We chose Princess because we had friends who suggested them. Princess exceeded our expectations. No problems with embarkation or disembarkation. The cabin, a deluxe balcony room, had all the space and amenities we needed, it was easy to manage getting around the ship and the entertainment was very good with a very good house band, Evolution, playing different music styles. Danced many nights and especially enjoyed Rock Night-great! Food was good to excellent in open seating dinning room where we ate every night. Never had a bad meal. The buffet, which we only used for breakfast and lunch when on ship, was huge and good. Really like eggs/omelets made to order every morning on buffet. The shows were great with a huge theatre so never a problem getting a seat. Booked all shore excursions with Princess. Just wanted to keep it easy and price was reasonable to third parties. Booked the small group tours in Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Oslo. Just went on our own in Tallinn and Warnemunde. All equal or better guides then we have had with European tours in the past. Really pleased we did it this way and the groups were always less number of people than allowed. Service on the ship was excellent!! Room always very clean and Princess people just very hard working and nice. My wife and I have been to Europe 8 times in the last 13 years and recently retired. We use the internet very little and no cell phone when we travel but internet and TV sometimes do not work well in the Baltic Sea or places like Russia. I always felt it was foolish to work on European vacations anyway so never did in any of my previous trips. We will cruise again and Princess will be the company we will use. It was a great experience and look forward to more. Read Less

We enjoyed the cruise around Japan with the view to visit Hirosaki Castle Park for Sakura or Cherry Blossom which usually peak between 22Apr to 1May. It was our main highlight and we cherished the beautiful sakura. Short 15min walk from port, 40 min direct train trip from JR Aomori to JR Hirosaki and 20 min walk to Castle. Park entry was free. Views were fantastic. Public holiday due to Emperor Hirohito abdication and Emperor Naruhito ascending to throne, meant the place had lots of food stalls, crowd and festive ambience. Feel very safe and pleasant throughout. Cruise overall was alright. Weather and food was good, generally. Enjoyed the Princess production shows like To Be Born Wild ( rock n roll ) and Secret Silk ( great display of props but audio vocals were muffled eventhough seated in centre of thearte ...needs imporvement). Other guests entertainers were a bit dull but I give credit to Dominic Duo at the Wheelhouse Bar. We danced to their tunes. Food quality and service in the main dining room were alright but not always in the Horizon Court as it is very busy with people and lacks the ambience. Food quality can be unappealing sometimes. Same goes with breakfast room service. Did not use the pizzaria but enoyed the matcha ice cream from the parlour. Port visits were not that attractive but there were farewell local dance and Samurai performances in Sakata and Aomori. People were very welcoming and taxi drivers were very polite and very fair in their fares and please take back any small change and receipt given out of politeness to them. No need for tips. Service with a smile. We did a bit of shopping in downtown Busan after we figured how to use their Metro. Get entry to right train platform as you can't walk over to the correct platform if wrong like other city metros. We wasted our ticket but it is alright. A small price to pay for the adventure. Busan was lively downtown in Art Street. 1 USD to 1000 Won ans 1 Aud to 800 Won. Prices are in their 000s. A small drink at a street vendor cost me 3500Won or 3.5USD. Views across Kanmon Straits between Kyushu and Honshu, was interesting if you happen to know about the great sea battles fought here that created the Kamakura Shogunate in 11th Century. However, I much prefer the nightime view of Busan Bridge which changed colours every 30 seconds. Our ship sailed under it at about 10.30pm. on its way to Sakata. Read Less

Ports of call interesting.We havd never been to these countries on the Pacific side of South America.. Going this tome of year we expected, and received waem weather. Having sailed with Princess several times, with very positive results, we picked this itinerary. Being familiar with the Royal Princess, having sailed with her before, and having been told that she was refitted with new mattresses, new wi-fi, new Medallion sophistication our expectations were very high... We were given the wrong information.. With the exception of a few members of the crew, the staff was efficient but without personality. We seldom saw the ship's officers, common on most cruises. The captain was glib and amusing from the bridge. We laughed at his "rolly-poly to describe any rough weather. The entertainment was very good initially, but the last vocalists were not familiar with the passengers' preferences. Our biggest food problem was we found hair several times in our meals. Not what we expect from Princess Read Less

The reason my family and I decided upon Princess was the length of the cruise. All other lines failed to offer a 14 day cruise. We researched the ship, it was about 14 years old, it had undergone a maintenance a couple of years ago.. The ship looked very nice from the outside, The inside looked clean, the state rooms were in good shape. The only two items I found with the ship was the lower railings on the balcony. They were heavily rusted, and the fan system in the elevators did not cycle air very well and when entering a full elevator the air quality was very poor. My family and I had never cruised before, we learned much about the how cruises work, Embarkation and debarkation was an experience we can now understand better. Our flight out was set for around 6pm EST, The ship had us out of our cabins at 8am we ended up waiting for our flight for 7 hours. It would have been nice if we could have remained aboard until later in the day and then transferred to our flight. The dining experience was enjoyable, We tried all of the food options and were satisfied, We switched our scheduled dining from 3 nights at crown grill, and 3 nights at Sabatini's to 5 nights at Crown Grill and 1 night at Sabatini's. We found that the meals were more to our liking at Crown Grill. We had multiple shore excursions and the activities aboard the ship were enjoyable, The shows were good and the times shown were spaced just right so that we could eat and get to one of the shows. Service aboard the ship was always good, with one minor exception at the Salty Dog. my son ran into an unfriendly staff problem. But the staff other than this was always helpful. The shore excursions were enjoyed by all. My wife and I are older and cannot do the things that are sons are capable of,The only area that would have helped would have been to have steps going into the excursions. The helmet dive in Aruba was great. The steps lead into the activity. The Sea Lion in St. Thomas and the Sting Ray in Antigua all had ladders to go into the pool or sea. If they could add a set of steps this would make it easier for older folks to enjoy the activities. Read Less

