Great destinations, comfortable staterooms and five-star service both in the dining and room service areas. Could not ask for a better first-time experience. The food was great both in the buffet areas and at the traditional dining tables. Our waiters were professional and thorough in everything they did. The desserts, of which I had too many, were splendid. The highlights of the cruise, of course, were the ports that we visited. Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, as well as Tracey Arm Fjord and Victoria, BC. We had great weather at each location and will be going through the pictures for weeks to come. On our excursions, we played with a team of dogs training for the Iditarod, and some sled dog puppies. We saw killer whales, humpback whales, sea lions, and bald eagles. Bald eagles were so abundant I had to compare them to pigeons. We also enjoyed a pleasant walk through the rain-forest in Ketchikan. I would go again and again. Read Less

Wanted to visit Alaska and wanted to see Victoria BC. Loved the beauty of Alaska and we had wonderful weather our whole trip. But was very disappointed in our short stay in Victoria, but my fault for not reading the itinerary time at port and was also shortened because of time for us clearing customs. Wish the dinning room menu had a much better selection after being on over 10 cruises this one had the least amount of choices . And some of my other cruise was Princess. Our dining room staff was wonderful. As all the other employees of Princess. Excellent embarkation and debarkation. Fastest we ever had. Used the flight program where we placed our luggage outside our room and didn’t not have to deal with them again till our final destination. A great feature that is now offered. We did make a mistake by thinking our bill would be at the room the final night as previous cruises so we left without a copy, did stop to ask and one of the employees and they said it will be emailed. Not so..... Read Less

Had a great time. Yes the ship is older, but very clean and staff was great. Our club class cabin just what we wanted, more room, nice balcony and bigger bathroom. Plus we had club class dining. The Alaska themed cruise was wonderful the scenery was fabulous and weather was perfect. We had no rain and temperatures in high 50’s and 60’s. I think the Star princess was the perfect ship for this cruise. Mostly an older crowd, but there were a few children. I do have to say there is an extended family of several younger children and they dined in club class with us and the children were good and well behaved. It was nice to see. Food was good and of course plentiful. Activities were something for everyone. Shows were a nice blend. Comedian was funny. Maria and Solomon Fire and Ice was fantastic. Would definitely do this cruise again. Read Less

We just returned from a wonderful cruise to Alaska. We did the land tour first followed by a cruise. Definitely my preferred order. My group loved the size of the Coral Princess. It could get into the bays and near the Glaciers the larger ships can't get near. The staff was wonderful, so friendly and helpful. Try the margaritas in the Crooners Lounge, they are the BEST! The beds are incredibly comfy! We slept so well. We choose anytime dining and ended up asking for Carlos each night because he was so wonderful. He spoiled us. He had wonderful suggestions and was so kind. (Breakfast in the dining room wasn't as great, so we just ate upstairs.) The friends we traveled with aren't cruisers and even they were impressed. I think we'll all cruise together again! *Apparently several people had respiratory flue issues on the cruise but we washed our hands a lot and were fine. Read Less

Since we are seasoned cruisers (over 50), we probably have different expectations and reasons for cruising. This was our 14th trip to Alaska, so we have experienced many of the adventures available there, so shore excursions were not a priority for us. It was also a last minute opportunity, so our cabin was “what was available”. We flew to Seattle from Phoenix the day before and stayed at the Belltown Inn, a very nice boutique hotel close to Pike’s Market and many other Seattle attractions. The hotel arranged transportation (UBER) to take us to the pier. ($50 which included gratuity). Embarkation was swift and without incident - luggage taken when we arrived and delivered to our stateroom before dinner. The Star is similar to the Golden, very nice décor and except for only the aft elevators going to the three highest decks, easy to navigate. It is considered a medium sized ship in today’s menagerie of mega-ships. I thought it was just a good size and we never felt crowded. The décor is quite elegant. The atrium area covered 3 decks with scenic elevators and is generally the hub of things to do and places to go. If you are around the Atrium, depending on the deck, you can access a wine bar (Vines), the International Café, several other bars and the Internet Café and Library, A different level will find shops, casino and access to other entertainment and dining venues. The Wheelhouse bar is reminiscent of a posh men’s club. Wood accents, leather chairs, small band and stage area and a bar at the back. It is a bit smaller than on other Princess ships, but still a good place for drinks, conversation and chilling. The Explorer Lounge, where many events happen (art auction, game shows, evening dancing, etc.) is mid-ship and offers a casual small club feel. The Vista Lounge (Aft) is a much larger entertainment venue and is used for some of the live entertainment, Zumba and line dancing classes, lectures, bingo and trivia. The Princess Theater is forward, theater style (bar service is by servers) and acts as one of the primary venues for live entertainment. The Casino is mid-ship, off the atrium and has lots of slot machines and most table games that people are familiar with. The food in the main dining room (Amalfi) was exceptional. Princess still serves lobster, beef Wellington, lots of seafood and wonderful desserts. The Chocolate Journey desserts are special and will leave any chocolate lover fully satisfied. The menu choices were good and, as always, the left side of the menu is always available – e.g. shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, chicken, salmon, and several desserts. The International Café is the coffee shop venue, located on deck 5, at the lower Piazza. It offers great morning donuts and pastries and lighter snacks, salads and sandwiches during lunch. Cookies are great! All the drinks (Specialty coffees and teas) are extra, but the food is complimentary. The buffet (Horizon Court) is located on deck 14 and has a good variety of menu options. The Star also has a pizzeria and open grill for hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. Soft serve ice cream is also available on deck 14. We had an obstructed ocean view cabin (E633) located on deck eight. This is a very nice location, mid/aft, quiet and nothing around to increase any noise levels. It’s close to a bank of elevators and one deck up from the Promenade deck, where most of the venues are located. Princess has updated their beds and they were marvelous; two different types of pillows and wonderful top quilts. There is plenty of closet space as well as shelf space and drawers As far as entertainment on board, we feel that Princess is getting better and better with the quality of production shows and guest entertainers. There were two production shows, (Born to Dance and Stardust) each different and above average for cruise ship shows. The guest entertainers were diverse, with our favorite being a female vocalist, Sonia Seilbe, who was talented and the right amount of cheeky. Some of the other entertainers were a hit or miss, depending on your personal expectations. There was a live party band, a three piece group in the Wheelhouse Bar, a string duo in various lounges, an excellent piano man in Crooners Bar. Some of the on board entertainers also did special shows in the Vista lounge during the voyage. The cruise director (Matt Baker) was new to the ship ( first week), but he was friendly, visible and funny. In general the service was excellent. Alaska is a favorite for us and it never disappoints. The scenery is simply awesome and you will see many things you won’t see anywhere else. The weather was very good, with only one drizzly day in Skagway! Since I absolutely love cruising, I find little to complain about. Serious issues would certainly be addressed, but I haven’t had to do so in a very long time. It’s a vacation I highly recommend for all ages and Princess does a very good job of accommodating its passengers. Read Less

