We received 3 day shake down cruise to Princess Cay for only port taxes due to repeater status. chose Inside category since only a short cruise. had only carry-on luggage. drove to port from Metro Orlando in less than 4 hours. time stamp on parking ticket was 11:49 am and we were onboard ship before 1 PM so although crowded with long lines embarkation went very smoothly and quickly. .received new Princess Medallion in lieu of key card and briefly explained to us at check-in and given a guide book for its use. Our Inside cabin on Aloha deck midships was huge! biggest inside Princess cabin we've ever received ( other than super-sized handicapped -equipped staterooms.) The tip to tip dimensions were actually 10 feet wide by 17 3/4 feet deep. (I always bring a tape measure since I started cruising in earnest in 1982 !)) excellent room steward, tons of closets, shelves, drawers ( enough for a world cruise, actually). convenient to central stairs and 6 elevators also. we had a bite in the World Marketplace ( LIdo buffet)-very large and tasty selections and well-laid out. lifeboat drill/emergency drill went very quickly too. we choose old-fashioned second sitting at a table for 2 in the rear Cielo dining room on deck 6. excellent service by our Macedonian waiter Nikolai. all the food was at the proper temperature and tasty. no "duds" ! we had open sit-down breakfast every morning as well. the dining room was open for a sit down lunch the one day at sea which was enjoyable as well with shared table sitting. as we are not "Beach" people we did not go ashore at Princess Cay ( had been there before). those aboard we spoke with said it was a good experience. we did not attend shows, art sales, shopping come-ons, or other typical cruise stuff as we have been on over 140 cruises and know the drill all too well. we used the bars at Vines and Bellinis and service was excellent and prices typical of all mid-scale lines. the weather was excellent,, no rain, smooth seas and the huge vessel behaved very well. Disembarkation on Saturday morning the 7th was extremely quick with only a cursory look at passports by US customs at the pier since we really didn't go anywhere! Our only complaint is against the use of the Medallions. we have been victims of identity theft in the past and also do not like the "Big Brother is watching you all the time" as the Medallion is your GPS signal as well. we found out on the last day we could have gone with an actual room key and normal sign and sail procedures. For those that have embraced Internet technology and the loss of privacy you will enjoy the ease of the medallions but at our age (mid 70s) we aint buying it! in short, excellent new ship, no major glitches, good cuisine and fine service! Read Less

This was a wonderful short one week cruise aboard the Regal Princess. The boarding process was very quick and we were at the dining room for lunch just before noon when it opened. The Medallion-net worked well and I was able to watch my local news thru my sling box. There was only one dinner of surf and turf where the steak was tough but the tow lobsters that I ate were good and I did not leave hungry. Dis-embarkation was quick and painless. In order to obtain seats in the theater one must arrive early as the seats fill fast. There was a nice selection of movies and we watched a few. The International Cafe has the best coffee on the ship and regular brewed coffee is free up until 6AM. Excellent apple turnovers and banana nut bread. Walking on the track up on deck 18 was wonderful as it began to get light early in the morning and watching the sunrise at sea. Overall a wonderful cruise Read Less

