Not what was expected. Very unfriendly staff. Outdated vessel. Very small. Not well kept. Food was worse than hospital food. Balcony very dirty. Not a lot of activities on-board for 4 day duration. Age group 50-85. Disembarkment process very early. Shops with expensive prices. Atrium is a small hole in the vessel. Elevators are old and dirty. Not sailing again with a Princess. The staff seem to agree that Royal Princess have higher standards in food, cleanliness and ship entertainment. The cocktails were very overpriced. Coffee tasted like water, looked muddy. Tea was better option. Same breakfast menu every single day. Buffet posts and glass were extremely dirty. Staff around ship couldn’t answer badic questions, but gave honest responses, “sorry, I can’t answer that, maybe someone else knows”!!! I would spend a few hundred more and get a better experience with an alternate cruiseline. Many seniors with books in hand and ready for relaxation. Read Less

The itinerary was great. Food quality was not the same as it has been before when we sailed in 2016 with Caribbean Princess. - [ ] New York receiving people are not very helpful - [ ] Once onboard the Safety training had nothing to do with safety - [ ] Food was not up to past princess sailings - [ ] Sanitizing was way out of control. Sinks in fresh market slowed the process. - [ ] Wait staff not friendly nor very helpful. - [ ] Security staff are out right rude! - [ ] room steward was excellent - [ ] Medallion made it easy to enter cabins. - [ ] Medallion apps are somewhat confusing and I’m a tech guy. - [ ] Cabin was cold. - [ ] No posting of dinner menu, as I was rushed at dinner by the waiter this would have been helpful. - [ ] Medallion made embarkation easy. - [ ] Poor choices in dinner menu. - [ ] Sabatini was the best meal and service I had on board. - [ ] Quebec city representatives were very helpful. - [ ] Itinerary was very good. - [ ] Polite cabin stewards. - [ ] Port exits were good. - [ ] Excursions were good and timely. - [ ] Entertainment was good but not enough seating. Read Less

I love this cruise, not only you visit many exceptional cruise ports, you experience the Japanese cuisine and interact with many Japanese guests (60%) on the voyage 80% of The cruise ports are far away from the port terminals. Cruise port shuttles are expensive. It would be nice if Princess to cover this cost The services are exceptional but the ship shows it age The layout of the main decks 5, 6 are so confused. You have to use deck 7 or 5 to go to a certain restaurant or spots on deck 5, 6 The 7:30 pm show is at the preferred time schedule. Seats all are taken 15 minutes before the show. The seats are very tied, narrow, no room to serve drinks before the show I love Japanese cuisine served on the cruise. There are more Japanese guests than American guests, we feel like we are submerged Japanese culture totally. Love it Read Less

Let's start with the condition of the vessel. It needs some major repairs to it's plumbing systems as we had personal loss of our toilet multiple times this cruise and saw many leaking ceilings and buckets throughout the ship. Heard stories of cabins flooded and carpet replaced, our friends were relocated along with their neighbors due to repairs to their cabins. However I cannot find fault with the crew of this vessel. Captain Tuvo has a very happy crew, we heard crew people tell of how nice it is to work on board the Star and it showed right to the customers as well. Dinner in Sabatini's was fantastic for both service and food. Anytime dining was great, never having any issues getting a table when we wanted. We tried to get Edwardo and Paul each night as they were so good with service and timing of our meals. The barrel chair was in our caribe cabin and we were thrilled to see it. Air conditioning did not work on our warmest day in San Francisco when jellyfish clogged the cooling system we heard, but in our cabin is was fine. Overall the ship does need some care and we heard it will be dry docked in April to upgrade to medallion. Not sure we would sail her again only due to ship condition but not the crew.....they were a joy. Also enjoyed the smoking lounge Shooters for a cigar and whiskey. I also thought the pools were heated somewhat.....on one day the rear pool was too warm for my taste. Oh yea....this cruise also was to pick their entertainer of the year 2019 so they had four on board to do shows and we voted. The singer Phillip Brown won and he was great. Also even with it's plumbing issues I have to say the public restrooms were some of the cleanest and well cared for we have experienced at sea. Read Less

