely resolved. The hallway and bathroom continued to smell, it was difficult to get a human being on the phone when calling room service, the dining reservation line, or even the front desk, and the ship seemed very understaffed for the amount of guests on board. With so many shortcomings during this cruise, I've been trying to put my finger on how things could've gone so noticeably downhill since my last Regal cruise this past March. My theory is that it all boils down to the Medallion system. It's obvious that Princess is eliminating staff and replacing them with a terribly inadequate and cumbersome system of online Medallion applications. What a huge mistake. Human beings should not be replaced by automation in an industry where the overall level of quality/satisfaction is so heavily determined by the level of care/attention you receive from actual humans. If I go to McDonald's, I don't care if the human interaction is replaced by a self-service kiosk. When I'm on a cruise, it's a completely different story. Not to mention the fact that the apps often don't work or drastically limit the number of things you can do/order compared to when you interact with an actual human staff member - which often necessitates an additional human interaction, anyway. The few staff still employed seemed totally overwhelmed with the number of guests on board. They couldn't keep up, guests were getting frustrated, there were lines for almost everything, and the decreased morale was pretty apparent. it's a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. I really hope someone high up at Princess reads this review. Some of the issues on this cruise might've been bad luck, but others were entirely preventable. A lot of it boils down to customer service. I've given Princess many thousands of dollars in business in the past year alone. Just because I'm on the younger side, and traveling solo, doesn't mean I should receive a lower level of service than an older couple or a family with kids - and that was the impression I got again and again on this cruise (as well as other Princess cruises I've taken). I guarantee you I'm contributing just as much to your bottom line as these people, if not more. Perhaps you should realize who your truly loyal customers are, and start treating them that way. Read Less

Cruised before with Princess and this cruise right time of the year for our needs. What really floored us was Princess imposing a charge of $299 to use the Sauna Facility that is free on other Cruise ships. From the time you step on board they are trying to nickel and dime you to death. We travelled Sydney to NZ ON 15TH December 2019. The staff on the other hand are as a whole quite lovely. Everyone seems happy and satisfied with their working conditions. Everyone is looking out for the passengers and their happiness and satisfaction. The ship itself is clean and in good nick. Some issues with plumbing but that is not uncommon when you have people on board who are not familiar with the requirements of sailing the seas. Meals in the main dining rooms were of a high standard. Specialty restaurants are agin of a standard one would expect. Read Less

Chose the cruise as the destinations were exactly what we were looking for. We cruised from Sydney to Auckland. Stopping in Melbourne, Hobart, Fiordland scenic cruising, Dunedin, Akaroa, Tauranga and then Auckland. There were presentations on the sea days and again on your stateroom TV for all the ports how to get into the city centre and what to do there. Embarkation wasn’t as smooth as others we were left waiting for 20 minutes whilst they weren’t sure of our visas - as we are from the UK on a working holiday visa for NZ. We had any time dining which meant we could eat anywhere at any time (just not in the traditional dining room) I have coeliac disease and wasn’t sick at all, the dining staff were amazing - very welcoming it felt like all staff wanted to be there and loved their jobs. Staff ranged in all ages not many teenagers which was a refreshing change. We had one excursion in Akaroa to swim with dolphins which was awesome. The fitness centre was brilliant all brand new equipment, could have done with no air conditioning - it was always so hot in there. All in all a fantastic cruise and we have booked again with Princess. Read Less

When it's all said and done, I would strongly advise no sailing with Princess. While our destinations were beautiful (Mexican Riviera), the experience onboard was - at the end of the day - really bad. The good things: - easy boarding, easy disembarking - all staff are kind, prompt, and trying their best. - decent pool setup. good for swimming. - lotus spa has a very luxurious turkish bath Now the problems: - slow internet. 1995 slow. you can't do much. and you pay a large amount. - the food is the worst I've seen. lowest of the low. borderline prison food. you can't get decent quality food unless you pay $30 at dinner. think watery eggs and square cheese bad. My family felt ill most of the time. Fast-food is better quality, i kid you not. - ship doesn't have decks clearly marked. you think they would have figured that out. - the medallion thing is a scam. mine didn't work. got it replaced. resolved nothing. - there's a gigantic TV on the top deck blaring prescription medication ads (really guys?) - bad elevator music follows you e v e r y w h e r e you go. bring earplugs. - my room had broken balcony door which made wind gust loud at night - poor alcoholic drinks! decent selection but no one made a good cocktail. - NO! DRINKING! WATER! - was dehydrated the entire trip (i'm 33, in shape). They do sell $4 bottles of water as room service only. There's also tap water that tastes like you're drinking laboratory chlorine. They use this at the restaurants/cafe. - ship was rerouted. lost time at destinations and there was no compensation for that. - entertainment is a mixed bag. the stage productions: terrible! but trivia a good laugh. - medical station charges $100 to see a doctor. sold me a $14 bottle of rubbing alcohol. This is the worst cruise I've taken, hands down. I'd say look elsewhere - there are some very special cruises out there. This is bad for families and couples alike. Good luck and hope this helps! Read Less