Port Everglades 11/24 Princess Cay 11/25 Day at Sea 11/26 St. Thomas 11/27 St. Maarten 11/28 Day at Sea 11/29 Day at Sea 11/30 Port Everglades 12/1 My boyfriend and I (in our mid 20s) decided to book a Princess cruise for the very first time together as a couple. I had been reading the reviews for this cruise and was a little hesitant as some of the most recent people on the ship had mentioned fluctuating food and entertainment variety. Overall, this cruise was fantastic! The ship itself was stunning, most of the crew on board were very nice, food was usually very good, and the entertainment was terrific! Embarkment: We received our medallions in the mail a few weeks before our trip. I read online to download the app and fill out our information prior to boarding so that It was easy and smooth. That It was! We arrived to the terminal around 11 AM and It was not busy at all. The transition to get on the ship was sooo smooth and everyone working for Princess in the terminal was extremely nice. WIthin a matter of less than half an hour we were already on the ship! Room: We booked an inside cabin on the 16th deck, Lido. Our cabin was ready as soon as we stepped onto the ship! It was the most spacious inside cabin I have ever seen before! Our room steward was Elmer, and although we didn't see him too much, he provided us with a clean room and everything we could've asked for! The bed was extremely comfortable, and the shower was great! Entertainment: Absolutely fantastic!!!! The dancers, singers, ICON, comedians, It was all fantastic! There was always some type of music playing whether in the Piazza, the several onboard bars, or by the pool. There was nothing lacking from the entertainment on this ship! The "Bravo, Sweet Soul Music, Born to Dance" shows by the dance company were absolutely incredible! The comedian onboard, Buddy Fitzpatrick was great during his first performance. However, the second time It was definitely a flop. We really wish there was a late-night comedian (18+) available but there was not. That was where we found the entertainment to be lacking-just in that one area. On the last night, there was a male acapella group which was just great! Activities: This was another area lacking, not too much going on during the day (especially sea-days) besides laying by the pool. Horizon Court/Bistro: We always enjoyed lunch and snacks at the buffet during the ship! The salads were fresh and delicious and there were always many options to choose from. Breakfast was not a hit for us, the pancakes and waffles were YUCK. Fresh fruit was not in season, and there were never any berries available which I wish there were. Overall, the food served here was great. International Cafe- Such a great option to see on a ship! They had pastries, coffee, quiche, salads, soup available from morning til night! We really enjoyed a mid-afternoon snack here! Bar service- all of the drinks we had on board were excellent! Dining Room: We had booked online for 7:15 in the Allegro Dining Room. However, once on board we received two cards which said we were dining at 7:45 in the Allegro Dining Room. Allegro is located on the 5th floor and was a bit challenging to get to at times. On the first night, we were introduced to Carlo and Marco as our waiters. We were sat in a booth along one side of the restaurant and were surrounded by other tables for 2. I did find the dining room was lacking atmosphere as there was no music that ever played and not much decor. Also, the tables were wayyyyy too close to one another and the waiter would talk to a group of us, rather than making It an individual dining experience. I am a vegetarian and my boyfriend is a pescatarian (allergic to peanuts). On the first night, we told our waiter and each night after that my boyfriend would view the menu the night before and preselect his meal. He always ordered the fish or seafood option, and I stuck to the vegetarian option. Overall, the vegetarian options were very good, minus a meal or two here or there that was so so. The portions were quite small, so we usually ordered 2-3 appetizers and 2 meals to try. I was not that impressed with the menu each night, as there was only one vegetarian option available, aside from the Fettucini Alfredo that was available permanently on the menu. The first two nights, the meals came out quite quickly since we were always trying to catch a show at 9 or 10 pm. However, the rest of the nights the service was very slow and we often scarfed down our food to get to the show on time. One night, we even skipped dessert just so we wouldn't be so late to miss the show. Desserts were not ever great.. which was very unfortunate. I often stuck to the "love boat" which is just a chocolate mousse. The cheesecake was extremely dry. Medallion Class- we thought this was so neat! The medallion would open the door for you before you even came up to the door! We also used our medallion to pay for drinks, use at the casino, and in the shops! Very clever and we really enjoyed this extra perk! Ports: Princess Cay was beautiful! The water was cold, and there was a 5-10 minute tender to get to the port but that was ok. We really enjoyed this port! St. Thomas- we took a taxi straight off the boat to Magen's Bay. It was very crowded and the chair/umbrella guys wouldn't take your chair or set up the umbrella for you..not sure why but they didn't. It was definitely overpriced (entry fee as well) but we enjoyed walking along the beach and the beautiful scenery. St Maarten- We booked an ATV tour with Splash in the Sun ATV. It was $140 for the two of us on what ended up being a 7-hour tour! We definitely suggest looking into this excursion! We had such a great time on this ship! The decor was stunning, music and entertainment was great, food was usually delicious, and ports were awesome! It was a fun time for us and we look forward to booking with Princess again! Read Less

We chose this cruise on the advice of our travel agent and because of online reviews, we were not disappointed. We were so impressed with the embarkation process, this was our first cruise and we expected everything to be far more complicated than it was. Everything went smoothly and we were on-board in no time at all and with our medallion to help us we had the ship figured out pretty quickly also. The medallion is a great idea and is beyond helpful when it comes to navigating the ship and going on excursions. Disembarking was also pretty seamless and everything had been explained to us in great detail so there were no unfortunate surprises. The ship is beautiful and so clean and well maintained, there were always members of the crew out and about attending to the vessel. Our cabin was very nice and amazingly well laid out, you never felt cramped especially with the balcony. The cabin like the ship was clean and very well maintained we never had one complaint about our lodgings. I was surprised at the small things like up to date movies on your TV and pamphlets being left in your room every night to inform you of the next day’s activities. The dining was top notch and we were never disappointed with the food or the presentation. We ate at The Allegro in the evening and the food and service there was incredible, our waiter Mateo was great and very friendly. During the day we ate at the Horizon buffet and the food there was also top notch and unlike some all inclusive resorts you never get bored with the food as there is always something new on the menu. The service on-board ship was out of this world and all the staff always had a smile and a pleasant attitude. The entertainment was great , we always found something to do and usually went to the shows at 8 PM in the theatre. The talent there was amazing and you had to make sure you showed up early to get a seat, of course there was a later showing but we preferred the early show. Excursions were always so well laid out that getting to your pickup spot was as seamless as the rest of the trip. We preferred having a little tour of the places we visited and had a great time traveling around with a local guide. We would most definitely travel with Princess Cruises again and would have no problem recommending them to our friends and family. Read Less