We wanted to experience the suite life on a cruise. Golden is among the ships with the cheapest suites (the window suites) and a short cruise (4 days) is among the cheapest types of cruises. YES I'm frugal but still enjoy cruising. Everything on board was fabulous (this was our 6th cruise). Staff and the ship were great. We had the champagne welcome, the afternoon tea, in room canapes and fruit bowl. We had the free bar set up and I managed to swap it out for the stuff I prefer. The menu and staff in the Club Class dining room were great. We entered when we wanted and NO WAIT. We had a choice of tables. A couple of dinners we shared tables with other couples. Nice people and great conversation. A couple of meals we had just the two of us. We also had the mimosa breakfast in the Crown Grill. Different menu but all good food and staff. I especially enjoyed the Bircher muesli with mixed berries. Of course I have a few grumbles. Starting with US Customs. A 3 hour wait. They know they had 3 ships leaving, they could have put on more staff. At least the Cruise Terminal staff were efficient and had seating arranged so I was only standing for two 20 minute sessions with seating in between. When we finally got to customs, we ran our passports through a scanner, got our tickets, handed them to the agent and walked through. Three hour wait for an automated scan. And you can't do anything about the rain in Ketchikan. We were smart and brought rain coats. In the gift shops people were scrambling for cheap disposable rain coats. We docked at pier 4. As far from the tourist part of town as you can get. I wanted to visit Creek Street. There was a free shuttle with a line up but I couldn't be bother to wait in the rain and then walk about. We hit a couple of gift shops and went back on board for lunch. Read Less

We picked this cruise to see Alaska, especially the inside passage and Ketchikan. Although scheduled, the cruise skipped both. That was extremely disappointing. Princess did nothing to make up for it. The staff were excellent, friendly and efficient, especially in the bars and restaurants. The food varied from good to poor, but there was a lot of it. The drink “packages” were overpriced, I don’t recommend them. The room service menu was surprisingly limited. The Coral Princess ship was nice. We had taken this cruise before on other ships, and the ports and shore excursions were excellent, but on this cruise we took no excursions primarily because of the bad weather. Embarkation was easy and quick, but disembarkation was a nightmare. Customs was easy, baggage collection was easy, but the line to get a taxi took two and a half hours! Standing in the cold with 2,000 of my best friends for that length of time was miserable. Overall, of ~20 cruises I’ve taken, this was the poorest. Good luck. Read Less

DW and I choose this cruise due to no flying. LA round trip to Alaska. First kept getting delayed boarding notices. Was supposed to board around Noon but instead 6 PM. Then our traditional dining at Allegro which was booked and confirmed 1 1/2 years go was changed to Anytime. Had to take vacation time to change it to a not as good substitute set seating dining at Symphony. The room steward was perfect, he met all our needs and went beyond the call of duty, gave him the highest rating on the post cruise eval. Entertainment was uneven. The main production numbers were cut short. We had done the Royal last year October and we saw more versions of the Princess singers and dancers. Some of the guest entertainers were very good and some not. Jennifer Singer was terrific. Was disappointed in the Princess whale excursion out of Ketchican, saw none. The Juneau Tour and Whale Watch was great, saw many whales, saw 3 spouting next to each other, several flippers hitting the water, several diving with tails in the air, and several jumping out of the water and making very large splashes. Food was good or just OK in main dining, worse with few exceptions at Horizon, very good at International Café, very good at Alfredo's, excellent at Sabatini's. Balcony cabin was smaller than older Princess ships. Matt O, cruise director, was all over the ship and terrific, made the otherwise too many sea days in a row do-able. An on that note, Victoria was skipped due to the last portion of the new extended dock not being finished due to that part lost a sea during a storm. Princess should have substituted another port, say Vancouver. Read Less

Over all the experience was not so good. The ship was too big, it had to be docked at Circular Key not White Bay as it wouldn’t fit under the Harbour Bridge. The laundry's were located the end of the ship on each deck directly above and below each other, meaning a cut lunch and a water bottle was needed. Some of the wait staff spent more time speaking to each other rather than looking after the paying passengers. The price of refreshments was a rip off being &42 a bottle and $12 to $14 a glass for wine. Water in the state room was also overpriced at $6.50 for a 1.5 ltrs bottle. The entertainment was that good, not a lot of of variety offered. The big screen was not used that often for movies. The main entertainment areas were located at either ends of the ship again meaning the cur lunch and water bag were needed. The layout of the main eating areas (help your self) on deck 16 was rather strange, having different sections for different foods but not those that should have been together ie the bread was with the cakes not with the hot foods. It meant by the time it took to get all you needed to make a main meal and returned to your table it was cold. Read Less

never again on this cruse line. poor service, skunked beer, engine fire, staff dont speek english, ship leaving port early so no time to see port. rude waiters, problems not addressed, facilities broken and none working. food was cold and there was long waits because not enough cooks on board. tables dirty in buffey , drinks refills hard to get, everythink cost an extra amount. high pressure photo sales. elevators were very slow and stairs were crowded. coffee was instant unless you but extra package and there is only one place to get the good coffee on the ship. food order were mixed up and you got someone elses food but after a long wait you just ate what is set in front of you and move on. ask for cheese on spagetti and waiter refused and stated "other people on this ship want extra cheese too" really bad service. Never again on princes high cost rude cruse lines. Read Less

wanted to add this cruise following a 7 day celebrity alaska cruise.We got off celebrity cruise in vancouver and stayed in hotel overnight downtown. hopped on this royal princess for a 3 nite cruise to LA. This ship is really nice. usually don't like big ships but there was no long lines anywhere, lots of room to park ourselves for food, entertainment and drinks. I did notice that the theatre wasn't,t all that big for such a large number of people. I liked the size of the stateroom and amount of storage. The internet was only about $9 a day and i got good connections. The staff was really helpful. The medallion experience was good.The tv in the stateroom was a nice size and had good reception for extra movies etc. I would certainly go on this ship again but for longer voyage, at least 10 days maybe. Thanks princess Read Less