This ship is in need of overall remodeling, there are so many maintenance problems, toilet not working, ceiling drip water,smells in the walkways, toilet backflow,,, And the food quality is poor, I think they use leftovers for buffet dishes, the meat dishes are all very dry, the fishes are ok except after on buffet line for too long they are sometimes salty. They put raw fish at room temperature instead of covering them and keep them cooling, is somewhat strange to me. The services also terrible, most of the staff have bad manner. And DON'T choose "ANYTIME DINNING " we never could get a table for 2 before 9:00pm, they force us to share table, which we hate. I told customer service manager this he referred me to restaurant manager, but the restaurant manager told me there is nothing he could do. This kind of customer service is a shame for princess cruise lines. How could they rate themself 4.5 stars is beyond me, I would rate them 1 star Read Less

Princess has it right on Embarkation and Disembarkation. Smooth process proved to be one of the best. The ship is older and void of all the exciting pastimes of newer ships but full of traditional pastimes for older passengers. Cabin service was so exceptional that any flaws in furnishings was not noticed. Wow service for sure there! Food was exceptional in all aspects..better than any other cruise line I have experienced. Dining service was exceptional as well. Entertainment left a little to be desired. Needed more productions, more seating and better entertainers...something more breathtaking like "arial" acts, and such. Found myself bored at certain times, but mainly because of the weather and lack of other exciting activities. Not just gambling. Service everywhere was exceptional and I loved the staff. Only a couple of issues there, not worth mentioning. The Islands were awesome, economical and interesting. Less expensive than Ensenada, Mexico (who had ridiculously high prices) and no bargaining. One fan for $7.....really!!!! Don't even get off at that port. The cruise was rough sailing but we never got sick so hats off to Prncess! We would recommend but would not go again. Read Less

Wanted a 15 day transatlantic with northern European emphasis. Never sailed Princess and probably wont be back. 2 1/2 hours to board in Southampton in a club class mini suite. Apparently mobility issues gets u on first but that was half the ship apparently. Ship was big and maximized cabin space at the expense of ship features. No where inside to escape the throngs...the Piazza reminds me of Vegas and is loud and always packed as there is nowhere else to hangout or lounge that doesnt involve eating or drinking. Overpriced tacky shops, library was a joke, cannot walk the perimeter of the ship on any lower deck, running track is on deck 18 and closed frequently due to wind and is also in the exhaust of the stacks. Elevators are slow and packed to the point we dreaded going to lower decks. Dining was hit or miss, steak house was great...most everything else average or below. Room service was always prompt but menu poor. Buffet mostly average to poor fatty high carb choices...meats dried out and self serve tongs are a health hazard. Never go to buffet at peak eating times...people are rude pushy and oblivious, no where to sit. Cabin L107 had the forward wrap around balcony and was wonderful...cabin service excellent. Disembarkation delayed and misplaced one bag...just hire a car to the airport as the bus transfer was painfully slow and people standing about blocking the unloading of bags. Overall we enjoyed the stops and room and had a good time once we learned how to avoid the throngs, bad entertainment and geriatric oriented events. Gym on this ship was remarkably good. Wont do another Princess cruise...so many better offerings. Read Less

We booked this cruise through our time share company. Their recommendation of Princess Alaska land and cruise exceeded our expectations. We booked our excursions with Princess Cruise lines. On these excursions we saw eagles, whales, totems, moose, and beautiful glaciers and snow covered mountains. We panned for gold and brought a few flakes home. On land we rode on buses and trains. Our tour guides were exceptional and informative. On the ship Star Princess, we were treated like royalty . The service, food, entertainment, and beauty of the ship were awesome. We celebrated our forty-sixth wedding anniversary while on board and wee treated like royalty in the dining room and our state room door was so beautifully decorated with balloons and recognition certificates. These words cannot do just service to all of the wonderful experiences we shared on this cruise and land tour of Alaska. You must go there to get the full gist of what I have tried to state in a few words. If you have the opportunity to go on a Princess Cruise to Alaska in combination with a land trip to Denali, we can say with great certainty you will experience a beautiful trip of a lifetime. Read Less