Christmas Day is my birthday so I decided that to celebrate it I would take another item off my bucket list-A Cruise. The experience was wonderful. My balcony stateroom door had a Happy Birthday decoration, I received a discount at the Spa (where I got a wonderful body massage and body scrub), and the staff sang Happy Birthday and gave me Cake at dinner. The entire trip was wonderful. The staff is very respectful with a customer first attitude. I had chosen a balcony stateroom as I was not sure how I would react to being on sea and it was wonderful, but I think any cabin would have been great. Dining is fantastic and all the activities you may want are available. They have dance lessons, dancing for the pros, trivia games, Bingo, a casino, Gym, pools and hot tubs and since I was on board for Black Friday, discounted shopping! We toured St Martaan or St Martin depending on which side of the island you're on and got plenty of Vitamin D on the beach at Princess Cays, shopped in St Thomas and found the islanders to be so friendly. They have excursions for all age and interest groups. I loved every aspect of my first cruise and plan to take another. Highly recommend Princess Cruises if you want to relax, eat well, and sleep like a baby. I will consider this one of the highlights of my life. I traveled as a single but there were couples, families with children and everyone seemed as happy as I was. The only thing I wish I'd had was a dance partner they seemed to be having so much fun and I love to dance. If you want a good cruise this is the one to consider. Read Less

We chose this cruise partly due to the ship. We were already booked on the Regal Princess for the British Isles in May 2020 and we wanted to learn the ship and evaluate the service. We were pleased and frankly impressed with several areas. First the embarkation and debarkation were the easiest we have experienced on any cruise line. The key to this is to complete all the necessary items to gain your "medallion" before departing home for the cruise. Secondly the ship was impeccably maintained and clean. Stateroom service was outstanding. Communications from the staff and crew was excellent, keeping us informed at all times.The food in the Horizon Court/Bistro was plentiful and good. Great selection for all nationalities. Dinner in the Symphony dining room was good. The selections could have been better but not a deal breaker. One of the highlight of the cruise was the nightly entertainment. The Princess dancers were excellent. The guest entertainers were as well as evidenced by the full auditorium each evening. All in all it was one of the best cruises we have taken.The only detractor was that we had an issue with the shower water temp controls and it took several calls and nearly 24 hrs to get the problem resolved. Read Less

I chose the cruise for the ports and these ports of call because we had not been there before. We had cruised on Princess line before and gone on more than 20 cruises in the past, but this time had an exceptional 10 days and the vacation exceeded my expectations. This trip was great for the value we received. Yes, the decor was a little "tired" but the crew and their energy far made up for the old decor. We laughed, we played, we learned new things, we had a great week. I loved the crew and their hard work at keeping the ship clean. The food was exceptional in the dining room. The singers and dancers were excellent. They have a 24 hour International cafe were you can pick up cookies or pastries or desserts or even a light lunch. The medallion made the embarking process super fast. The cooking show with the gallery tour is something not to be missed. Very entertaining and enjoyable. Read Less

Windstar has only 6 ships so and they are small ships focused on going to areas the bigger ships cannot get to. While the ship itself is a little dated, it is slated for a big makeover this summer which is explained here: https://www.windstarcruises.com/starplus/. The cabins are suites with a sofa, chairs, a desk, a full bathtub and a walk-in closet – plenty of room for the 2 of us. There is a spa which we did not use and a decent fitness room, which I admit, I intended to use, but did not. I had too much fun doing the excursions. The best part about Windstar is the service. All the staff are friendly and really try to make the passengers have a good experience. There was a challenge with the first port so as we were boarding we learned we would not be going to an island off Puerto Rico but to St. Thomas instead. We were given new excursions to pick from. The last two days we were feeling the effects of a storm, so we couldn’t tender to Virgin Gorda. I was extremely bummed as I wanted to go back to The Baths, but the captain and team rallied and took us to Tortola where they quickly assembled 2 excursions for us. The food is decent. You have 3 choices for dinner – either the big dining room, the area where you have breakfast & lunch that they convert to a ‘romantic dining experience’ or room service. We did all 3 options. Yes, we got a little bored with the food selections but at least we didn’t overeat too much. We also bought the Package which included a full liquor selection, WiFi and Laundry Service. If you are looking for nightlife, this is NOT the ship for you. On our ship, they had 2 different 2-person bands playing during sunset and after dinner and I saw they had a small casino set up at night but we never went to see it. There was a show put on by the crew Thursday evening but we skipped it. Also, the only child we saw was the captain’s daughter. Read Less