We have had a good experience with Princess before on the Crown Princess so chose Princess again. Also read about "the medallion" experience and thought it sounded really cool so wanted to try this ship and it is a newer ship as well. The embarkation process was very smooth, we had our medallions mailed to our home so that made the boarding process even quicker. It took no more than 1/2 an hour after we parked our car and we were on the ship! Load the "medallion class" app on your device and you'll be a step ahead when you're on the ship. We both thought this was the nicest ship we have ever been on (this was cruise #12) and kept so very clean. The buffet area was very well thought out in design, very large and easy to maneuver through even when crowded. There was plenty of seating as well. The buffet food was wonderful and so many choices. The main dining rooms had great meals too and we ate there most of the time. The pizza place called "Alfredos" was nice and usually not busy. There was another pizza place out on Lido deck by the pool, a spot for grilled burgers and a soft serve ice cream place. I was pleasantly surprised the swimming pools were heated! Our favorite pool was the Retreat, an adults only area. We chose a balcony cabin on deck 16, Lido deck because we like being in close proximity to (free) coffee in the morning, the pools, and the buffet. No stairs or elevator to hassle with. Some will say you can get coffee on deck 5, well yes you can but you have to pay for it. Another really fun treat was getting the balcony champayne breakfast! It was much better than I expected, all kinds of breakfast goodies. It's $45 for 2 people. Our cabin steward Mario kept our room nicely refreshed, in fact the whole ship was kept super clean, I know I said it was clean before but had to repeat! I also enjoyed the fitness center, countless treadmills, really nice newer ones. There also were eliptical and bikes to work out on, and free weights as well as weight machines. I liked how they had the ping pong tables in a netted area (helps with runaway balls) and up by the sports deck area. There were also many, many lounge chairs by the pool area and other areas away from the pool. It was just the 2 of us adults on this cruise and we appreciated the Retreat pool area, thank you princess for providing that! We are looking forward to our next Princess cruise! Read Less

Ship - Royal Princess, built in 2012. While not necessarily new, it was one of Princess' flagship vessels, and one of the most luxurious, if not the most. Cabin - we stayed at the Dolphin Deck, midship, balcony. We booked well advance (1.5 years ahead) to block this very desirable cabin. We weren't wrong. We did not experience any disturbance. Cabin was reasonably sized and centrally located. It was well appointed with a huge closet with hangers, in-room safe, big screen TV, sofa, hair blower, mini-fridge, toiletries, shower, sofabed, etc. Dining - recommend booking "scheduled dining hours (either 5 or 7 pm)". They will wait for you for 30 minutes before they give up your table. If you dont have a booked schedule, "anytime dining" is good on flexibility, but you may have to wait. You can order as many mains as you want. If you are still hungry, go to the Buffet restaurant for more food! Entertainment and Activities - so much to do! Check Princess' website for more details. Service - blown away by the level of service, which was consistently superior at all times. Tip: travel light. Do your laundry onboard for a minimal charge. No cash or credit card is required as all out if pocket expenses are billed to your "medallion" which is unique for each guest. Read Less