This was our first time sailing Princess and we were excited to try their Club Class Mini-Suites. We have tried similar products on other cruiser lines so it was up to scrutiny to see how it faired I’m comparison. Embarkation was very smooth (the smoothest we have experienced) and there was no delay in getting to our cabin. The cabin was large and with plenty of storage options. The ship is beautifully decorated. There are several dinning options and plenty of bars. I feel that the public areas on this ship are better than others O have experienced. Dinning was an issue for us. The Club Class dining was sold differently on the website than what was experienced. Although we enjoyed never waiting for a table, we were disappointed how the Club Class restaurant is still part of the main dinning room and we found the food quality was lacking as was the choice of wine by the glass. Entertainment on board was also an issue for us. We found ourselves not attending much as the acts were all very average. The ports on this cruise were fantastic. Cruising is definitely the best way to see this part of the world. Sailing out of Stockholm was a huge highlight. Disembarkation was also very smooth and well received. Would We sail with Princess again? Definitely, however it will never be our first choice just due to the lack of wow moments in food, wine and entertainment, however now that we know what to expect I’m sure we will be less disappointed next time. Read Less

We have done about 8 Princess Cruises and take 2 Caribbean cruises each winter to get away from the Canadian cold. We thoroughly enjoy the shipboard experience so the ports are of less importance to us. The Regal was just retrofitted with the Ocean Medallion equipment. The best side benefit of this change was that Princess advertised the fastest internet at sea and they were certainly correct. On most ships downloads for newspapers, magazine etc. are painfully slow ( especially when on a time plan). The download speed on the Regal was very close to high speed internet at home. A pleasant surprise. We have been on the Regal and Royal and one attraction for us ( vs not only other Princess ships but other lines as well) is huge Piazza ( Atrium). Entertainment is constant with bands, pianists, singers etc. constantly rotating. It is easy to spend an entire evening enjoying the various bars surrounding the atrium while having excellent live music. The food in the dining room was definitely better than on some prior Princess cruises. We went to both the Winemaker's dinner and the Chef's table, both of which offered an over the top food experience that would cost several hundred dollars in a restaurant at home. The steaks in the Crown Grill are excellent and the surcharge of $29 is both reasonable and much lower than on some other lines. Service from the various bar attendants and servers was always prompt and friendly. We had done a Celebrity cruise and the staff on Princess in the bars and poolside was much friendlier. We did not attend all of the production shows but the Beatles tribute band ( The Beatlemaniacs ) was so good we went to both their 2 theatre shows and 2 additional performances including a deck party. Lots of fun. We also appreciate that compared to some other lines ( Celebrity), the smoking areas are totally separated and do not share decks or outdoor bars so you are never aware of them. The Adult Retreat Pool is a favourite place to spend sunny days ( no charge). After the Champagne waterfall event the Captain ( T. Stringer) circulated with guest throughout the venues for at least an hour , talking to us and letting us take photos with him- very personable and engaged. We will keep returning to Princess for our ocean cruises. Read Less

We booked this cruise last minute (almost), two days prior. Got a great rate through CruisesOnly.com. OMG, what a great time we had!!! The ship is BEAUTIFUL, the staff is great, and the food is amazing (be careful, you'll over do it like I did and spend a night moaning in your cabin, missing all the fun activities and shows). My husband and I chose to renew our wedding vows on board. What a nice package they give you and the ceremony was performed by the personable Captain Nick Nash (thanks, Cpt, Nash!). Particularly noteworthy are Cruise Director "Matt O" (Matthew O'Brien) and Crooners Lounge star, Perry Grant. Both great fun personalities, high energy and talented. Matt is like a combination of "Where's Waldo," Austin Powers, and Pee Wee Herman! What a hoot! Perry is a multi-talented, comedic version of Liberace. However, about 7 days in, Matt was reportedly taken ill and "given the night off." But he never reappeared. We all hope he's alright now. If anyone knows what happened to him, we'd appreciate knowing. He is such a mensch (sweet dear guy). We had 6 people in our party (three staterooms). The cruise personnel at the main desk (Deck 5) were extremely helpful and accommodating. And also of note, a gentleman in charge of the Atlantis Submarine excursion on Barbados. Booking excursions on the RP ship, we could only book 4 of us on the 11:45 sub trip and one on the 12:45 sub trip, and one person could not get a spot at all. We asked on the dock, and at the very last moment, the Atlantis excursion manager tried and was able to finagle seats for all 6 of us on one trip, making us very happy! All in all, a beautiful, memorable vacation of a lifetime. Read Less