First time to go on cruise, Alaska cruise to be exact, close to home . Embark Seattle, WA. Embarkation and debarkation process were smooth and easy compare to airport. The ships is beautiful and clean, our cabin (interior) is spacious for two, spacious compare to some regular hotel room. Dining are wonderful, lots of foods selections and lots of dining areas to go to, you never go hungry while on board. You will not get bored due to lots of entertainments and activities to do on-board. The movie at sea is great, we watched movies even though it is cold and windy. The highlight of our cruise is the outstanding services that we got during our stay, all the staffs are very polite and very helpful. Ports and shore excursions are good but not great, depends on where are you going. Just one negative that I want to share; If the ship is rocking, don't go to Lotus Spa to get a massage. My wife and I had a massage when ship is rocking. we didn't realized that staffs who give us massage are both sea sick. Both staffs didn't gave us a good massage that we paid for. They keep on stopping and leaving the area, in the end we didn't get the full 70 minutes services (probably 30 minutes less. The price is too pricey and with the experienced we had, I don't recommend. We are planning to go on cruise again with the Princess cruise, maybe Mediterranean or Europe cruise this time. Thank you Princess Cruise for the good experienced we have with you guys, Read Less

We chose this cruise for the departure port and itinerary, but I wouldn’t change anything. The ship is older and doesn’t have all the wizz bang features of the new ships, but that’s not why you cruise to Alaska. I didn’t notice any maintenance issues or problems with cleanliness. No funny sewerage smells or problems with air conditioning. Our stateroom was always clean and very comfortable. The size was not massive, but more than enough considering the amount of time we spent outside our cabin. Overall the crew were very friendly and efficient. I agree with some of the comments about the buffet, but if you choose carefully you can still have a good meal every time. If you time your meals correctly there are virtually no queues and we always found a table. Remember there is another seating area towards the back of the ship on both sides. We chose traditional dining for dinner and were able to get a table for two after requesting it on the embarkation day. We had to share for the first night, but had our own table for the rest of the cruise. The menu is adequate and again with careful choices you can have a lovely meal every night. The Crown Grill was excellent. Great food and service. Alaska was amazing! We even saw the Northern Lights (on the departure out of Haines and only for about fifteen minutes). I would happily cruise on the Grand Princess again. We’re already planning to repeat this cruise with our kids in a couple of years. Read Less