I had already cruised once before, 30 years ago and loved it. My husband had never cruised and wanted to "give it a try". He was over the moon and thoroghly enjoyed it and so did I. Absolutely amazing! Beautiful ship with so much space everywhere. Wonderful food and so many restaurants to choose from. Great excursions, although a couple of them not quite what we had expected and not really for us. But you learn as you live. Cruising the Caribbean, excursions on the water including swimming and snorkeling are definitely to prefer to any land excursions; mainly due to the very humid and hot weather we had. We met many very nice people and have now made friends for life. Very much enjoyed the musical shows in the evenings, very good quality and so entertaining. If I can make one remark: the air-condioning inside the ship was too much and we found it very cold everywhere. Not ideal when it's very hot outside. A shawl or jacket was definitely needed in the evening in the restaurants, well as far as I was concerned. We got a cabin upgrade just before leaving so had a most wonderful cabin with so much space and beautiful balcony (we had an Explorer Suite at the front of the ship). The housekeeping staff were absolutely wonderful and so friendly and helpful. In fact all staff on the ship were great! We enjoyed this cruise so much we have already booked another one, with Viking! Read Less

I've done 2 Viking river cruises and was pleased. Ocean cruise was a disappointment. Billing mistakes on their part through days after disembarkment. I take 3 to 4 cruises a years and have never had so many accounting problems that they continually tried to blame me for before finally fixing their mistakes.. Entertainment was virtually nonexistent or what little there was happened during dinnertime. Will not do another Viking cruise. Very little daytime activities if you didn't do an excursion. Included excursions consisted of a side around an island. Not enough cultural experiences. Cabin was new and clean but storage left a lot to be desired for two women sharing a cabin. Cabin steward was one of the best I've experienced. Viking claims to be upscale but I don't agree with that assessment at all. Other premium lines beat them by a mile. Dining was average except for the Italian rwstaurant. Read Less

We had done three river cruises with Viking and throughly enjoyed them. This was our first ocean cruise with Viking and the experience was excellent (food, cultural enrichment, customer service, excursions). They always treat you special. They know you name and your likes and dislikes. Our Veranda Suite was great. It was spacious and very modern. The rooms were well appointed and having the mini bar included was great. The restaurants were excellent and had a good variety of food. The shore excursions were excellent, especially the whale watching in Dominica. We also had an included tour each day that gave us a good overview of each island. We feel that Viking provides the best cruises both ocean and river. They focus on cruises for adults and have appropriate activities. We highly recommend Viking cruises due to the overall experience. We will be planning more cruises with Viking in the future. Read Less

Chose this cruise as a short getaway with no flying involved. New Medallion system made embarkation very fast and efficient. The Royal staff was as always very friendly and attentive. The Royal is a nice ship, everything worked - not always true on some of the older ships. But the MedallionNet systemm they hyped so much was very spotty, worked some times and not others. With no enclosed pool on the Royal the pool and the Movies Under the Stars were unused for most of the cruise as it was too cold. Food was very good, food service wonderful (except the first night things seemed very slow). The Horizon buffet breakfast was pretty standard but the evening buffet had a different theme every night -very good. The Cruise Director was the normal hyper-energetic, wisecracking type. Entertainment shows in the main theater were very good, especially the comedian and "The Secret Silk" (which we saw on a Princess cruise last year). As usual, sea days were packed with activities, some of which such as mystery author Joanna Fluke, were surprising. Port days - if you stayed on the ship there was some activities but not as much or as good. Ports - the Muir Woods in San Francisco and the Monterey Aquarium were the highlights. Having visited San Diego numerous times we took it easy there. Ensenada is still a tourist trap as far as we ar concerned. Read Less