The Alaskan Inside Passage cruise aboard the Emerald Princess was chosen as the cruise du jour for the month of August 2017. The weather forecast for August 20 - 27 was for temperatures ranging from 52o to 64o F. for our 20 August departure from the Port of Seattle. On board the Emerald Princess, the atmosphere was bright, cheery and festive in an environment of luxury and cruise ship pampering to die for. It was a good day for cruising. We were welcomed aboard the Emerald Princess promptly upon our arrival and proceeded to our elegant stateroom on the Aloha, deck 12, that was ready in anticipation of our welcome-back arrival. As is the Princess ‘Captain’s Circle Elite’ travelers perk and tradition, there was a full complimentary bar setup, an upgraded balcony stateroom with an incredible view for those romantic, moonlit evenings when a nice cocktail and a quiet serenity make for special moments. We are always greeted soon after our arrival in our stateroom by our stateroom steward and this cruise was no exception. ‘Edward’ (from the Philippines) greeted us with a cheery “welcome back” in recognition of our Elite status and our 27th cruise with Princess. Edward assured us that he would serve our every need and then some, during our week-long cruise and we assured him we would graciously accept and enjoy his services. Having enjoyed the spectacular Emerald Princess on previous cruises (Southern Caribbean (2011) and Western Caribbean (2014)), we were excited to be re-joining the beautiful Emerald Princess for an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise, our 7th cruise to Alaska. It was clear to us that we had a perfect recipe for a fun cruise to ‘sea’ remote Alaskan port stop-overs as we plied the inside passage. Our cruise included stops in Ketchikan, cruising the scenic Tracey Arms Fjord and glacier, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria British Columbia, Canada then back to Seattle, Washington 7 days later. It was no secret to us that Captain Vicenzo Lubrano and the Emerald Princess staff would provide an incredible variety of entertainment and activities from line dancing and ballroom dancing, the quiet serenity and relaxation of the adults only ‘Sanctuary’ and the old world environment and charm of the breathtakingly elegant piazza with all of the splendor we’ve come to expect from a Princess cruise. Evenings on a luxury Princess Cruise are always spectacular, and this cruise was no exception. There is an ample population of youthful ‘eye candy’ for the young. The ‘Welcome aboard’ show hosted by the cruise director was punctuated by a ‘Princess Singers and Dancers’ superb production show and summary of all of the activities and adventures we had to look forward to in the next 7-days. In addition to solo entertainers, Las Vegas style productions are common on Princess Cruises and the Emerald Princess was no exception. Not only have we noticed continued high-quality stage productions, but there is always a refreshing rotation of a variety of entertainers to make every evening, an evening to remember. The Emerald Princess hosted many exciting entertainment venues on this Alaskan Inside Passage cruise. Aside from the always spectacular Princess Singers and Dancers there were cabaret musical duos, magic shows and game shows like ‘Voice of the Sea’ based loosely on the popular TV show ‘The Voice’, to please any entertainment palate. The entertainment was only beginning! A.J Jamal, comedian, amused us with his special brand of comedy that kept the entire audience in stitches for more than an hour. Then came an array of production shows to rock our ship-world: ‘Magic to Do’, a Disco Tribute – ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ and ‘Motor City’ – a Motown tribute that made you want to stand up and ‘shake that groove thing’. We found it impossible, after a production show, to leave the Princess Theater without a bounce in our step and a heart full of memories from bygone eras of great music. After the myriad of cruises that we’ve taken, we’ve learned a few tricks of the trade for cruising like this one: 1. Identify a good travel agent and use him or her religiously; loyalty gleans generous rewards and terrific tips for great vacations. 2. Whether resort vacationing or cruising is your forte, a repeat performance at the same resort or with the same cruise line is generously rewarded with perks - loyalty counts. 3. Luxury resort vacations compete well with luxury cruise ships and may offer all-inclusive pricing that could include round-trip air fare. Our experience is with Barceló Hotels & Resorts and the Grand Mayan, luxury 5-star resorts in prestigious locations. They are all sure to please! 4. You can’t eat all the food made available on a cruise ship; don’t even try. 5. Remaining loyal to Princess Cruises will start paying dividends early but have significant impact beginning at the platinum level – the 5th Princess cruise. It’s well worth it. 6. Make your vacation and air travel commitment early e.g. 6-months before the vacation is to begin, longer if possible. It helps keep budget planning under control and facilitates uncompressed, last minute payment. 7. Check back with the airlines and cruise lines or travel agent frequently in advance of travel; prices change and you could benefit from a substantial refund if they do. Southwest Airlines is good at crediting refunds toward future flights. 8. Many cruise ships accommodate casinos. When possible, consent to player-club tracking. There are many rewards driven by the player-club tracking mechanisms in the form of cash rewards, free canapes, fruit, wine, iced bottles of champagne delivered to your room, stateroom upgrades and complimentary dinners at shipboard upscale specialty restaurants. 9. Don’t over pack. I never think I do but Peggy says that I always do. (I did this cruise, as usual!) 10. Take advantage of the activities and the shore adventures provided. If you leverage the purchase power of Princess Cruises for your reservation, if something goes wrong Princess Cruises will know about it and could delay a departure to accommodate an unexpected Princess Cruises sponsored adventure delay. 11. We always purchase the cruise travel insurance. It’s inexpensive peace of mind for unexpected events. 12. Finally, throughout your travel, the travel services people providing travel comfort along the way and that help make an ordinary vacation an exceptional vacation deserve your tipping generosity commensurate with the service provided. Tip them generously, because they made a difference, from the cab or shuttle driver to the airport, the baggage handler, stateroom steward, the casino ‘umgestalten’ – pit bosses and dealers. It’s important to mention here that in most cases, casino service providers make only $10.00/day. They make their monies on the tips given by the players so tip generously. A special thanks to Princess Cruises, Explore Cruise & Travel & to my wife, Peggy for another spectacular Princess Cruise – what an outstanding vacation cruise team - you’re the best. Epilogue: There are few things that I do that give me more enjoyment than reflecting on the life and times of Peggy & I. We do it every day when Peggy calls a ‘Happy Hour’ at 4:30 PM to get me away from whatever I’ve involved myself with throughout the day. At some point in our 37-years+ together, Peggy had an epiphany – if she could identify some event that we could both enjoy together, she would be able to pull me away from whatever I had been focused on and make me focus on just her - the epiphany came when she decided to have a daily cocktail hour and serve one of the 63+ martinis we have collected throughout our many cruises on Princess cruise ships. With 63+ libations at her disposal and at a burn rate of one martini selection per day, by the time day 63 rolls around we wouldn’t be able to remember what martini we enjoyed together on the first day and she could start all over again. It worked! Happy hour is our time together, focused on just us, reminiscing about our 37+ years, 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 27 Princess cruises together. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry and sometimes we just stare into each other’s eyes and remember our special life’s ride together, that we hope will never end. Just like we do for every Princess cruise. Read Less