Let me start with explaining why I only gave this a 3 out of 5. It started out great in that it was a pleasant surprise that we were able to board right after going through all the check in procedures to start taking advantage of the boats’ amenities. Get there early, as it does take a while to get through check-in/customs. Now, in my eyes, a cruise ship should be fit & ready to sail according to its itinerary that you paid for. Ours was not. Did we sail at 4:30 as scheduled, NO, did we sail at 7:00 pm, NO, did we sail as they said the delay would take til at midnight – NO. We sailed at 3:00 am of which at dinnertime the evening before while still in port but on the boat, they announced would have to change the itinerary as we would no longer be able to go to our first stop Juneau. REALLY, Juneau, the capital of Alaska and port probably 100% of the people were most looking forward to as it was only a 2 port stop and to be our most northern part of Alaska we were sailing to, so to look forward to excursions like the glaciers, dog sledding, seeing the wildlife, etc. Most, if not all, booked specifically to see “Alaska” and in changing Juneau to now go to Rupert, British Columbia as the alternate port was to say the least VERY DISAPPOINTING. If I’d of known of this change before sailing, and given the option of not going & getting our money back, I would gladly have rescheduled and used that money to book a future ALASKAN only cruise. So the small compensation we got for the “inconvenience” by no means made up for this loss. Now, once we did sail, as far as rating the Island Princess for its amenities, restaurants, shows, cabin, staff, etc, I would rate it a 5+. Having said that, there is a lot of advertising for the boat shopping (and in ports) both in leaving paperwork at your cabin door and within the events listed in the Patter newsletter. We got caught up in going to some events that were nothing more than advertising and they get you by offering free items or free draws. Once we figured this out we could get on with some of the more fun/informative events. A lot of events overlap so you truly have to pick & choose which is better for you and not falling for these advertised events makes it easier to weed out. I wish in the Patter it would have listed the duration of events and a brief explanation of them. All the music and entertainers were top-notch. Cruise Director Natalie as announcer or host was an enhancement to all entertainment, she was high energy and so funny. The cooking demonstration with Exec Chef, Maitre d’Hotel & Natalie was so funny, followed by a galley tour, was one of our fave events. The Naturalist Mark Harris gave great lectures. I only wish he would have narrated more landmarks along the way through the outside speakers on the deck (especially when whales or dolphins were nearby), or to know where we were, as spectacular sites when close to land. Had a mid-ship balcony cabin that is well worth it, just to look out when you are in your room and having a lot of light come in is well worth it. Plus being mid-ship is the most stable part of the ship. Not that it rocked at that much but did in a few parts, for the most-part was calm sailing. Didn’t take a beverage package as you got free water & coffee at meals, plus O.J. for breakfast that was good enough for us. Plus we did bring on board our own water bottles and some pop cans that we kept in our mini fridge and took out with us throughout the day that was great. We also didn’t take an alcoholic package but I think if we were on a longer 7 day cruise we would have. A lot of different bars w/different types of entertainment, singers, quizes, karaoke, etc. all excellent. No problems getting in any of the restaurants and the staff & food at all were excellent. We did pay extra for going into 2 out of the 3 fine dining restaurants – the Italian and the New Orleans/Steakhouse. Both were an additional $29, well worth it. They opened the New Orleans restaurant once for lunch for British pub food at no additional cost, which was delicious. The outlet that served pizza was also very good. Basically ALL the food was out of this world delicious. We bought an internet plan before the cruise paying $19.99 for up to 4 devices. We did have a few issues at the beginning losing connection but after going to the info desk to get it straightened out we were good to go. Worked for the most part – spotty a few times, but still worth it. We had taken U.S. money with us thinking if you bought anything on board you paid for it by cash (shopping/drinks, etc), but you don’t. You show your room key and everything is charged through that to your account. One good thing with the internet is you could go online to your account to keep track of all your extra charges which was nice. Also know you are automatically charged a $14.50/p.p./p.d. tipping fee. You do have the option to change this to whatever you want. Just go to the service desk on board & tell them what you want to change it to and it will be changed on your account. This boat not only had an outdoor pool w/hottubs but also an indoor pool w/hottubs. Handy for cool or rainy days. Also basketball court, shuffleboard, mini-golf but those were outdoors so could only partake in when not raining. Also indoor ping-pong and lots of other games to par-take in. They also had a library with books/cards/games that was popular. A Theatre with lovely night-time shows. And an outdoor huge screen with movies showing at different times, casino, and much more activities/shopping stores/fine art sales, etc. Only negative of a cruise, if it really is a negative, is there is there is so much going on at all times, it is a little hard to fit in all you want to do. We tried at one time to just sit & relax to read our books and listen to our music through earphones but then quickly realized we were missing out on an event we wanted to see, so quickly abandoned the R&R time and off we went - LOL! This was an approx. 2000 person cruise with over 900 staff. Just a perfect size we thought, where it was never overly busy in any one area for the most part, and I would say about 85% adults vs children. It was a very well-run ship. Would we take another cruise, definitely, would we take it on Princess after that delay/change in itinerary, not sure. Read Less

We are from Vancouver, so this 5 day "Sampler" cruise was an easy get away for us. We have been to Alaska before, so did not go for the itinerary, which was a good thing as it turned out. We were 12 hours late leaving Vancouver due to a mechanical issue. We did not make it to Juneau, but stopped in Prince Rupert instead. I have never been there so it was a new experience. There is a silver lining! Due to the change in itinerary, we passed through Johnstone Strait, a protected whale habitat area, during the day both on the way up & back. I understand that the ship generally passes through at night. We saw lots of whales - quite a treat. We had a mini-suite, the extra space in the cabin and in the bathroom is worth it. Food was generally very good both at the buffet & the dining room. The Horizon Court gets very busy & noisy, so we tried to avoid peak times. There is a good selection of salads and hot food. Labelling of the food could be better, many dishes were not labelled at all, so one had to guess. Dinner in The Provence Dining Room was very pleasant. There is something for everyone on the menu. The wait staff work hard but are friendly & helpful. The one negative comment I have is about dress code or lack of. We found many people wearing blue jeans, and not your expensive designer ones but good old Levis, often topped with a T-shirt. Several men wore baseball caps during dinner. The dining room is equal to a fine dining restaurant, and I found this disrespectful not only to the staff but to the other guests who made an effort to "clean up bit" for dinner. So is there a dress code or not; if so it should be adhered to. We enjoyed the entertainment, but found the Productions much too loud. I had to leave as I found it uncomfortable. We found there was a lot of "selling" on board - wine tasting, art auctions, beverage packages etc etc. If not careful, one could rack up a substantial bill. We did not use the fitness centre, spa or casino. All in all, a good cruise experience. Read Less