The ship had just come out of a yard period in which changes were made to deck 16 & 17 to attract more family cruises. They also did some routine maintenance around the entire ship. Since we have cruised the Eastern Caribbean many times we only we only got off in St Thomas. The ship was in great condition and clean in everything we used. Below was my assessment of this cruise. 1) Service could have been better in the bars and Lido deck. 2) Food was very good. 3) Production shows were top notch. 4) Lounge entertainment was lacking especially having no piano player in Crooners. Heard from a Ship Officer that there were 1500 first time Princess cruisers on this cruise. I guess summer Caribbean cruises will be popular. My cabin D725, a mini-suite, was in the rear of the ship and we could feel pronounced vibrations coming the engines. Think I will stick with cabins more in midship area. If you sail on the Caribbean Princess and enjoy a quiet area to read try the Skywalker Lounge on Deck 19. Read Less

I love Princess! Rooms are amazing, and the beds are more comfortable than my own. Staff pampers you and there are many great things to do. We are already planning our next Princess cruise. Princess is our preferred criuse line. Took a 14 day European cruise on Princess last year as well and was amazed with the ship experience as well as the excursions. You can relax and enjoy your time and thete is something to do for all ages. The only way to vacation for me now will be cruising. Pools, casino, ocean view, great food, bingo, and night time entertainment all wrapped up in one. It is even better with the medallion, makes everything so easy. Love the room service and speed and quality of the food. Lookung forward to the many many more cruises I will be taking with princess. Bon voyage until we cruise again. Thank you Read Less

This was our 4th Princess Cruise and completing our 48th day on Princess. We have 3 more Princess Cruises booked! We love Princess! The entertainment was fantastic! Production performance was very upbeat and well done. Broadway caliber! The Medallion Internet upgrade was very much an improvement on Princess. Internet was fast. You paid by the day and not by the minute which was a tremendous improvement! Passengers would wear a Medallion which could be a locator for other guests that you approve on your own app in advance. All parties have to approve of this. Also crew and waitstaff can fill orders right to you without them being present to take the order. You can use the Compass Locator to find a destination step by step. You can pull up the onboard event schedule. Food was great! Even the buffet had choice food with excellent presentations. Overall the trip was very pleasing! Read Less

Picked this cruise because I wanted to transit the Panama Canal to celebrate my 70th birthday. Everything was just perfect with one glaring exception. I booked one of the 6 Owner's Suites which are all located at the very stern of the boat. I purchased Princess' Premium Unlimited Internet Package for an additional $199. The signal strength in our cabin at the stern of the boat was so poor as to be nonexistent. If I took my Ipad to a public area a midship on the boat the internet worked OK (not particularly high speed). If I tried to log on in my cabin either I got no connection or if it connected the signal would be dropped after a few minutes. If you need to stay in touch with the outside world DO NOT book a suite at the rear of the Pacific Princess. Food was better than I expected, especially in the specialty restaurants ($29 P/P upcharge). The public rooms are quite nice and remind you of the luxury liners of the past. The staff on board were all very friendly and knowledgeable. They really strive to make you feel special and they go the "extra mile" to make sure you are enjoying your experience. The boat is quite small (650 passengers) so you get to know almost everyone. Read Less