Boarding process: Very smooth with the Medallions. We had to pick our Medallions up since we're in Canada and even though they had my level wrong on the medallion we were on the ship at 10:54 AM. I got the level's fixed up on board by visiting the Passenger Loyalty desk when they opened later in the day so only a minor hiccup. Rooms were ready when we boarded. Overall, very impressed with the boarding process. It was really nice to walk into the terminal at 10:15, go straight through security, over to pick up our medallions and be sitting upstairs waiting to board in under 10 mins. No issues with the medallions all week. Ship Condition: Excellent. The ship was constantly being cleaned or painted. The ship looked as good as it did 4 years ago when we first sailed on her - this was our third Regal cruise. In contrast, we docked beside two Carnival ships during our sailing - the Conquest and the old Triumph which were both rust buckets. I was shocked at their outside conditions which tells me all I need to know about the condition inside the ship. Buffet: I always enjoy the buffet and how well its laid out. Lots to choose from, great desserts and well spaced out. We did the Mongolian stir fry up there on the first night. Its the only night they offer it and we always skip the MDR on the first night to get that. Its one of the more enjoyable meals of the week. We only did one breakfast in the buffet (we prefer the MDR) and it was fine but we did lunch there every day and it was always very good. MDR: We hit the MDR on evening #2 and it did not start off well. We were doing my time dining and there was a long wait for a table so they sent us up to the Concerto Dining Room with the scheduled diners. Unfortunately, after waiting over an hour and only getting our starter's, one of which was wrong, we left for the buffet. I did take time later in the evening to drop down and speak quietly off to the side to the head waiter to explain our experience. We had a good conversation and he asked me to come down the next evening where he wanted the opportunity to make it better. We were assigned a table with a waiter (Archie) who was exceptional. The food and service that evening was 10 out of 10. The waiter even arranged for us to return to that dining room for the remainder of the cruise. They took a bad situation and turned it into a dining experience that was 10 out of 10 for the week. The food was exceptionally good as well. Kudos to Archie and Angelo (head waiter) for doing a superb job. The experience only reinforces what I think about My Time dining - never again. I'm going back to the 5:15 dining from now on. My Time dining on Princess (and Royal Caribbean too for that matter) are just too hectic and hit or miss for me and I wish both cruise lines would do one or the other. Anyway, big thumbs up for the MDR for me. Room: We had an inside on Riviera deck. Room attendant was great, did a good job. No complaints about the room, bed or service. We did get a top sheet though. I find the beds with the comforter only too warm. My bar setup was good and they promptly changed out what I requested. No issues here. Entertainment: Fantastic. There was a comedian who we saw on the Caribbean Princess in February. He was funny again with 90% new material. We did one production show. I'm not into that stuff too much but it was well received. The show of the week was the Beatlemaniacs. What a great show they did and they did an encore in the Piazza on the last evening. Are you going to find this professional entertainment on an all inclusive vacation? I dont think so. Well done. Crew: The CD staff did a good job it seemed. Each night there seemed to be something to attend that could kill an hour here or there. The rest of the staff seemed friendly enough. Good crew this week I think. Stops: Princess Cays, St Thomas, St Maarten. Love St Maarten and we always pre-book our chairs and Umbrellas with Miguel on the beach in town. Its a great spot. Swim a little, lay out, get a little sun and the main shopping area is right behind you. Food and restaurants are right on the beach too. St Thomas - we did something a little different this time. We went to Lindbergh beach. Its not the best beach in town but it was a nice enjoyable day. Water was clean and warm and lots of shade under the trees. Princess Cays - I notice they are doing something a little different. They have "street-like" carts there now, things like hot dog carts and quesadilla carts. Nice touch. We always head to the right side of the island which is much quieter. This is the one area I'd like to see Princess mix it up a bit. I'd like to see some different Eastern Caribbean stops thrown in there. San Juan maybe? Pool deck: Always a chair to be had on deck and it was peaceful up there on sea days. I dont need to see belly flop contests and hairy leg contests. Just leave me alone to enjoy a day on the pool deck please. I do like the adult Sanctuary for that experience. Didn't do MUTS but they had a few recent movies showing if that's your thing. Debarkation: Smooth as silk. They get your butt off that ship so fast you're wondering what happened. You could have easily walked off by 7 if you wanted to. Let me be frank about one thing: The latest scourge for me is the ignoramuses who insist of listening to their music with bluetooth speakers. You may like your music but I can almost certainly tell you I wont. Nobody else around you wants to hear it either. There were several people with these cursed things this week and I wasn't the only person to find them intrusive and annoying. I did complain to the front desk at one point and they did turn it down but that only lasted one night. There was an older lady who was just trying to enjoy a good book but found it impossible with the group of people beside her. Anyway, this did show up on my review with Princess and hopefully they'll do the right thing and ban them outright. Use headphones or cruise Carnival people. Overall: This cruise was one of the better cruise experiences for us. It was our third Regal cruise and was one of the best cruises we've been on. I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10 (nobody's perfect). Food, crew and entertainment was top notch. What more could you ask for? Read Less