Chose a new ship having recently been on the tired Grand, loved the itinerary, found things lacking such as: No promenade deck! Well can go up and down part of deck 7, have to squeeze in past tenders, sweat as go past hot air vents then turn back and repeat as can't do circuit Space in theatre appalling, only went to 3 things as had to queue for an hour to get in ALSO mother disabled and viewing in disabled seating area in theatre was atrocious only top 1/4 visible if not in front row! No alternative entertainment being offered simultaneously in Vista to reduce demand in theatre 3,500 pax 900 ? Seats two shows the math does not work. Lack of bars/ drink service Lack of swimming pools Cabin ( standard balcony) very cramped , no second chair or table ( brochure picture clearly shows both) balcony very small Food tepid in self serve Why is towel booth required on deck 16 lido, when there are towel stands surely it would be more use as beverage station........ Lack of cold/hot beverage points in accessible areas, i.e. Prior to handwash... Ridiculous hand wash station prior to Horizon Court Excursions very expensive/ poor value for money, tour guides on the whole difficult to understand Piazza area superb but WHY the vast area devoted to photos surely these could be displayed on smart TV in cabins, this area would be much better as a social area Entertainment was lack-lustre, day time activities on Sea days minimal and/or un hosted, NO SAILAWAY / cocktail of the day or events like BBQ held on lido deck in evenings, theme nights / pool parties or local entertainments/food experiences Shops on board too high end!!!! Where were the rummage sales? We all want souvenirs and or grandchildren presents Read Less

We wanted to go to Alaska ,which was better then we expected.The cabin was brilliant ,as we were travelling with my brother and sister in law we were offered two bedroom suite.We also got all the suite perks flowers,canapés, chocolates,also laundry.The entertainment was good costumes really nice.All the staff very very polite ,helpful and hard working.We didn't,t do any of the ships shore excursions,as this was a 75 day cruise and we were doing the middle leg most of the tours were sold out,so we booked our own on line.We had lunch at the crab shack one day which was fantastic,I think this would be much better and busy if it was for dinner ,ther was a lot of food for lunch.We also did Chops grill ,very nice but again not busy. Another of our suite perks was breakfast every morning if we wished at Sabattini.There was usually only a few people ,which made it very special and the staff were fantastic. Read Less

In Sep 2106 we saw the promotional material for a 2 week Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Athens in May 2017. We rang Princess direct to find out where the ship went after that and were told back to Barcelona - that it was a circle the Med Cruise. So we booked on for the month. At no time did the advertising material on line, in the latest brochure we had picked up on a previous cruise or the Princess travel person ever tell us that we were booking on for 4 cruises. The effect of 4 cruises vs 1 or 2 cruises is the following: - 4 weeks of the exact same dining menu. Correct - every Monday - the same menu as last Monday and so on. - the major entertainment is the same every week - they assume all passengers are starting on for a 1 week cruise so the tv has to be reset, you can't access any of your excursion bookings until the week they are in, you are swamped with the same advertising material, the wine package we bought on the first week did not go past that week - so we were told to buy all our 12 bottles of wine and store them in our cabin. After some serious complaining i got this changed. So all of this was annoying and interestingly enough it seemed to only apply to Australians. There were 1400 of us on board and everyone we spoke to were never told about it being separate cruises and in fact some people were told they had to book either 3 or 4 weeks. Which really affected their travel plans. You can imagine how furious they were when every Saturday we went to a port where half the passengers disembarked and another new lot came on board! But the port changes were what really got the blood boiling. We chose this cruise for the ports we were scheduled to visit - particularly Malta, Volos and Valletta. In Dec 2016 we received an email stating that due to passenger requests 3 ports were being dropped - yes these 3 and in exchange we were now going to Kotor 3 times (yes 3 times!!), Mykonos, Messina and Athens twice. The worst thing about this is that Princess is still advertising the same cruise next year with Malta, Volos and Valletta as well as Istanbul and Kusadasei both of which were also dropped for security reasons. Not one person on the ship told us the same story as to why Malta etc were dropped. We finally found out from a crew member that the Royal Princess has tried 3 times previously to get in to the Malta harbour and failed - she is just too big. So why keep advertising when you are not going to go there, why lie about it and why pretend that passengers wanted this changed when everyone we spoke to was furious about Malta in particular. None of us would have taken this cruise if we'd known about 4 one week cruises and the ports being dropped that we wanted to go to. Of course once you have paid your deposit you lose it if you withdraw from the cruise. So be warned - Princess has shown itself to be very disreputable, and seem to think it is ok to keep falsely advertising cruise ports that it has no intention of going to. Read Less