We chose our first Princess Cruise because we were celebrating my husband’s retirement - and we always wanted to visit Scotland and Ireland. We arrived in London 5 days early and visited the major tourist attractions. A Princess bus picked us up at Victoria Station and drove us to Southampton. Embarkation was very organized. We had to wait awhile, but chairs were provided and we were called in groups, so not too much standing in line. Our balcony stateroom was located on Deck 15 forward. It was clean and nice, and we loved the location. Our room steward was efficient, for the most part. We only saw him on check-in day. We asked that ice be provided each day, and he took good care of us for most of the cruise. However, the last few days, he took the ice bucket away and never brought ice again. There was an awful smell in one section our hallway, that never went away. It smelled like the carpet might have molded. We had to walk through that area coming and going to our room. It was disgusting. The people on this cruise were almost entirely quite old. We are 60ish - and were some of the youngest. I did see a couple of teenagers - who were probably bored to tears. This meant a lot of canes and scooters and slow walkers. They held up lines and elevators, and much patience was required on excursions as they took forever to load and unload buses. Many were very rude as well - cutting in line and ignoring instructions. The excursions were good, for the most part. We enjoyed the places we visited. Often, however, our play time was cut short - we would gather in a designated area on the ship and wait for our group to be called - then follow the leader up and down stairs to get off the ship and to our tour busses. Alternatively, we would follow that procedure to get on tenders - nightmare! There were not enough tenders, which meant long waits to get ashore and load the busses. All of this meant that the excursions sometimes got a late start - and we had very little time to shop or see anything on our own. If I had it to do over, I would definitely explore booking excursions through local companies - rather than Princess. We could have been off the ship earlier, had more time on shore, and saved money. The food was okay - but the choices were limited and became quite boring. If you want steak, visit the premium steak house onboard - do not order steak in the main dining room. I tried it twice and was thoroughly disappointed both times. The steaks were tough, tasteless, and full of gristle. I do highly recommend the creme brûlée, however. Room Service is still free - some cruise lines are charging a fee. But, the menu is extremely limited. Nothing memorable about the food at all. Entertainment on the ship was just boring. They definitely played to the older crowd - big band music, bingo, crafting get togethers, boring stage shows. I looked forward to the outdoor movies on deck. However, it was too cold on deck in the evenings and you couldn’t clearly see the screen during the day. We spent most of our ship time resting, watching tv, and eating. There wasn’t much else interesting to do. Staff was mostly efficient, but not too friendly. Unlike other cruises I’ve been on, the staff did not seem to enjoy their jobs, and were not particularly interested in the cruisers. They did their jobs, but gave nothing extra. Disembarkation was very smooth and quick. We had breakfast, met at our assigned location, and were quickly off the ship. The luggage was organized, and we met our driver in very short order. Overall, we enjoyed our trip because of the wonderful people in England, Ireland, Scotland, and France. We saw wonderful buildings and exhibits. I’ve always loved cruising, but this particular ship, with its boring entertainment, ho-hum staff, and limited food selection, was nothing special. I need to add - we were hot the entire time we were onboard. We lowered the temperature in our room as much as possible, but had to open our balcony door for cool air. All of the public rooms were hot, and we sweated through every meal. For that reason alone, I would not repeat this cruise. Read Less

Chose this ship because it sailed to ports in and around Japan that I wanted to visit. Getting around in Japan is easy, we traveled from Kyoto on the day of the cruise by rail, you can take the shinkansen directly to Kobe or take a slightly slower train via Osaka which is what we did. Get of the train one station before Kobe and there is a tram which takes you directly to the ship, the tram cost about 200 yen, easy as. The ship is in good condition, but not as nice as some we have been on. Don't expect a party boat though, the Japanese are very conservative and most bars were as quite as the grave. Dining was a mixed bag, but mainly good. Breakfast as usual was plentiful with a good variety of western and Japanese food, The bacon was all american, wafer thin usually cold and cooked to cardboard, most mornings the eggs were luke warm, but you could order a hot omelette. Free ice cream Pizza and burgers all day to 10 pm. No such thing as a spicy curry on this or any other ship for that matter. Entertainment was very good but repeated itself after 7 days. Some entertainment was provided in the atrium but space was very limited and not up to the standard of other ships. As usual all staff were excellent, happy and glad to be of service. Shore excursions. Very very expensive if you team up with another couple, you can do it for yourselves in a taxi, by train or by bus for much less. Over all great ship, great ports and We enjoyed the cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary which was great and have travelled with princess a few times before.This cruise came up to our expectations which was good. The cruise was a back to Back cruise so the second weeks entertainment was virtually a repeat of the first week but this was not a problem as we saw the shows when it suited us which was good. The ports of call were great. The staff on Diamond princess were terrific. Could not want for better . They were always cheerful and helpful , which is what we have come to expect from Princess. We had one little hick up with our dining which was rectified before the second night on board by the dining room staff which was much appreciated. Great ship and facilities. The embarkation and Disembarkation was smooth and fast. We were on board and in our stateroom within half an hour of arriving at the port. Read Less