The Majestic Princess is a beautiful, yet majestic cruise ship, which I recommend everyone single person in the world to set foot on. The cabins, staff, restaurants, activities and services were excellent. Our cabin, D535 on Deck 9 was immaculate every time I set foot in it; thus, I give special thanks to the room stewards of Dolphin Deck 9, Kong (China) and Neil (Philippines). As for the dining, I give special thanks to the waiter Musor (Thailand) and junior waiter Narry (Philippines) from the Concerto Dining Room on Plaza Deck 5, who have been so kind and helpful to us for the 8 nights of our cruise. Unlike many other cruises, I feel that the Majestic Princess is one of the only cruises that produce enrichment activities such as trivias, challenges and mini-games. The activities, in my opinion, are extremely organised and fun. Similarly, for fitness, there was a miscellaneous variety of sports available on the Sun Deck (17) Sports Deck ( 18) and the Sky Deck (19) and on Deck 16, were two massive swimming pools. To sum it all up, I would conclude that my 8-night, 9-day journey on the Majestic Princess would be considered as one that is never to be forgotten. Read Less

I came to Princess after some posh cruises on a competitor. The first was an Alaska Inside Passage that was all good EXCEPT the quality of food and the staff who were so surley...from the cabin steward to the dining staff. However, a promotion lured us back and I am so glad we gave Princess another chance. In 2018 we did a Southeast Asia cruise on the Sapphire Princess and were very satisfied. The Regal is a 3500 passenger ship - a little large for our taste. We were happy to see they have "greened" up; replacing one-time use things with cloth napkins, flatware, glassware. Both the staff and the food were phenomenal. The line seemed very gay friendly (is that a term?) - inclusive I guess is better. The Medallion experience was OK. When they get all the bugs out it will be great. If you like to snorkel I recommend bringing your own equipment - there are lots of opportunities in this itinerary. We didn't really care about the ports of call. We always book a local guide for private excursions to immerse in the culture (as much as is possible in a half day) and for the personal connection. I avoid all excursions that include shopping. Jamaica was great fun. Climbing the famous Dunn River Falls is not as strenuous as reported, we saw some pretty outa shape folks doing it. For the "secret, hidden" Blue hole or White river area - skip the big bus and go to Island Gully Falls. We really loved it and had personal attention. Do not try to drive there yourself - get a driver or taxi, the mountain roads are daunting. Grand Cayman was unimpressive because we didn't go offshore since we snorkel on Princess Cay and in Cozumel. The Grand Cayman port staff said we needed a taxi to go to Caymen Spirits rum distillery- a tour we booked in advance. They said our map wasn't to scale and it was too far and too much traffic. But it was a little over ONE MILE and we easily walked back to port in 20 minutes. Enroute we stopped at a grocer and got the sunscreen and spices we wanted for 1/3 the harborside shop prices. Read Less

This was our first cruise ever and prior to this only ever flew to our holiday destination and what a change this was. I was absolutely amazed but the whole experience and the crew aboard. By far the best activities aboard for myself were those run by the junior and senior cruise directors. And my partner absolutely loved both the experience and quality of the ballroom lessons provided by the crew aboard. The food was great however the pasta always seemed to be under cooked in the buffet. Crown grill is a must when you go on the ship as it’s one of the best dining experiences I have ever had however Sabatinis is skippable as all the food just tasted bizarre and wasn’t really appetising at all (one exception being the dessert called the Rocher). With the excursions they were great however in hindsight I would book more as I did a lot of days in port. I would definitely travel with princess again however may try next time for a ship with a slightly younger demographic as I would estimate 80% of the people were 50+ years of age. Read Less

Another amazing experience. We have come to expect this from Princess and they deliver every time. From the Rooms to the dining, Gameshows to the pool, the entire time was great. My 9 year old son loved the play areas for the kids, and the sports deck was a hit for us as well. We enjoyed Bingo, and tried to hit every trivia event. That was alot of fun. The Chef and Matire D were impressive in their live demonstration. We did not do any gambling of shopping but we could see there was plenty. They even had a Black Friday Sale to compare to any other retail outlet. The Entertainment Staff were really the ones that shined throughout the experience, but the Chefs and Wait Staff were outstanding. The sit down dinners were one of our favorite times of day. We can sit down, and enjoy wonderful meal with tastes we may have never had. Out on deck there was always something going on, or just relaxing by the pool it was perfect. Anything we needed was right there, and the Pizza & Burgers were on point. Everything was outstanding on this and all my other cruises with Pricness!!!!! Read Less