This is the longest curise that my wife and I have taken and wanted to see if we could last the 15 day's and stay instered in the curise. We booked 6 excursions in 5 ports now 2 of the 6 left something to be desired wiki beach break was unorganized and quite boring would not do it again next was the nipilia zodiack snorkle to start with this tour did not have the flotation divice that we have used in the open ocean on past curise excursion thay offered noodles rather then flotation vests and the seas were quite high in my opinon ((this is our 5th princess curise) all of my excursions have been booked with princess in the past these were no deal brakers but just keep in mind ,next the ship it self was everything that my wife and I had hoped for had one small problem with stateroom door lock which during the curise would not unlock and thay sent two techs to try to repair but ended up replacing the entire lock this happened at around 10:00 pm and thay had finished at 11:00 pm thay deat with the problem quickly and efficiently. We had the traditional dining as always the wait staff was very good as well as the cabin steward all interactions with the staff was very pleasant and appreciated. Entertainment and ashp board activities were more than enough to keep one busy during the day and entertained at night had state room c-702 balcony all in working order and very clean the balcony it self was quite large and had a half covered ceiling which let sun in and keep rain out over all curise was a howling sucess had greatest time will curise with princess again !!! Read Less

We have been on over 30 cruises and are Platinum on Princess In November 2016 we contacted Princess and explained that my wife had recently been diagnosed with Gluten Ataxia, (a rare form of Coeliac Disease where gluten attacks her brain) and that I was gluten intolerant. He assured us that Princess Cruises could provide us with a variety of good quality gluten free food providing we gave them the required notice which we did. Breakfast At breakfast in the dining room we were told there was only one type of gluten free bread and cereal. The rice bread did not toast very well. The cereal was corn flakes but they were sweet and tasteless.. The gluten free muffins were hard and had a horrible taste. Incidentally we also tried the gluten free scones available at afternoon tea which were hard, dry and tasteless so between the scones, bread and muffin afternoon tea was not an option available to us either. We were very upset by the attitude of a small minority of the waiters towards us. One particular waiter offered us pastries on the first morning and pressed us when we said no thank you so we told him we were gluten free. He shouted to all the other waiters, whilst pointing at us, that we were gluten free. Obviously other passengers looked at us. Quite honestly we felt embarrassed and humiliated. The requirements of other guests such as diabetics were not shouted out and they were not pointed at. After we complained about this he still came to our table every morning and said that he did not need to offer us pastries now that he knew we were gluten free so would not disturb us. We felt this was completely unnecessary and that he was being sarcastic Buffet We were advised to avoid the buffet because of the risk of cross contamination and on two occasions I saw food containing gluten in the gluten free desert section. When the ship was in port the only food available was in the buffet. We asked various chefs/staff what food was gluten free and got mixed messages, one person saying something was OK whilst another person said it contained gluten. The only safe items were jacket potatoes, some meat on the carvery but none of the sauces. We usually had the same lunch on port days. The desert section usually only had two options jelly/tapioca or crumble. Even the sous chefs, whilst they tried to be helpful, didn’t appear to understand the risk of cross contamination by other passengers with tongs and spillages. Main Dining On day one the only gluten free food available was fish. It had been overcooked. The head waiter took our order for the next day, again main dishes were limited. We were told that we could NOT choose a desert as these were specially made each day by the chef for passengers on special diets. At dinner we were seated at a table for nine which was a tight squeeze and ordering took a long time. On the first two nights my wife ordered fish but it had been kept hot and was tasteless and nothing was said even though my wife didn’t eat much of it. We complained in writing about the food. We spoke to the Maître d’ about the lack of deserts and the waiting staff at breakfast. He said he would send out an email to the We were moved to a smaller table but problems continued as some courses arrived at different times to others on the table and some items such as gluten free crab cakes were inedible. We had to complain before we were offered a desert choice. One night my wife was served a dish containing pasta which was not gluten free. Some things did improve slightly after we moved tables as we got carrot cake for desert thanks to Roberto along with chocolates and biscuits all on the same night! STEAMERS SPECIALITY DINING - we decided to go to Steamers, after speaking to Claudio the Assistant Maître d’ who escorted us to our table. After 10 minutes the chef told us he did not think he could prepare any gluten free dishes because of the danger of cross contamination in his small galley and it was arranged we could go to Freedom Dining. Once there we waited 45 minutes for our starter but 20 minutes later we were told the rest of our special pre-order had been lost. The waiter said he did not know what to do next so we left. There was almost nothing we could have in the buffet but we tried a jacket potato and some beef both of which were unacceptable, cold potato and tough beef. As a consequence we had some snacks we had brought on board plus fruit from the buffet in our cabin. To say we were upset would be putting it mildly. Most nights we were given a jelly/tapioca type desert. The one on the last night was plain tapioca with 2 berries and a strawberry slice made into a smiley face (see attached photo) which just added insult to injury. We complained to Roberto Roberto lost his temper shouting ‘I have allergies too but I never mention them’ He also said there was nothing he could do other than relay our comments to the chef Summary We were very disappointed and upset by these events which spoiled our holiday. We paid a lot of money for it and expected to be treated the same as all the other guests which did not happen. There was a diabetic on our table at dinner and his special diet was handled sensitively and with no fuss. We felt we were seen as a nuisance and quite honestly sometimes we were just very hungry. We were totally reliant on Princess for food during our holiday as it is not easy to find gluten free food immediately on arrival in other countries. Read Less