We chose Princess Cruise line because it had the train connection to go further into Alaska such as Denali and Fairbanks. Plus it was a "higher class" cruise line. I've cruised multiple times with Carnival and my mother has done multiple Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises but we wanted to try Princess out. We're currently in Denali but we've yet to have any smooth transition in this entire trip so I can't wait to see what the next leg from Denali to Fairbanks has... *eyeroll* My mother has been having health issues and is currently in a wheelchair seeing as she cannot stand nor walk for very long. We forked out money to buy a collapsible, electronic wheelchair specifically for this cruise to make it convenient for us and them when we were on the ship as well as with any excursions. Everything we did on this cruise seemed to be a burden. The staff was hit or miss on whether they were friendly. On one of the first days in the buffet area, one of the servers asked if we wanted a beverage and my mother said hot chocolate and water, the server proceeded to tell her that they had machines for that (and points to beverage area where she could get her own). First and foremost, it's his job. Secondly, she was in a wheelchair and had just gone through all the chaos of the buffet lines and trying to find an open seated area where she could easily get in and out of and he said that? No words, so for rest of cruise it was almost embarrassing to ask for a beverage and I would just get my own. The food was hardly good on the ship either. Half the time it looked dried out or just reused from the day prior. My husband and I usually get off a cruise raving about the food. Here, we just wanted to get off the ship for decent food. The room we booked was a balcony suite with handicap accommodations. Which it was all that but much smaller than the photo on the website when we booked it. The photos showed a couch, in which we did not get and it seemed like they just tried to cram chairs into the room where there was no room for them so half the time we were tripping over things and moving chairs around to allow for the wheelchair to be in the room (which they say is a requirement). We tried watching movies on the ship that was on the "on demand" part of our tv but it constantly froze (it took us 2 sea days to watch 1 movie). We called guest services and apparently it was a ship wide malfunction and it was their tv system. That seemed like the only thing the staff knew. I spoke to guest services or any of the staff members about multiple things and they never seemed to know what was going on. Things seemed to break down or run out everywhere as well. Half of the washers and dryers did not work on our floor and even then that seems like more than other floors because people would come from decks below to wash on our floor. The ship seemed very health and germ conscious (which I appreciated) but half the hand sanitizers didn't work, and the sinks near buffet area hardly worked and by the end of cruise, the ship was using tissue paper instead of paper towels for guests to dry hands. Disembarking for excursions was complete chaos. They did not separate those going on excursions and needing off at particular times with those that just wanted off so it was any and all just trying to get off. Being handicap was even worse because they kept changing the deck that the gangway would be connected (I understand due to tide changes) but absolutely NO announcement would specify which deck we needed and even asking cruise staff near the elevators wasn't helpful. They either didn't know or would direct you wrong EVERYTIME. Just trying to disembark off the ship the last time to get on the train to Denali was hell. It was the first time they ever mentioned anything about handicap personnel and expected us to arrive 10-15 mins earlier in the designated location than everyone else. So we do. We wait and then everyone starts filing in and now we have everyone waiting to disembark. We asked one of the workers where we go since it seems about time that everyone is getting out of the room so it was pointless for us to arrive early. He tells us that another person will make an announcement in the room, and not even 2 mins later a guy tells everyone that it's time to go and to line up for stairs. We rush to elevator to see now where do we go and a worker there has no care in the world and doesn't help us get into an elevator to make sure we meet our group but just says to get off at level 5. After 6 elevators go by, we finally find one we can get on and go to level 5. We get off and once to gangway, they say that it's the stair gangway and we need level 4. FINALLY find an elevator again to get to level 4, get off and once to gangway, the staff member sees my mother in her wheelchair with me and my husband behind and tells us that the gangway is steep and asked if we asked for help since no one was available. Astonished and again just frustrated with it all, my husband and I get my mother down the gangway without any help from cruise members. We passed a few of the members with the blue "handicap" helping vests as we went down and they just bypassed us and never acknowledged us. I could go on and on about the issues that we ran into on the ship and our excursions but now we've had more issues still being connected with Princess on our travels up to Fairbanks... I have confirmation from Princess acknowledging that I have a handicapped companion and all amenities (including any/all lodges/hotels) would be handicap accommodated for us. So we get off the Princess railway that got in late and had lost electricity along the way, and then had the wheelchair ramp malfunction. Then we get to the lodge and find our cabin which turns out to have NO elevators and they've put us on the 2nd floor. I call the front desk and they said they are fully booked but will "try" to find a place for us. After about 20 mins, they find some place and it ends up being in tim-buc-too so they at least got us a shuttle up to our next place. We get off the shuttle to our next cabin but they never gave us room keys. I finally hike to main guest services to ask for keys since the desk would not answer any phones and we couldn't find any public bathrooms as my mom, husband and I had to go but couldn't even get into our room. Finally get the keys and ask for a shuttle back, in which they agreed to do and I asked them to make sure the next hotel would not be this inconsiderate of her handicap accommodations. I got to the room to find that the toilet had the flush handle not even connected and we figured we probably shouldn't even leave the room at the rate of our luck since it had already almost been 2 hrs here and nothing was going right so we were told that a pizza place on site would deliver. We called for delivery but their delivery shuttle's battery was dead and they were not delivering and said I had to walk and come get it. I called the front desk for another shuttle because I was not going to wait 30 mins for the lodge shuttle to make it's rounds and then come back with cold pizza after everything. Got the shuttle, waited for pizza and got back to room to find that it was all burnt. We all just quit for the day. We're just ready to be done and go home. Afraid to find out what else could go wrong. We will NEVER be doing anything with Princess cruise line ever again. Read Less