In all the years we have travelled this was the worst trip we’ve ever been on. We took the cruise with friends who recommended Princess . From our first contact with the cruise line I knew we had made a mistake. I tried getting information on various aspects of the cruise and had some snotty woman in California slammed the phone down on me. We booked business class tickets through Princess direct from Toronto to London on British Airways. When they went on strike, after 10 days of phoning Princess daily, they rebooked us through Iceland on a cheaper flight and pocketed the difference. There were 3500 people on a ship that should have held no more than 2500. If you found a table at breakfast you were lucky. The food was mediocre at best. The beef stroganoff I had the last night was inedible. The speciality restaurants were better. The Crown Grill was okay but Sabatini’s restaurant was fine dining. We expected entertainment similar to Royal Caribbean. Other than a few dance bands there was nothing. They nickleled and dimed us to death. They charged $16 per person to shuttle you in ports. Because the proximity of the ports to the major centres you spent an inordinate amount of time in transit leaving little time to see the cities. Every venue on the ship had something special at a “nominal charge”. The best thing I did was buy the drink package as we got drinkable coffee at the speciality areas and bottled water and sofa throughout the cruise which was available at $2 each. If you do decide to do a Princess cruise at least one passenger should take the package. For us it was worth it’s weight in gold. Was there anything good-YES -the staff in the restaurants and bars were outstanding. They were wonderful and treated everyone as family- we absolutely adored them. The guest relations people couldn’t run a bath! No point in asking them for any assistance. The stock reply was “ I’ll need to ask my Manager”. So ask her or him!! “The Manager is not available right now”.. Needless to say this was a learning experience. The best day of the entire trip was the day we disembarked! We then spent 5 days at wonderful hotel in London! This was our one and only trip with Princess Cruise lines Read Less

It is a bit concerning to take a small ship across the North Sea and North Atlantic. We have crushed the route on a big ship, but how would it be on a small ship. The answer is it was great. The small ship allowed us to quickly move around the ship. No long lines and no waiting for elevators. The Pacific Princess ha a very friendly and efficient staff. Our embarkment at Dover went flawlessly. Quick and efficient. We got settled in, explores the ship and were ready to sail before the muster drill. This itinerary was almost perfect. A day at sea to begin with. Stavanger and then another sea day to Iceland. 4 ports around Iceland and then 2 days back to Norway. 4 ports in Norway and then a sea day back to Dover.The sea days allowed us to rest after the great ports. The ship was pleasant, but somewhat outdated. The small size presented problems for the Production Shows. They were well presented, but the venue did not provide good views of the shows. Occasionally, I felt that there wasn't much to do, but that may be ok. I was pleased with the quality of the performers. There were only two singers in the shows, but they were both outstanding. Our cabin was smaller than we were used to and had little storage. The bathroom was about the same size as usual, but was not organized as well as the newer ships. The main dining room only had traditional dining, but that is my preference anyway. The staff was well trained and efficient. I enjoyed the dining experience, but some of my companions felt the menu was too limited. The staff was more than willing to accommodate when requested. The disembarkment at Dover was quick and easy. A most pleasant experience. Read Less

With the help of a travel agent we discovered the Princess British isles cruise for Sept,2019 on the Pacific Princess. The 650 guest ship was perfect. Big enough to offer great resources, small enough to be easily accessible. We were fortunate to have terrific weather and smooth seas even over the Orkneys atop Scotland Princess gave a reasonable a la Carte rate, even tho there were continual extra costs. Many such as over priced tours, drinks on board and internet to name three were avoidable. The staff were terrific exhibiting a sincere and customer focused attitude. The entertainment was way above what we expected from other reviews. We ( and other reviewers ) can often be critical, so this is a true compliment. Irish and scotch shows were great. Nick Page of London’s Le Mis fame was an incredible final show. The ship band and dancers were also terrific as was the comedian, magician and other solo artists. We had 13 stops in 15 days all of which were negotiated by a safety conscious crew. One downside was occasional inconvenient access to city centers for those not on a Princess tours especially Edinburg. However there were easily accessible local tours, hop on off busses,(Dublin) local trains (Holyhead) and interesting walks (Edinburg) among others. We took three Princess tours to Lands end in Cornwall, to the standing stones in the Orkney’s and the bus thru London which were well guided tho overpriced. Food was plentiful, well prepared and efficiently and sweetly served in the buffet and regular dining room. We tried one dinner in one of the two special cover charged Dining rooms which while ok was not worth the extra cost. The exercise room was comparable to a Planet fitness gym. We avoided the costly spa and other similar services My T-Mobile phone gave me free and good internet access near and ashore vs the costly Princess plans. We ignored the small casino, and jewelry store as did most it seemed. we travelled with our adult son and spouse which was fun. A sept cruise avoided lots of annoying kids! In summary it was a terrific first cruise, great itinerary, super staff and smartly negotiated by us to be reasonably priced. The great weather made it a total success We chose a lower level cabin which was comfortable, nicely furnished and very stable. I’d do that again vs the overpriced higher levels. We used it largely to sleep in the very comfortable bed and consume some liquors purchased in cities. We purchased our own air travel at a discount and avoided the over priced Princess pre tour hotels. Read Less

