What I Wish I Knew Before I Sailed a Princess Cruise
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- I made a big mistake. You see, I took my first cruise more than a decade ago. And in that time, I've sailed most major cruise lines. But one of the few that I had yet to sail was Princess.
Think about it... I'm a guy in my 30s. A cruise line named Princess doesn't exactly sound like it's made for me. And when I cruise, I'm also a fan of going all out on the ship. I want waterslides. I want to race go-karts. I want to ride the roller coaster. It's go-go-go.
I still like all that, but I've got to tell you, after sailing Princess for the first time last month, I'm also rethinking things. There was a lot that I didn't realize about Princess... and it was a style that's very different from what I'm used to... and... I liked it?!
My wife and I met working for Royal Caribbean back in the late 90’s. We’ve cruised extensively since with Princess and really like the brand - great value. We have. 13 night South Pacific cruise booked for Feb 2024 for our 25 year wedding anniversary and can’t wait!
Happy, belated anniversary! 25 years is a huge accomplishment. Hope your trip was fun.
After sailing with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, we have found Princess to be a breath of fresh air. Something you didn’t mention was the quality of service - it is outstanding.
My time on Princess has been very, very calm.
Princess all the way. We are a retired 60 ish couple. Sailed from Los Angeles to Hawaii in January 2022 on The Grand Princess in a mini suite, and she was Grand. As an older ship, she was stunning. We loved her, the staff, the food, entertainment everything. Loved the Medallion feature, the wi-fi was great. ❤
We sailed the Grand Princess when she first came out. Liked Princess,but that was the last on Princess. Ship was really nice
We are cruising on the Grand Princess to Alaska in June. Cannot wait!!!!
@@MultiMattman68 Princess excitingly and fun
Hey Sue, how was sailing 16 days to Hawaii? I believe that are 5 straight sea days going and coming back from Hawaii. I would love to do that but I am a bit nervous about all these long sea days in a row.
@@pakishia very relaxing for us, plenty to do
We are first time cruisers and cruising Alaska in 2024 , your video has put my mind at ease. Thanks 😊
Princess is awesome....Me and my wife cruised Alaska w/Princess....It it awesome.....You won't regret it.....
The term that describes Princess Cruise perfectly, that I did not see in your review is "Mature". My wife and I are in our 60s and we have no need for rock climbing walls or Formula One go carts. All we need (regardless the duration of the cruise) is good food, clean surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere. And what we can't stand on a cruise is where every thing requires a reservation. That's what were are trying to get away from on vacation. We are hooked on Princess (we are looking forward to giving Holland America a try).
Yea, I am so NOT in to bumper cars, water slides, etc. etc. I just want peace, space and quietness. Princess is my speed.
Yes 👏👏👏👏
We have cruised 25+ times on Princess over a 30 year span of time. We love them. They have always treated us well. The food and service have been consistent on every sailing. It is definitely a laid back experience, which is what keeps us coming back.
Do you recommend the upgrade packages for someone who rarely drinks alcohol and soda? Is wifi even needed on the cruise?
@@rsotojr Probably not. If you’re not going to use your phone or tablet much, you would likely be better to do things ala carte. The packages include a bunch of fluff that jacks up the price. That being said, we do purchase the packages as it works out better for us.
.......and this is exactly why we LOVE Princess!! Just the right amount of activities and very relaxing. A real adult vacation.
I am 29 and only sail on Princess! I have been on Caribbean Princess, Ruby Princess, and Regal Princess! The vibe is always great the staff is friendly and always ready to help you! The premier package is well worth it for the printed photos, Alcohol, included tips, and also Princess prizes. I was one of the first Princess Prizes Free balcony cruise winners on the Ruby Princess. My first cruise was 15 days to Hawaii and absolutely loved every minute! So much to do and the food choices are great. Many options for even the pickiest eaters.
I really appreciate this video. We have never cruised and though we are a family of young teens. My teens don't cope with loud noises and sensory over load. You have helped me dodge a proverbial situation by posting this video, which will now help me choose more confidently who to cruise with for my children's peace of mind. Thank you again and good wishes to you.
Sailed to Alaska in June 2023 and loved it! Never felt crowded, staff takes excellent care of you and can’t wait to book another cruise with Princess.