Just returned from a 7 day cruise 5 day land trip on Princess to Alaska.Have sailed the last three years on the sister ships to this one the Regal and the Majestic so very familiar with the layout of the ship.This one is the oldest of the three and some small gripes.1 The laundromat machines for tokens were not working half the time we were on here and 2 the drink machine in the Fitness Center was out of order and when I asked the guy who worked there he did not seem concerned about it.Those machines should be functioning for the guests.The carpet in some areas of the ship is showing some wear and needs to be replaced.Embarkation was terrible long lines and we had the Medallions for our neck .We were very tired from a long flight and having to go through Customs at the Airport and standing in line forever plus waiting for our luggage to be unloaded we went through customs again when we went to the port and security just crazy it slowed down everything .We barely got on the ship when it was time for the lifeboat drill never had that happen in any cruise of the 24 I have taken.Also unfortunately the luggage took a while to be brought to our cabin.We had an incident after a day at sea as passengers who were on a float plane tour in Ketchikan were killed when two planes struck each other total 6 deceased very sad incident.Captain announced over loudspeaker what he knew and then sent out letters to the individual cabins.That was not Princess fault but there were 2 other float plane accidents in the two weeks we were there they are just dangerous not regulated.Other than that our tours were good and the cruise was good .Food was very good and service good.Land part of tour was interesting and fun train ride to Denali took 8 hours from Fairbanks all day trip because train speed is 30 mph.I would say to take a land extension to see more of the state otherwise time in cruise ports is not that long.This is a good cruise it was lots of fun but they could use more entertainment on the ship despite what we saw did enjoy going on a galley tour and the comedian who performed lots of movies to watch on the entertainment system in the cabin.the last excursion we took in Fairbansk the gold dredge and riverboat cruise was the best.The white horse pass train trip in Skagway was very good and the trip into the park in Denali was great. Read Less

Just returned from a 7 day cruise 5 day land trip on Princess to Alaska.Have sailed the last three years on the sister ships to this one the Regal and the Majestic so very familiar with the layout of the ship.This one is the oldest of the three and some small gripes.1 The laundromat machines for tokens were not working half the time we were on here and 2 the drink machine in the Fitness Center was out of order and when I asked the guy who worked there he did not seem concerned about it.Those machines should be functioning for the guests.The carpet in some areas of the ship is showing some wear and needs to be replaced.Embarkation was terrible long lines and we had the Medallions for our neck .We were very tired from a long flight and having to go through Customs at the Airport and standing in line forever plus waiting for our luggage to be unloaded we went through customs again when we went to the port and security just crazy it slowed down everything .We barely got on the ship when it was time for the lifeboat drill never had that happen in any cruise of the 24 I have taken.Also unfortunately the luggage took a while to be brought to our cabin.We had an incident after a day at sea as passengers who were on a float plane tour in Ketchikan were killed when two planes struck each other total 6 deceased very sad incident.Captain announced over loudspeaker what he knew and then sent out letters to the individual cabins.That was not Princess fault but there were 2 other float plane accidents in the two weeks we were there they are just dangerous not regulated.Other than that our tours were good and the cruise was good .Food was very good and service good.Land part of tour was interesting and fun train ride to Denali took 8 hours from Fairbanks all day trip because train speed is 30 mph.I would say to take a land extension to see more of the state otherwise time in cruise ports is not that long.This is a good cruise it was lots of fun but they could use more entertainment on the ship despite what we saw did enjoy going on a galley tour and the comedian who performed lots of movies to watch on the entertainment system in the cabin.the last excursion we took in Fairbansk the gold dredge and riverboat cruise was the best.The white horse pass train trip in Skagway was very good and the trip into the park in Denali was great. Read Less

We are a retired couple, who wanted to try cruising for the first time and were pleasantly surprised. We are not interested in too much formality and didn’t want to be overly organised. We found that we could pick and choose what suited us. That said we found everything was very well organised. The crew were welcoming and friendly but not intrusive. We had a mini-suite M423, which was well equipped with a large sofa, comfortable bed and pillows, two TV’s, fridge, bath/shower with good hot water and a balcony. The cost of the 11 night cruise was a little over $6000AU for two - excellent value for money. The Medallion facility was great and made it very easy to pay for extras and log in and out. We also thought that extras, like drinks and beverages, were reasonably priced. The port visits were just right for us and gave us a good taste of the major Baltic cities. Overall, we highly recommended this cruise and this ship. Read Less