We traveled with 4 other couples on this 15 day cruise to Hawaii. Our group is from Central Florida and we love life and enjoy having new experiences. Our group enjoys fitness activities, dancing , entertainment, eating and we play board games. My wife and I have been on over 12 Princess cruises and we recommended the other couples try a Princess cruise. We had direct flights from Orlando to LAX and it was a joy to see the Princess Cruise representatives at the baggage claim area. The construction at the airport made the transfer to the terminal a little longer than we thought but we were happy with the care free transfer process. The cruise registration and boarding the ship was also smooth and seamless. The people on the ship were older but we found many like minded passengers. Our group loves fitness programs. Only a few classes were available but they were excellent. Adam taught a dance fitness class at 9:00 am each sea day. It was 40 minutes of great exercise. He is part of the dance company on ship and had tremendous energy and enthusiasm He has a standing invitation to come join us in Florida. Some of us used the fitness center for working out and stretching. Most cruises have an early morning stretch class and an abs class but this cruise lacked any free classes from the fitness professionals. We enjoyed the Tai Chi and Line Dancing classes.I am a Zumba instructor most of our group are in my Zumba class. Later in the cruise we discovered DJ Loverly. (She was great) She played music on deck 14 by the pool by request so we requested a few songs we use in our classes. The first day we had about 20 people join us, the second day we go to about 40 people. On the final day she had me lead a full class. We had about 100 people dancing on deck 14 and 15. Even the bartenders and the cooks at the hamburger and pizza stands were dancing! Molly led us in a Flash Mob and it was great fun! We loved the entertainment and the staff. Oz a good friend after we met him at karaoke on Day 1. Micah, the cruise director from Australia was a joy. We sat in the front row for all the shows and we gave the entertainers and Micah lots of love. We LOVED the entertainment! The singers and dance crew had 3 unique shows and they were spectacular. The comedians, the singers, instrumentalists and magicians were wonderful. Pinnacle was an awesome band. We also became familiar with Matt Thompson - the director of entertainment. He and Micah helped us solve a problem we had with our room later in the cruise when it would have been easier for him to just walk away from the problem. Matt, Micah and OZ all lead by example and are committed to making sure you have an outstanding cruise experience. The educational sessions on the geology of the earth, volcanoes formation and types of volcanoes along with the evolution of plants and wildlife in and around the islands was very enjoyable, I highly recommend all the lectures - even if you are sweaty from the dance fitness class. The food on board was as expected. We enjoyed Sabatinis. We enjoyed the milk and cookies later in the afternoon on Deck 14 while we played our board games . All of us loved the fruit and the option to eat healthy. The staff at the international cafe helped me with my coffee each morning and they were wonderful. We enjoyed the food and only one of us gained more than 5 lbs. We enjoyed the ports in Hawaii. Some people in our group took the cruise tours and some of us rented cars and toured on our own. The Hawaiian excursions were rather expensive so I opted for touring on our own. We had a great trips on Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. We used the cruise tour excursion on Oahu. We were pleased with the visit to Pearl Harbor and the Island tour. We stayed in a mini suite and we noticed that the room was more worn and tattered than we had hoped for. The bathroom tub drain did not drain very well and our cabin steward did a great job of getting it taken care of. Later in the cruise we had an additional problem. We were able to rectify the problem by working through our cabin steward and getting the help of Matt Thompson and Micah. We were moved to a different room and the situation was resolved thanks to the help of Matt and Micah. Disembarkation was also smooth and we made it home late in the evening. We were tired but very satisfied with our cruise and we would cruise on Princess again Read Less

Our class chose this destination on a majority vote for our 45th college reunion. We wanted a cruise that would take us to the East Coast and Canada for the Fall Foliage. Our travel agent suggested a Princess cruise based on previous clients' recommendations. The embarkation was smooth and all the staff were very helpful and showed us the way to our stateroom and the dining room for lunch. Our stateroom was in a quiet location, clean, had a balcony, and the space was just right for my husband and me. The bed was very comfortable and the comforter was light and warm. The Medallion made it so easy to get in and out of our room, go through lines when exiting or returning to the ship. It also made it easy to shop, pay for drinks or other items on the ship; we did not need to bring our wallets and money on board. The food, entertainment, service and staff on the Regal Princess were all first rate!! I will return to this ship for another cruise with family and friends! Read Less