We were seated in the Allegro Dining Room for the 8:00 PM seating. Our waiter was Hector Del Solar and we couldn't have asked for better service. He was efficient and always accommodated our requests. In addition he was cheerful and made our diner meals the best we could ask for. Our assistant waiter was Putu Ngurah Sastrika and he was excellent. accommodating, efficient and he was very pleasant and cheerful and he also made our meals the best we could ask for, In addition to being the assistant waiter he was our wine steward and he handled that task professionally!!! We would recommend these two gentleman for any upgrade position you would consider them for!!! The entertainment each evening was perfect and we attended each of the offerings. We spent each evening listening to Joey Yates at the piano for both his 10PM and 12 PM appearances. We were extremely impressed with his talents and his ability to interact with the audience in addition to being an outstanding pianist. Each afternoon we enjoyed the string quartet featuring the 4 women from the Ukraine. And of course we did take advantage of the dancing each evening. The food was delicious and plentiful!!! Our expectations were fulfilled!!! Read Less

The Star Princess shouldn't even stop at the Mexico because there were not must for kids to do and it's drinking and party. If the ship didn't stopped in Mexico then we don't have nightmare for custom check-out. It was a mess and cost us delay for excursion cutting short. We paid for the excursion and they were skipped the scene and rushed back on the ship. They should have stay one night in Hawaii island. They just do focus only Hawaiian islands than didn't have too much US custom issues. We spend 2 hours for just stood inline getting off the first island and there were passengers were confused. The amounts we paid for balcony for Christmas should be covering juice and soda. There were no seafood provided but that was separate amounts. There are too many Bingo activities on the ship than other activities. They need more activities for adults like more classes crafts. Also, overcharge for WIFI package. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I can drive to the port. Princes have the best dinning services and the best food choices but the desserts I have ever eaten are the best. The crew is always friendly. When I cruise I always choose Princess because I know I won't be disappointed. I like to cruise just for the luxury. I don't go to shore anymore . Been there and done that. Just like to read and relax and do nothing. My favorite part is the motion of the ship it helps me sleep better. I try to cruise at least twice a year. It's good for change and relaxation for your well being. "Just get on the ship and forget it" that's what is so great about cruising. You also meet a lot of wonderful people from all over the world. I'm always surprised that people fly all the way to Los Angeles for a cruise to Mexico. Read Less

When sailing on the Caribbean Princess we have found Crooners is the best place to make friends with passengers and the crew. We have made more friends in this location than any place on board. We also have always enjoyed the back end of the ship where the adult pool section is. It's quiet and relaxing and generally has great bar service. Plus close to the buffet section. But with the Skywalker lounge just above it provides great shade while relaxing in the pool section. Because of the layout of the ship we enjoy the Piazza area. Many of the entertainment features are located in this area. Plus sometimes late at night it is great to go down to the International Cafe to get a late night snack not to mention breakfast in the early morning. Fresh coffee along with fresh pastries always makes a great start to the morning. Read Less

We chose this cruise to Alaska because of the timing was perfect to get everyone of the family (except one) on board at this time. We had ten members of the family and eight friends join us for this wonderful event. We sailed on the Ruby (one of our favorite ships) and the venue was great for all to enjoy. The main event of course was to renew our wedding vows( after 60 years) and the ceremony was conducted by Captain Marco Fortezze (his first 60 year event). It was a real challenge getting everyone there but it was worth it. It's like herding cats and the grand kids said "Gramma and Grandpa are finally getting married" -HaHa. It was really worth it and everyone had a great time. The ship, cabins, dinning, ports and excursions and entertainment were super. This was our fourth time to Alaska and we highly recommend it. Especially if it is going to be the first time for someone to sail on a cruise. Read Less

well we normally cruise the pacific but we also travel a lot to Europe so we took a royal princess cruise, from the time of booking the itinerary was changed 4 times 2 of the changes happen while on ship ,some of the ports of call that were remove had nothing to do with any problems accruing in that port of call . we booked any time dinning which in my book means that you arrive at any time and be served in this case we arrive given a buzzer and asked to wait around 30 to 50 minutes. when we booked the cruise it was for 14 nights we were not told that it was 2 cruises back to back so entertainment was the same as the week before The same goes for the food in the restaurants what was served 1 week was a carbon copy of the next. Maybe i should have looked at the reviews but there were 800 other Australian that were not happy either with the above mentioned Read Less