We chose to sail on Princess because they are one of only a few cruise lines allowed to go up into Glacier Bay. My sister and I took an 11-day "cruisetour" which was a 7 night northbound cruise from Vancouver and 4 nights on land - 2 at Denali, 1 at McKinley and 1 night in Anchorage. It also included the train from Whittier to Denali on Princess's own glass-domed railcar and all the subsequent transportation. We flew into Vancouver the day before the cruise and had a wonderful visit touring this lovely city and Stanley Park. The day of the cruise we walked about six blocks from our downtown hotel to the cruise port. The Island Princess is a beautiful ship and we were pleased to find everything was fresh and clean. The crew was amazingly friendly and always accommodating. It isn't a huge mega-ship (2200 guest capacity) and it provided a casual atmosphere with little crowds in the dining rooms, buffet, entertainment offerings and on the decks watching the amazing Alaskan scenery. They had Mark Harris, a top-notch naturalist, onboard who gave talks about AK and what we'd see, and when we arrived at the glaciers he did a live commentary of the sights. We had two specialty dining experiences - I didn't like the Bayou Café because the "New Orleans" food was not authentic and not very good IMO but the Crab Shack was better with the king crab legs. With both restaurants we didn't feel it was worth the $29 per person cost. (I suppose Princess is to blame for having such a great menu in the MDR and a vast array of offerings in the buffet.) Our agenda on the cruise was one day at sea, then to Icy Straight (a lovely little community), to Juneau (where we took an independent bus to Mendenhall Park - amazing! - and walked around the friendly city), then to Skagway (also a nice little town where we took the Princess excursion "To the Klondike Summit" - at $45 it was a bargain and a fabulous tour - and walked a gorgeous trail near the airport right by where the ship was docked). The last two days were at Glacier Bay and College Fjord, two extraordinary experiences, where the ship just floated around and we could absorb the majesty of the sights. Mark's commentary helped us learn more about the glaciers and appreciate them beyond their awesome beauty. The next day we arrived in Whittier (no time to see anything there) to begin our land tour. The debarkation was seamless as we easily walked from the ship to the train. (Our luggage was collected the night before and transported separately to each location, so no worries.) The 9 hour train ride with a knowledgeable narrator was great and that evening we were transported to first class lodging at the Princess Denali Lodge. Princess included an excursion of Denali National Park that took 4-5 hours and it was awesome. We walked some of the trails around the visitor's center and walked back to the lodge. Two days later we went by bus (with driver narration) to Princess McKinley Lodge where we stayed one night. Both Princess Lodges are peaceful and the McKinley Lodge is very secluded. There weren't many options about dining except at the lodges (especially McK) so meals were a bit expensive but the restaurants were nice. On our last day we took a bus (with driver narration) to Anchorage and stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel, a very nice hotel. The next morning we checked out but left our luggage with the concierge and rented bikes to ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. We saw two moose grazing in a quiet area a few feet off the trail. A fabulous day, although a bit tiring after the 12 mile bike ride. At the end of the day we retrieved our luggage and took a taxi to the airport ($20) and waited a few hours in the pleasant airport for our 1am flight home. Yes, I would definitely go to Alaska again and Princess will be my first choice! We loved the land part of the adventure but I doubt we would take it again because what we experienced satisfied our longing to see Mt. Denali (previously known as Mt. McKinley). Apparently only 30% of visitors get to see the mountain and we saw it two days in a row! We felt very lucky about that and the other great weather we had - no rain on the whole trip! We weren't sure about going early in May but we saw snow on all the mountains and people said it wouldn't there later in the season. We'd like to go back again late in the season (September/October) and hope to see the Northern Lights. They call Alaska the Last Frontier and with the help of Princess we discovered it is an amazing place and hope to return some day. Read Less