We chose this time because it fit into our life’s schedules. The standards set, and met by Princess Cruise LInes are extremely high. This cruise met those standards and our expectations in every way. The entertainment was world class, both in the Princess Theater and the Piazza. The cruise director, Daniel Falconer, put an absolutely amazing itinerary of entertainment together on a daily basis. (Troy Thirdgill, a comedian, and John Bressler, pianist, were our favorite individual entertainers). The shore excursions were exciting for us, but we could’ve used more beach time. (Like an entire day!). Our stateroom steward, Luis, could not have been any more attentive to our needs. We never did “anytime” dining in the past, but tried it this cruise, and were very pleased that it went as smoothly as it did. We had no negative experiences and won’t hesitate to go Princess Cruise Lines again! We’re already planning an Alaskan cruise, and were able to get information, and assistance from the staff, on that cruise. Read Less

My first cruise was on the Getaway, and this could be my last cruise. Although the ship and crew were good, the itinerary was not to our taste. Being from Reno, Nevada we felt like we were traveling inside one of Reno's hotel/casinos albeit, surrounded by water. The shows and other entertainment were similar, and the restaurants and buffet were also similar. Add in some assisted living activities and you have the Getaway. Now this in itself was not as troubling as when we reached our various destinations when it was important to disembark in a reasonable amount of time to get to excursions or other planned events on shore. The process was slow and frustrating with a line that extended from deck 7 to deck 4. Some excursions required waiting for more than an hour at a meeting place on board, usually one of the specialty restaurants, until it was cleared for the group to make our way down the stairs to the dock. Once we arrived at another meeting place, usually a tent at the end of the dock, there was more waiting, say another half hour, before we were marched to the bus parking lot where we finally went on our way to our excursion. A note about Norwegian excursions; They are much more expensive than what you can find at the end of the dock from the various vendors. Also, be prepared to tip everyone that has a part in the excursion. Everyone is soliciting tips including Norwegian, in that, simply ordering a drink on board will cost you a mandatory 20% tip. A vodka rocks ended up costing $18 with the mandatory 20%, plus the bartender, when it's your time to sign the receipt, solicits yet more gratuity be added to the total. Ouch! I enjoy tipping, however, soliciting gratuities was always frowned upon in any business that I worked for or patronized. What ever happened to the company paying people a good wage so they don't have to rely on the customers supporting the employees. Anyhow, bring lots of cash or be prepared to get a royal stink eye from anyone that you don't tip. Even the ones that you do tip, like the automatic service charge added to your bill each day($30 for my wife and I) are expecting and solicit for cash tips on top of the service charges. Give me a break. Where was I before getting sidetracked with the whole tipping thing, oh yeah, disembarking and embarking the ship. When you return from your excursion it is usually time to get back to the ship. If you needed a tender to get to and from the ship more waiting is in store for you. On Grand Cayman, my wife and I waited in line more than an hour in the hot sun to finally get on board a tender to get back to the ship. Don't forget the tip. Needless to say, we were exhausted and sweaty by the time we got back. Frustrated by what we had to endure that day. If I haven't bored you to death by this time, I have more to report if you can bear with me a little longer. Norwegian provided the flight for my wife and I from Reno to New Orleans. I asked Norwegian if I could arrive in New Orleans the day before so that we could be rested for our cruise. They refused. We had to follow their schedule, period. A couple of weeks before our scheduled cruise we were given our flight itinerary. We had to fly out of Reno at 1:00AM the day the cruise was to begin, arriving at 9:00AM at the New Orleans airport. After waiting an hour at the airport we were boarded on a transfer bus to the port. We had to drag our luggage to the bus then drag it to the carts once we got off the bus. We were totally exhausted not having slept all night. It was chaos at the ship terminal. People from the previous cruise trying to get out while thousands from our cruise were trying to get checked in and boarded. Another hour in lines and a long march to the ship where we were greeted by the security screening. My wife had a single can of ginger-ale in her carry-on that was quickly confiscated by the agent. Thank you Norwegian. By 7PM the luggage was delivered to our room on board. Needless to say, my wife and I were so exhausted that we slept the remainder of the day and through the night. Not the way one wants to begin a dream vacation to the Caribbean. By the end of the trip my wife and I thought of a new name for the Getaway. . . . . "Getaclue". Thank you and bon voyage. I would like to put in a good word for our stateroom steward; Armel Libao was as helpful and pleasant to have as our steward than we could have ever expected. Read Less