My parents and I chose this cruise because of the enticing marketing brochure we received in the mail. It was a disaster the first day -- at embarkation. While there was a looming storm, the embarkation staff and procedures were a nightmare. No one could give us any accurate information on when embarkation was to begin. We were advised early on that we had to be at the dock by noon to check luggage and get settled. Well, five hours later, we are all like caged animals in the waiting room that must have been over 100 degrees with thousands of passengers waiting. There was no airconditioning and the Princess staff didn't even offer any courtesy water to drink or anything. We could not go out of the pier because embarkation could start anytime -- again, no one could give us any definite time. My 81-year old parents were both disabled and this cruise ship is not the friendliest to disabled people at all. At embarkation, there were no available wheel chairs until we got into the ship already. Next, they nickel and dime you for everything -- from wifi, which is free on most cruises we've been to; to bottled water -- in the room, in the dining areas! It would have been better if Princess just charged for everything upfront with the package than charging extra for everything. Also, their shuttle buses from the ship to the town center of various ports were quite expensive. Again, this is usually a courtesy-free service with other cruise lines. The only saving grace of the cruise was the food and the staff. The staff was excellent especially the dining staff and the food was excellent as well. It was also chaos at disembarkation in Yokohama. The line at the customer service desk was so long and they were short-staffed. It took us another two hours before we were able to disembark. I had a very bad incident at the lobby bar. I had ordered a VIRGIN drink as I am highly allergic to alcohol. The people around us all heard me clearly when I asked the wait staff to make sure and ask the bar tender to mix a non-alcoholic beverage. Those around me were teasing me about being always the "designated driver". When my drink arrived, it was spiked with alcohol. I went into anaphylactic shock and had to be rushed to the ship's infirmary were I was given high doses of anti-histamine. I didn't have my epi-pen handy at that time. I didn't like the fact that the waiter lied and continuously lied about my ordering a non-alcoholic beverage when he said he would ask the bar tender if it was possible to order my drink as a non-alcoholic beverage. The tours were also expensive and not worth the money we paid for the tours. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the stop at St. Petersburg. We also booked a two day excursion through Princess and were very satisfied with the experience. The start at Copenhagen and later a stop at Tallin and Warnemunde/Rostok (we didn't go to Berlin) were new to us. The other countries, Sweden, Norway and Finland we had visited before but enjoyed going back again. We have traveled Princess for 6 trips all over the world and they are a good solid cruise line. The overall experience on the Regal was good if you subtract the introduction of the Medallion program. No matter what you read, this program is in it's infancy and very buggy. In our opinion, of course. The problem is that the marketing department touts all that the program can do but when you as a passenger are trying to use the various apps - it can be extremely frustrating. Why? because other than getting you into your room and on and off the ship it only works as advertised 50% of the time (at best). We and our 7 companions on this cruise all ran into similar problems. If you are not technologically sophisticated, forget it, as it stands, the Medallion program will drive you nuts. OK enough on that topic. The staff on Princess are top notch! And this cruise is no exception - from our cabin attendant to the dinning room staff to bartenders, etc. all make you fell pampered and appreciated. Even staff that have no direct relationship to you make a point of saying hello. Entertainers were great and every evening we had something to do that was fun. Food - this is a bit dicey because my wife and I don't eat meat, chicken, turkey, etc. We do eat seafood, some eggs and cheese. So my comments are based on our experience as semi-vegetarians. In general the vegetarian options in the dinning rooms are carb heavy and very light on acceptable protein. So if you are like us, plan on spending time at the Horizon Court where you have a wide selection of excellent vegetarian friendly choices. In closing you can't go wrong with Princess but at this point we suggest going in with no expectations for the "Medalion" program and be pleasantly surprised if things have improved by the time you sail. We have another trip booked in the Mediterranean in 2020 so we'll report back then. Read Less

We did season end cruise twice in the past once with the Princess and the second time with the Celebrity. It was the right time for us to go since most young people would have gone back to their work and kids back to school. The course itself was nothing new to us but we enjoyed the rather quiet cruise around this time of year and wanted to see the beauty of Alaska once again. In the end, I have to say that it was worth it and we had a great time but this would be our last cruise to Alaska unless there happens to be a very special reason to return. We heard some bad things about the ship Golden Princess from some of our friends who did the cruise right before we got on board. They all complained about some "Leaky ship" issue. It was quite concerning for us as we did not want to end up in a leaky stateroom. Luckily for us, we did not experience any of such bad experiences that our friends had. In fact, we had a rather good experience with the ship, the service staff and the entertainers. The room steward assigned to our cabin, the waiter, and the barmaid were all attentive and personable looking after every need of ours. The Sunset Quartet and the Bohemian Duo were exceptionally great providing danceable tunes as well as wonderful tunes to listen to respectively. The ship's production shows, solo guitarist and the Party Band, on the other hand, felt a bit short in terms of how to engage with the guests. They basically did what they do without much care. The food was pretty good overall. There were some days, I wished something better with quality but most days, they were satisfactory. The ship itself seemed fairly well maintained although I could easily spot various areas that had much-needed maintenance. I guess it was a good thing that they were doing partial upkeeps in the needed area during our cruise. The entertainment programs were good but I don't want to go to "Great" as I experienced in some ships such as Royal Caribbean ships. They appeared to work very hard but I personally felt that they needed a better program or talents in most programs. Some programs seemed ended in a rather unfinished state. What do I know, I am just a tourist. Read Less