This was our 25th cruise, 5th on Princess and 3rd on the Grand Princess. My wife and I have cruised all the major mass market cruise lines, Carnival, Princess, HAL, Norwegian, RCCL and Celebrity. We cruise just to be on the ship, not for ports or itineraries. We enjoy relaxing, reading, looking out at the ocean, entertainment and good food. We are basically cruise potatoes. I provide this information just so you know where this review is coming from. As stated, this was our 3rd time on the Grand Princess and she had just come out of dry dock, which basically was done to electronically equip her for their Medallion service. There was some changes of carpeting and some cosmetic sprucing but really not a distinctive noticeable change since the last time we sailed on her, other than the mailboxes outside the rooms were gone. My problem with Princess as a whole is with their stateroom size. We typically book an oceanview cabin (picture window) and their oceanview rooms are among the tiniest of any of the mass market cruise lines (ditto their bathrooms).They seem to be competing with Norwegian for who can have the tiniest oceanview staterooms. Sometimes we get a balcony (we didn't this time) and those are also smaller than most standard balconies. We knew this going in, so it was expected and was not a surprise. What was a surprise was our oceanview stateroom was even tinier than normal. I'll get to that later. The other negative surprise is that the food, particularly the buffet food, has gone down in quality (and choices) from when we last sailed this ship. It went from sometimes mediocre to now, mediocre at its best. The MDR menu has, as do most cruise lines, one side of standard choices that never change and the other side of the specialty options for that particular evening. The standard fare usually consists of a meat dish (typically a steak of some kind), a chicken dish and a seafood dish. The daily change entrees usually consists of different fancy or gourmet dishes. On their standard side of the menu, the dinner meat option is now a hamburger and fries. How classy can you get??? It seems like they are trying to go cheap on the food wherever they can. We did eat at the Crown Grill one night, their extra fee specialty restaurant and I had one of the best filet mignons I have ever had but you have to pay extra to get that. So why did I give this ship 4 stars? Because we had possibly the most fun on this cruise ever. Every single one of the staff we encountered could not have been nicer. They bent over backwards to do what they could to make sure you had a great time.Friendly and accommodating to the extreme. While the food has deteriorated the entertainment and cruise activities have improved. Kevin, the cruise director, was the best cruise director we have had in 25 cruises. he obviously loves his job and it shows. Ditto for his assistant, Martin, who ran many of the activities and has a great sense of humor and fun. We got more involved in the activities on this ship than we usually do just because the entertainment crew were so personable and so much fun to be with. My wife and I enjoy production shows with singing and dancing, costume changes and set changes. The singers and dancers in the main theater were outstanding and fun to watch. Loved the costumes and sets. There were four production shows, The last one, Born to Dance, is a show that Princess commissioned Steven Schwartz to produce for them. It is, as you might suspect, a showcase for the dancers. It is absolutely the best production/dancing show I have ever seen, and I have seen it four times now. The choreography is just phenomenal. There was a lounge act, Fee Fee and the Sentimentals, two female sings and a 4 piece combo band that were just great. It was hard to not want to dance when they played. Their shows were usually packed. Aside from the usual trivia and Karaoke game activities. they had some unique fun and funny game shows that we really enjoyed. So while the food quality went down, the entertainment quality, which was already high, went up. Now, for my cabin surprise. I supposedly had an upgraded oceanview cabin on midship Plaza deck. As stated Princess cabins are small. Normally, there oceanview cabin consists of a bed or beds (depending upon whether you request twin bed or queen size) pushed up against the back wall where the window is. There is a night stand on each side of the bed, if you have it configured as queen or two nightstands in between the two twin beds. That takes up the whole width of the room. Across from the bed is a desk with a mirror, a refrigerator built in at one end of the desk, some shelving above and that is it. On the other side of the wall the desk is mounted to is a closet, some shelving for clothes, a shelf safe and the tiny bathroom. The first thing I noticed when we entered the room, is there was only one nightstand (which also holds the reading lamp). It was on the side my wife traditionally sleeps on and she is also an avid reader. I have a CPAP machine. Without a nightstand, my only option was to place it on the floor. I copntacted my room steward who told me the room WAS TOO NARROW to place a second nightstand in there. I had been in an oceanview room on Princess before and had two nightstands and told him so. He said that the other oceanview rooms had two nightstands except for the room I was in and the one next too mine. They were a little more narrow that their already narrow oceanview rooms. He said he would talk with his supervisor to see what could be done. He later brought in a cardboard carton for me to use as a nightstand to solve the problem although I still had no reading light. So except for a cardboard nightstand and dummying down on the food, we had a great cruise on the Grand. Would I sail her again? Probably, if the incentive package was right but I would be very careful about my room. Alaska is drop dead gorgeous and even though we do not cruise for ports or itineraries, Alaska cruise are among our favorites. Read Less

This is our fifth cruise on this particular ship. Grand Princess is one of our favorite ships for the following reasons (in no particular order): WRAP AROUND PROMENADE - We walk around the promenade daily for exercise, and later, for digestion. COVERED POOL AND CONSERVATORY - The ping pong tables are actually usable, without wind tunnel. The shared puzzle area is out of the way. The covered pool is nice place when weather is too hot or cold for us in the open air pool. NICE GYM PLACEMENT - The gym machines look out from the 15th level. Noted many more cruisers utilizing gym than on previous cruises. Always full with very little trickling-off as cruise neared end. Nice view. Going to be sorry to see this ship move. Add to that: SAN FRANCISCO HOME PORT - Convenient home port with round trip cruises. BEST EMBARK/DEBARK EXPERIENCE - New Pier 27 is one of the best with always friendly, efficient staff. Many things to like in food service as well. This was one of the best cruise experiences we have had: Food and service in Davinci MDR was wonderful. I heeded our waiters' (Norman) recommendations for the most part and we were never disappointed by the food flavor. Norman was attentive and entertaining. My fall-back is the always good, daily available salmon, if the nights menu items are unappealing. I found the food in MDR better than the Crown Grill experience we had one time on this cruise. We were fortunate to have wonderful dinner-mates at our table-for-eight. We visited the buffet for breakfast and lunch. I ordered omelets daily and they were done well each time with a generous amount of ingredients. We have, on past cruises, found MDR breakfast better than the Buffet. This time we ate breakfast in the buffet, exclusively. The bacon was mostly crispy...a plus. We ate lunch at venues throughout the ship. The soups were a favorite. The ship is getting old, no doubt. However, everything worked for us. Even the hinges in our cabin were silent. I get up earlier than my spouse, generally getting out for exercise and fresh air between 5 and 6. I never woke my spouse on these early exits from the cabin. Also, noted the upholstery in places was new...particularly in the Vista Lounge. New plastic, green chairs in the open air pool area are more comfortable than the wicker ones in the covered pool area. One glitch happened with the propulsion system encountered a problem that delayed out approach to Ensenada. The 30 minute delay was unnoticeable. The ship stayed an additional hour in port to accommodate those going ashore. We use internet sparingly. Internet service seemed better this trip. Of course, can't be compared to home wifi. Service dropped once in 10 uses. Took one Princess tour from Hilo. Nice experience there. We generally do our own thing, having used near port, car rental services in the past. Stayed on the ship in Ensenada. Overall...very pleasant cruise. Read Less