Start to finish this cruise was AMAZING!! The cabin, restaurants, ports, entertainment and especially the staff. We cannot thank Benny our butler and Giann our concierge enough for making this cruise so special.The ship was spotless any hour of the day. The bar staff went out of their way to accommodate us. We traveled with a person using a scooter and he had no issues navigating his way through the hallways or in and out of the elevators. All of the ports we docked and very easy to get on or off especially with the scooter. We did three beach excursions booked through NCL and all we fantastic. We really loved the itinerary and are disappointed that NCL has decided to stop this trip for next year and replacing it with 5 day Bermuda trips. Hopefully enough people will speak up and bring the southern Caribbean trips back to Boston. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was out of Boston so we did not have to fly to get to the ship., We had sailed on the Gem last year and enjoyed the ship so we figured we would do it again. We enjoy all the different places to eat on the ship, your are not limited to the dining room or the buffet or the specialty restaurants. The money we saved on airfare we put into a better cabin, the suite life really is sweet. The crew was great the lounges were great and the food was great. When you book a suite you are escorted on to the ship and taken to a private restaurant for lunch. You also have access to private restaurants for lunch and breakfast during the entire cruise. Shore excursions were ok! but nothing to write home about, some better then others. All in all great trip. Read Less

I've been on numerous Princess Ships and until this one LOVED Princess. The Caribbean Princess however is absolutely one of the poorest designed ships Princess has. Medallion Net will only really work if you have an I phone 7 or higher but they don't tell you that. The buffet is unlike other Princess Ships very crowded with the omelete station in another room. Medallion Net only attracts people who love to have their phones surgically attached to their bodies while bumping into everyone while walking around glued to their phones.,,,and isn't that why we all cruise to have our phones attached to us? The Medallion Net staff is arrogant at best, the Officers are unavailable the Crown Grill Steakhouse has now changed the rules so that there is an up charge if you want a steak! lol The atrium stores are nothing like other Princess Ships focusing more on Effy and Chico and less of service. The beds are old and lumpy but the Cruise Director staff is there to take the fun out of cruising. As a trivia player who had been on well over ten cruises I can't honestly say that I have never been at a trivia game where the entire audience voted to NOT exchange papers due to the questions being so hard and apparently aimed at some fictitious European Clientele lol I wish I could say something nice , The good news is the wait , bar and room staff are as usual FANTASTIC! But the rest of the experience on this ship leaves a lot to be desired Read Less

Unfortunately, Viking changed our paid excursion to a time that conflicted with our included excursion and didn't notify us. We found out on our own and needed to visit guest services to correct Vikings error causing us to miss the "mix and mingle". This also affected our other plans for the day. Food was not as good as we expected. Staff and crew were exceptional and remembered our names and drinks after just one meeting. Also went out of their way to assist us at every opportunity . Would like to see more entertainment and activities in the afternoon. Specialty dining was a bit disappointing, Vela saltimbocca in Manfredi's was dry. We were expecting lobster tails at Manfredi's but the sample menu changed at the last minute. Excursions were not always at the most convenient times. We were very pleased with the Viking River cruise we took in 2017 and expected a bit more than we experienced on the ocean cruise. Read Less

Our pastor and his wife recommended Viking as they did a re-positioning cruise. They told us all about the different foods to try and to make sure we went on both sides of the buffet lines. I loved to order the grilled shrimp at lunch time. I did not like the rocky nights with the ship. It was very rocky every night. We did not get a tour or explanation of our room from our steward. That was disappointing. We went with 2 other couples and they told us about the rooms. I LOVED the heated bathroom floors. Our cabin was cleaned daily. The staff was very friendly and personal. We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. The Chef made us a delicious cake for that. We loved the entertainment, Abba, and The Beatles night. My most favorite place on the ship was the Spa. The mineral pool, Steamy sauna, snowy room and heated loungers. First class ship for sure. Loved the Tea Time with the yummy scones and mini sandwiches. You are never hungry that's for sure. Oh and we loved Edwina who served the ice cream and gelato. We feel she deserves a huge raise. We are sure gonna miss her smiling face. It was a little hard getting use to driving on the opposite side of the rode and the NARROW roads, when we went on our excursions. The guides were very informative. I enjoyed it the most being a retired Teacher in all. We met the Executive Chef and he took us on the galley tour. Loved every minute of it. We were shocked to see an escalator down there. Also all the stainless steal. So clean every where We appreciated the laundry room that was available to us.. We would of loved a sea day or 2 so we could of relaxed. We would definitely go on another Viking Cruise. Read Less