Staff were fantastic but this cruise was 95% retirees over the age of 70. The activities were designed to entertain the same age bracket. We are late 40s and found the activities boring and the demographics were way too old. Other than great pools, there was nothing to entertain our age bracket. The internet was terrible, too slow and lots of drop outs. The room service was great, although no towel animals. The beds were extremely comfortable and balcony was worth the amount. The food was ok. Loved the pizzas and ice cream. The Lotus Spa services were good but way overpriced. The fitness centre was well equipped. Was disappointed with the day in Papeete, when no shops were open. The overnight stay should have been in Honolulu where there was more to do. There were no theme nights and the night club was designed again for old people. No area suited young people. Read Less

We had been planning to take an Alaska Cruise for sometime. We heard good comments about Princess Cruise and got a good deal from them. Our family of 15 members consisting of my husband and I, our three children, their spouses and seven grandsons ages 3 -13 were on this trip and we all loved the experience. The Medallion concept is great. Love the way the Medallion opened the cabin door and showed our picture. The Medallion was great when boarding and disembarking the ship. The staff on board the ship were excellent and very friendly. The service in the restaurants was very good. The sailing was smooth all the way, only one night there was a possibility of rough sailing. Liked the way Captain kept us informed about what to expect. Although we missed stopping in Juneau, I appreciated that the Captain made the right decision to sail through to avoid the bad weather. We spent seven nights on the ship and three nights on the land. There were enough activities for the children to be entertained. Overall, it was a very good experience. Hope to go in a cruise again. Read Less

Exceeded our expectations from embarkation to debarkation. Crews are very friendly and helpful. You don’t get hungry as lots of yummy foods on board and lots of sporting activities you can do on board to ensure you don’t get extra kg while indulging with lots of good variety of foods. Medallion class made everything on board really easy. They have a very systematic system where everything really works very well. We have enjoyed all the activities on board, in particular, the shows daily. Our crew steward always ensure that our room is being looked after daily. Live TV updates is also very helpful for everyone as you will be informed on what’s happening on the ship, ports and shore excursions very important informations and tips. We will definitely cruise with Princess again and will recommend them to our friends and families. Keep up the good work and hope to see you again soon. Read Less

We are elite cruisers with Princess (have sailed on many ships) and booked two 7 day Alaska cruises from July 3 - July 17, 2019 on the Island Princess. This ship is sadly lacking in public amenities and the cabin was so small you couldn't escape to it either. There is no International Cafe, which on other Princess ships serves a menu of very fresh food for 24 hours a day. After 11 pm the only snack available is from Room Service with a limited menu of food which you have to eat in bed as the stateroom has no chairs to relax in. There is no Skywalkers Lounge for a panoramic view of the scenery. There is no Vista Lounge as Princess took lovely lounge space and converted it to revenue producing cabins. There is no Adagio Lounge for relaxing. All that is left is the Wheelhouse and Explorers which are just bars meant to sell liquor and are not convivial day venues. The atrium has no appeal since it is constantly noisy with martini shaking and various music programs and no International Cafe to give you a nice cup of tea and a sandwich. The fitness room and gym are stuck inside with no windows to enjoy the view. The fitness room is so small you cannot stretch because of the number of people on the floor. Stretch classes have been cut from 30 minutes to 20 minutes and 10 minutes of that is taking foot impressions to sell orthotics. You cannot walk all the way around the Promenade Deck as it is always blocked off. There is no jogging track. There is extremely limited deck space since the Horizon Court is at the bow of the ship and most ships have it aft with nice outside tables to enjoy the view out the rear of the ship. There is no aft pool which also affords a view on most ships. The Sanctuary is aft instead of amidship which cuts off the last opportunity to access the rear of the ship. We felt like prisoners on this ship, Stuck in limited public lounges with the Alaskan views only slightly visible through exceedingly dirty windows in the Horizon Court, the dining rooms and whatever few public areas remain. A fleet wide Princess problem is the lack of fresh food on their ships. Frozen fish is unacceptable on an expensive holiday with easy access to port reprovisioning. The only saving graces on this cruise were the entertainment and the staff. The entertainers were very good and on the second cruise we had 3 excellent production shows. The staff (other than Customer Service) were excellent. They are the biggest strength of Princess. Although we often cruise 2 or 3 times a year we are not in a hurry to book another cruise with Princess and will probably give Celebrity or RCCL another try. Read Less