As a travel advisor I wanted to experience life onboard a Princess Cruise. The embarkation and Disembarkation process was very efficient. There were many venues onboard with different nightly entertainment. The public areas never felt crowded. The SPA experience was great and the thermal suite can be enjoyed daily at an extra cost. My cabin had a veranda, mid ship. My companion suffers from motion sickness but staying mid ship was very helpful and she did great onboard. I recommended to anyone looking to experience cruising for the first time. It is a great value for the money. The food in the main dining room is good. The menu changes every evening with a decent selection of choices. The food at the buffet as well as the coffee can be improve. The staff is very friendly. The pools were heated and there were 4 spas to relax and watch outdoor movies on the big screen. Read Less

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

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

Great ship we ate any time dinning and we were lucky to have a great head waiter and waiter and his assistan. were the best. The food was extremly good and we really enjoyed our time on board The shows were really good and the entertaiment in the lounges were excellent. We had fun in the CaSSINO . wE THOUGHT THAT WE MIGHT HAVE FOUND THE 6 DAYS AT SEA TOO MUCH BUT WE ACTUALLY ENJOYED IT. Once we reached our first stop we were ready to get off the ship. We took a tour and explored the Azores. The next day was a sera day and a day to rest. Then we reached Funchal and enjoyed exploring. The next stop was casablanca. we had been ther befor and did not like it so we stayed on thbe ship. It was a very relaxing day.Then we wer on to CADIZ and we took a tour to Seville. It was a very interrsting but tiring day. Then was Malaga. Really beautiful we took the Hop on Hop Off Bus and really enjoyed the day. Last stop Barcellona and what a sto. We spent three days there and really explored the city. We really loved the trip Read Less

Small ship made for short or no lines, three or fewer in the hot tubs, plenty of prime seating for sightseeing and a very relaxed atmosphere. Check in was a breeze and room was ready when we boarded. Staff in buffet was fabulous at being there with what ever you needed and to get drinks etc. Buffet was very clean, wide selection of foods and had plenty of fruit and a sugar-free dessert nightly. Diabetic diet was easy to maintain while getting to try new things. Room was very nice and steward was very attentive. More hangup space than was needed and made a nice alcove for dressing. Casino was small but the dealers were friendly and made it fun...just difficult to get into a table at times. Plenty of slot machines. More clocks around the ship would have been great to help get to activities on time. Missed several activities because time and looking at phone just didn't help when you are in the hot tub or wrapped up in a blanket. Negatives....Movies under the stars in thirty degree weather even with a blanket was impossible. Sitting on the room balcony was hard even with the down comforter due to the winds however during the day was doable with a blanket. Italian restaurant was OK but the shrimp was tough and overcooked. "cooked just for you by the chef" yet the next night the buffet had Italian night and there was the food from the restaurant on the buffet. Different name for the shrimp but same flavor and texture. Sit down restaurant was very nice, waiters was nice however service was s l o w and if you didn't like something you ordered getting something else slowed it down even more. Read Less

Whilst we've had good experiences on former Princess cruises, we've never been on a Crown-class ship. We selected the cruise entirely for the itinerary & we loved all the ports visited but I'm afraid we were rather disappointed with the ship & its services (except for the dining rooms that had great waiters as always). 1. The first day tendering was horrendous, waited more than 2 hours to get on a tender boat cutting our time on shore & we didn't get to see much. But what made it worse was the constant blaming on others by the Crown staff - "we don't operate the tender boat; we have no say etc etc" Then in the evening the cruise director said "at 6 am there were no one & what can we do when 2000 people showed up all at once at 9 ? Hope you know what to do on our next tender port " Although she said it half jokingly but it left a really sour note with us !! Wouldn't they had anticipated it ? Couldn't they at least made passengers feel better by talking to us nicely ? 2. The cabin rooms: showing aging signs everywhere. Wood stains on the balcony were chipped & faded; shower curtain stained & smelly; no luggage mat to pack or unpack. 3. Went on 1 ship's excursion only & again the organization was terrible. We were told to wait at one area but it really was another. We were herded around & we paid almost $200 each for the experience! Its such poor management & unfriendly customer handling, you would think they had never done excursions before! 4. Entertainment was so-so except for the great final performance by the ship's ensemble. Read Less