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess' 12 day British Isles cruise in July, 2016. We arrived in London 3 days before sailing, so we could see the sights and get acclimated to the time change. The ship is one of the older Princess Ships, and the travelers were mostly a mature crowd. No complaints about that. The entertainment was spotty except on the nights they had gala musicals, which were great. The only complaint I would offer on the food is that I don't consider Surf and Turf to be steak and shrimp. I was shocked that I never saw a lobster on a luxury 12 day cruise! When we first had the "surf and turf", I said to myself, "surely we will have lobster sometime during this cruise.." not to be... I like to pack light on a cruise, and do laundry part way through in the laundromat. The machines were very old, and one of the dryers was broken. The soap machine was broken for a few days. I felt sorry for people who didn't bring Tidepods and dryer sheets (highly recommended moneysaver, and they don't take up any room, packed in a little plastic sandwich bag)...as they had no way to buy any. In Guernsey, we just walked off the ship and walked around the charming little town. It was one of my favorite stops on the cruise. We hired a private driver in Belfast, who drove us around in a new Mercedes van for only $300 for the day. We found him on the internet. We paid more than that for some of the day long tours through Princess, which were huge busses, packed with people. Be sure to see the Giants Causeway in Antrim. For Cork, and Dublin we took the Paddywagon tours, through Viator. We were very pleased and got to all the attractions well ahead of the Princess tour buses. The price was about half. We did take two Princess tours, to Loch Ness and Paris, when we couldnt find one on Viator. The Orkney Islands were lovely. We took the Princess tour, as we couldn't find one with another operator. We chose the Castle tour, which included high tea. We enjoyed it very much. The Loch Ness/Culloden tour was terribly overpriced, compared to the other tours we took. They left us at the Culloden Battlefield for a couple of hours, which was really too long. It was a sobering place, rather like the Alamo, but an hour would have been plenty of time. There was a pleasant snack bar, which was a lifesaver. The trip to Paris included 3 hours of driving to Paris each way, and quick drive bys of the attractions. If this is the only chance you will ever have to see Paris, I recommend it. Otherwise, it's so quick, I wouldn't recommend it. I have attempted to honestly rate everything I can remember. It is a great cruise, with the best itinerary. It's an older ship, but pretty well maintained. The main thing I would stress is to check Viator first, before paying double for Princess shore excursions. Read Less

I have just been on the sapphire princess March 2016, Before boarding the ship you will need to check in my only advise on this cruise is that if you hold a British passport then you DO NOT NEED a visa for; Singapore, Bangkok and only a landing card for Vietnam which the ship will provide also no visa needed for Hong Kong. If you are visiting China then you will need to get a multi entree visa at a cost of up to £200 per person. Our room was tired large stains on the carpet, the bedding had stains on and when requesting robes they both had very large yellow stains on. Pillows were very old and lumpy with blood spots inside . Even tho the balcony was large was very rusty and grubby. Cups in the room have no handles, more over there was only two Chinese tea bigs to make a cup of tea. Towels were stained had to go and get them myself. The shower is very small not designed for disabled people in any way. The food in the horizon court area is very small and did not have much choice, most of the time it was hot. Trying to find a seat is very hard but do ask to share with someone at least you will have somewhere to sit and you will never know they may be nice. Staff are very friendly and helpful. They will get you water, coffee and tea all is free with free apple and orange juice in the morning. Also you can get these things anytime. One of the biggest problems is most of them at reception do not seem to understand English very much and you end up with a lot of misunderstanding over things so I would suggest that you try in as few words as possible one item at a time what you are asking for. When I tried to ask to take off my credit card and put dollars down they insisted that it was princess policy that I MUST put my account in to credit of $600. This I found very wrong as they can block your card at any moment, with a lot of rudeness on there part they left me feeling BLACKMAILED into handing the money over to them. This is what I did next was to make an appointment with the accounts manager who saw my point of view and resolved the mater for me. Remember on PRINCESS SHIPS YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY GRATUITIES just go to the front desk before you sail and get them removed and sign a bit of paper to say this. Then you can give to the person who has made your holiday. Room service on all PRINCESS SHIPS are free try the beef sandwich and chips. They always are very happy when they arrive with it. Why not have a nice continental breakfast and pastries for free on your balcony or lunch lots to choice from. The only thing on this ship is that you can only have chocolate cake or a sweet mushroom and pear dish. But when I put a comment on paper had a call and all of a sudden there was cake or any type of desert I wanted. Getting served in any bar on the ship is very difficult unless you are waving your arms around. The onboard coffee shop and snacks are free for food but not for tea and coffee. The bar by the coffee shop on deck 5 is the worse place to try and get a drink. I have been passed by every time that I went there. I would not use the ship excursions as they are expensive and you always end up in a jewellery factory I would suggest that you use cruiseexcursions.com it is up to 85% cheaper also we did a tour of Vietnam and it was just me and my wife. The ship itself is shabby in places like the pool were the big movie screen is, has tiles missing and paint coming off , lots of scum on the wall of the pool there and in the adult only pool at the front of the ship on deck 15. There as a lot of patching up around the lights with filler and steps. The entertainment on the ship has a lot to be desired if you love smashing bells, bingo, quiz, but if you love to eat and drink until you pop then this is perfect for you. The shows are only 44 minute long so by the time you are sat down it is time to leave. Could not find any talks on board the ship about any port. Watching a movie on deck at 9:45 pm is very good with free ice cream and popcorn. They give you nice covers on seats and blankets if it gets chilly. Read Less