This is the second time we have taken the Inland Passage cruise from Vancouver to Whitter. Both times with Princess but two different ships. Loved the first cruise and wanted to come back once again and also added the land tour package this time. The Alaska cruises are very popular for good reason. The views, the calm sailing, the interesting ports of call. The variety of excursions and the expierance of Glacier Bay National Park. The cruise is worth doing all on its own. Adding the land portion makes a second type of trip out of it that pairs so well to show off Alaska. The cruise ship Golden Princess was reallynice. We were on the last North bound trip of the year. Long season for the crew but they did a great job for us. Cabin clean, comfortable. We had balcony cabin which was wonderful for this type of cruise. Spent a lot of time watching the natural beauty pass by in front of us right off our balcony. Saw sea turtles swim right below us, whales in the distance. Great ocean vistas, Calm and smooth waters. Whats not to like in this picture? Three ports of call on the cruise not counting Vancouver and Whitter. Each has a lot to offer. We did excursions in each. All enjoyable. Got out on the water on a tour boat out of Juneau for up close whale watching. Took a ferry out of Skagway to Haines and a tour up a river to view bald eagles and brown bears hunting and catching salmon out of a river. Took the duck boat around Ketchikan for a tour of the town and a trip out on the harbour. Great fun all of them and well setup and organized. We set up each excursion through the Princess website in advance and everything went very smoothly in each port. I would recommend yopu spend some time comparing the many options availbe in each port and pick what sounds like the most appealing to you. In juneau there is a tram to the top of Roberts peak with greatviews and hiking trainls around the top. The glacier just outside of town is worth the trip. We did that last crusie. The boat trip this time left from a harbour a bit away from Juneau so there was a nice bus ride with good sights along the way then a great trip out inot the Sound with views all around and many whales. So much to do , so little time! The ship is in port for the shortest time in Ketshikan. The town is small enough to just walk off the ship and go places or take a shuttle bus. It is the salmon capital and there are some hgreat ours around that theme. Skagway is the history stop. Gold rush gateway. The town is small and walkable with many stores and restaurants. A fun place. The train ride over the pass is very worth doing. Tkes some time, you travel quite a ways. We did that previuously so opted to take the tour that went to Haines. A 45 minute ferry ride and then buses up a river to a lake and park/campground. Te guides would stop the bus when nears and bald eagles were spotted along the river and everyone would pile out to see. The guides set up several spotting scopes that gacv closeup views and would take people's phones and take pictures through the eyepiece. Great shots of bears pulling fish from the river! So each port has much to offer. If you are on a tight budget there is much to do by just walking off the ship and exploring on your own. While I highly recomment the excursions as a way to really get out there and see things they are not the only options. You can have a good time with some walking sighseeing, light shopping and lunch and back to the ship. The ship is much quieter during the days in port and you can have much of the place to yourselfs as well. While on board the ship when it is underway there is always plenty to see and do. Good public areas.Activities. Food in the dining rooms was great. Buffet was ok for breakfast and a quick lunch. Very crowded during peak times. Hard to find a table at times. For dinner don't cheat yourself, go to the dining rooms. They are much better in terms of expierance and food qaulity at no additional cost. Yes there are a couple of formal nights. Don't skip them and go to the buffet. Times have changed. In the same dining room on formal nights I saw men in tux's, sports coats ties and no ties. And a couple of stubborn folks in T shirts and jeans. No judgments were being made. We did one specialty restaurant of the two on board. The Crown Grill was very good indeed. You don't get steak like that in the regular dining rooms. During the day there is always pizza avalable and hamburgers and sandwiches by the pool. We didn't starve. Diets are temporaily suspened for the duration of the cruise. Entertaimment was well done and enjoyable. Fitness center well set up. Deck 7 walk around the whole ship very popular. Something every evening. The Princess theatre was our go to spot. Good production shows. Singing, dancing. You will find lots of music in the bars and several large bar venues. Prices are what you would expect. Very comfotable places all throughout the ship. But all of that onboard stuff is a sidelight. Makes the trip nice but the star of the show is the journey itself. If there was no bingo or casino or bars and steakhouses, production shows or shopping locations the voyage would still be well worth it. The real show is off the bow, the port and starboard and aft. Just look around out there for the whole trip and you will feel that you got your moneys worth. We did. Read Less