The Viking Sea is lovely and staff was friendly, efficient and very caring about our comfort & satisfaction. We had a deluxe veranda room & space was tight, but bed was plush and comfy. There was more movement (rocking) on this ship than we expected given the favorable sea conditions. Included Shore excursions were mixed, some good and others only fair. Basically they provide an overview of each island. We also chose some optional excursions - 5 of the 6 were excellent and 1 was just okay. Aerial tram, champagne reef snorkeling, sailing to St John’s honeymoon beach, White Bay beach on Jost Van Dyke and rain forest hike in St Lucia were our favorites. Dining exceeded our expectations. Food was good with great variety. We didn’t take advantage of much of the entertainment onboard, but enjoyed one evening of music. Loved the Nordic bathing experience available in the spa, no extra charge. We are newly retired, and on this cruise many of the guests were older. We noted that the staff were very patient and caring toward those with canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. Read Less

We have a Viking river cruise next year and wanted to try a Viking ocean cruise. We were very pleased with the cabin, it's size and amenities. The bathroom was also great with drawers and shelves. The shower was big enough so that you were not bumping you elbows when taking a shower. We especially enjoyed all the seating areas in the ship. It wasn't just big rooms with lots of noise. I liked the big display in the foyer that changed daily and we both enjoyed the piano, violin and guitar performances. The pool area was great with plenty of seating and we also enjoyed the infinity pool. The pool and hot tubs in the spa area were great as were the sauna and snow room. The food was way above cruise average. I had a Caesar salad with anchovies and it was wonderful. (My first with anchovies.) All the food in every area was very good. We never encountered a crew member having a bad day, everyone we met and talked to was friendly and always helpful. We had a wonderful time and hope to sail with Viking again in the future. Read Less

We have been on many different cruises and Princess is and will continue to be our ultimate first choice for future cruises. Princess Cruises - always been a super experience always treated with respect,compassion and a sincere effort by the majority of crew to service and please. Ship staff were nothing short of excellent. Multiple choices for dining, buffet or dining room, International Cafe, Alfredo's Pizzeria, Horizon Court, specialty restaurants. We prefer anytime dining, requesting a table for 2. Variety of Entertainment, comedy,music,performers,singers,dancers, events for everyone of all ages. Variety of musical bands generating passenger dancing nights. Very comfortable clean interior cabins. First class fitness center with all the required up to date equipment. Benefits/perks for repeat cruisers a major plus. Recent introduction of Medallion service application is a major step forward in enhancing cruise experience. Elevators can get quite busy with extended wait time but not an issue if you can take the stairs. Overall Pros considerately outweigh the too few to mention Cons. Read Less

We chose this cruise with friends of ours. We enjoyed our friends and the cruise very much. Our eating was scheduled for 5:30 pm at the Allegro dining room in the evening and Janice Sandoval was our waitress and Jeffrey Maderazo was our assistant waiter and they were the BEST!!!!! We never had to wait for anything and they were very easy to talk with and also very knowlegable about the food and answered any questions that we had. The only time we felt any movement of the ship was on our first night and second day, but with patches ready to use we were fine. It seemed that the elevators were always busy when we wanted to use them but I guess getting that amount of people around on the ship would be a problem for anyone. The debarkation went fine for us although we didn't use the medallion as much as we could have. The internet was slow and I guess we are impatient as we didn't use it hardly at all. Read Less

always liked Princess line, they were elegant, good food and entertainment , but Crown Princess did not meet my expectations. Not pleased with most of the shows in the theater , only when the singers and dancers did their shows was it a good show. Not happy with entertainment on board when ship was in dock, nothing to do that was interesting for seniors. Even when not in dock, the variety was poor. Food in the buffet was to say the least horrible. the layout of buffet when it go busty was very confusing, you went in circles trying to find the right area you need fo get the food, it was small for the amount of people on the ship, not layed out very well, very confusing. public bathrooms, not taken care of very well, soap dispensers always empty and toilets stuffed of not working.. The ship is older and you can see the wear and tear in some areas, especially the bathrooms Read Less