Bucket list cruise for both me and my spouse and wanted to see if we would like to go back to the Greek islands for a further visit. And we will. Very surprised on how it was easy to embark in Civitavecchia and loved our stay for 2 days before. Highly recommend it! First time booking a back to back cruise and i would not mind doing that again. I found the food was a little repetitive for my personal preference and not hot enough either in the dining room (anytime dining) and the buffet (world market). Breakfast was a little repetitive and Princess no longer offers toaster/grill to make your own toast, bagels so your toast, bagels, english are cold. Same for their eggs sunny side but under a heat lamps, so stiff and not good. They did offer build your own omelettes which was very good. We went to Kotor Montenegro twice and would do that again. We missed Mykonos because of high winds but that could not be helped. The staff were nice and mostly very helpful. I will cruise again with Princess. Read Less

Choose this cruise to experience Greece and its food, drink and culture. The good is that Princess did an awesome job on embarkment (no wait) and disembarkment. Excursion organization and cleanliness, and great staff. It couldn’t have been any better. I rated 4 stars because I wouldn’t take this cruise again. It was boring. Entertainment was for older people ( we were a party of 8 in our late 50s and early 60s). Pool parties and piano bar weren’t what we had on other cruise lines. After dinner we struggled to find things to do. We were looking for dancing or comedy. There was one great band with a woman singer that we found 2 nights and that was the entertainment highlight. We had people in our party fall asleep and leave during auditorium shows. We did trivia a few times and that was fun. Food and drink were awesome. Service was exemplary. Shore excursions ... mostly good, organized, good guides and clean bus on all with no waits. Crete we did a beach excursion and when we got there there weren’t enough lounge chairs for our party to be together, stained cushions on loungers and you couldn’t swim cause of the rocks .. not what we expected. Now Corfus excursion was awesome town and cooking class. Highlight of the trip. We booked wanting to see white beaches and bluest water with the white buildings and saw none:(. Too windy to go to Mykonos (which we booked for) and princess did nothing for us that day ie, free drinks, more entertainment so that felt like a wasted day. One more thing, we were on a Greek cruise and the nightly dining had no Italian or Greek food or appetizers. Would highly recommend they change this to have 2 or 3 options for the area every night. Also the wine and beer of that region would be a plus. Would recommend this cruise for older people. Read Less

We have been on about 15 cruises, last one 15 years ago. We have been all over the Caribbean, Mexican Rivera a number of times. Been through the Panama Canal, New Zealand and Australia. First cruise I have been on were I was charged for a soda. First cruise I have been on were they wanted to charge me $40 per person per day to look off the stern of the ship. Charged $29 per day service charge for my stateroom and 18% for every drink or soda I ordered. And that was after I paid $4,000 for the cruise. This will be the last Princess Cruise for me. The stateroom was nice, the service was great and the entertainment was good. That embarkation and debarkation was handled great. They did a great job handling luggage on and off the ship. Picked it up at the airport, next time we saw it was in our stateroom. Getting off, put our luggage outside our stateroom and didn’t see it again until we were at the airport. I have to give them a excellent grade on that. Read Less

We chose this cruise from vacations to go for a last minute trip. The price was really great and the destination was northeast and Canada. Embarking was super but the room was disappointing. Not for location, but for cleanliness. The rug in the room was old, stained and dirty. We did not bring slippers because we called princess earlier and the rep said all we had to do was ask. Well that proved to be futile, I emailed Princess during the trip to complain and we finally got them day 3. Meanwhile, I had lined the floor with pool towels. Day 4 we asked for our room cleaned. The steward (who we pre tipped in cash although we did opt to pay gratuities) made up our bed in the same sheets, they were wrinkled with hair in them. The bathroom had hair, the sink wasn't cleaned and the rug had not been vacuumed. I know because we removed the pool towels prior and some cookie crumbs were on the rug. They were still there. The soap on the sink was mashed into the pre formed counter top. There were tea ring stains on the desk. etc. The ship ran out of smoked salmon day 5. Even though they were in nova scotia! The hash browns are GREASY!! There was no lactose free food in the buffet, everything except cold cuts had milk, cream, cheese and butter. No dairy free desserts except jello. Later on, while we were in the disco, an employee entered our room without permission with our privacy notice on the door to bring us chocolate strawberries that neither of us could eat. All of our personal items were out in the room, our handbags, our jewelry, my computer was up and running, they entered and violated our privacy. Princess has changed from our 2 previous cruises with them. Floor supervisor was nasty. When customer service called to ask why we were not happy. She said she was sorry we did not appreciate the gift of strawberries. They still don't get that it wasn't the strawberries we were mad at, it was the violation of privacy, oh and yes, the dirty room. Read Less