You are 💯 percent correct! After sailing with Carnival my first day on Princess was strange but once I understood the assignment (to chill and relax) I was hooked. We made friends on the ship. Don’t get me wrong people on Carnival are fun and friendly but always on the go so you really don’t get a chance to really enjoy your cruise mates. We are heading on a 10 day New year’s cruise on the Enchanted Princess and we are so excited! 🛳️ 🎉
My Wife I had sailed on multiple cruise lines before sailing with Princess this last November(thanksgiving week cruise). I can honestly say that our cruise on Sky Princess was head and shoulder above and beyond any other cruise we had ever been on. We are "older"(52 and 50) now but still consider ourselves young at heart and love to be on the go. We were never bored just as you commented on the video. No other cruise line has ever made us feel like we were as important to them as Princess did. We had never been treated better, not only by the staff on board, but the officers on board, and the cruise line itself. Princess earned our Loyalty and now we are looking at Princess FIRST before any other cruise line for trips to where we want to go next. We loved the experience so much we are about to sail on Regal Princess in just a couple weeks. We do want to eventually try Celebrity Cruise line in the near future as well, but they will have their work cut out for them to live up to the standard Princess has set.
I have done several cruises with Princess and almost just as many with Celebrity , and rate the two as tied, except Celeb had better selection on dinner menu, so they win by a nose. BUT this no longer true, Oct. 2021 was on Celeb first coastal cruise out of San Diego since covid, still met up to my expectation, then after returning home for week, I boarded Princess
first coastal cruise out of San Fran. since covid and again met up to my expectations, WITH ONE NOTED DIFFERENCE, Dining room now had exact same Menu as aboard Celeb. Now instead of judging by what on the menu I can now judge by the effort of the Chef, so each night I order same as what order on Celeb.
Now which line is better ? Menu no longer brake the tie, but UNFORTUNATELY, Celib.change their karaoke to live band which limit a person selection to what the band knows, whereas Princess still has the original Karaoke with a large selection to chose from. Which now put my winning vote by a nose to Princess.
Celebrity Beyond was my first celebrity ship. I honestly think it's a tad overrated. I've not been on any other Celebrity ship but the Beyond is supposed to the current "flagship". It's a floating art museum in terms of the artwork and ship design, but unless you're an art fanatic you can easily see where the corners were cut. Example: quality of food, portion size, service. Don't get me wrong I had a good time, but at the price point I feel like there's less value per $. I do love Princess. It's not perfect but if I had to choose between Celebrity and Princess for the same identical cruise I'd go princess. In fact I would try take an inside stateroom princess over a window stateroom on the beyond even if price were the same. The "premium" feel is more interwoven throughout the cruise experience versus celebrity when leans heavily on ship design and modern art.
You will love the Regal. Spend at least one afternoon at the Sanctuary!
@@13thgenerationamerican51 We absolutely LOVED REGAL!!! We skipped going in to Princess Cays and spent the day in the Sanctuary and its was AMAZING!!!
I've been lucky enough to be hired by Princess as a official videographer for several cruises in recent years. The very first was for the inauguration of the Majestic Princess (Silk Road Cruise Journey) through the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and all of South-East Asia, ending up in Japan and Korea... all in one go!
Having many preconceptions about cruises, I was surprised to find that I loved it, and today, looking back, it's undoubtedly one of the best experiences I've ever had, whether considering the working days or simply for the pleasure of cruising the oceans for several months.
I find your video pretty representative of the "princess" spirit, and I share many of the aspects you point out. Great video! Thanks for the memories ;)
I just cruised the Caribbean on Princess a week ago. I loved how relaxed it was. I have already booked my next trip to Antarctica next January!
We haven't been on a Princess cruise ship in years. We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in 2 1/2 weeks. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Can't wait.
I took Regal last week.
Veteran cruisers here(Disney, HAL, Norwegian) about to embark on our first Princess cruise (14-night Mediterranean). Your review puts our minds at ease in anticipation of what to expect! Thank you for a well thought, fair review!
We did a 14 night Med cruise on Princess from Rome to Barcelona and loved it. We have done 8 cruises with Princess and that was our favourite
We just cruised our first cruise for a week with Princess in March 2024 and we're back and suffering the post-cruise blues. The Sky Princess was great. We had a wrist bracelet for the medallion but it's not worth the trouble and I think it reduces the signal strength. We did buy lanyards that hold the medallion on a retractable tether. That seemed to be the best option. The rooms were always clean, the workers were always friendly, the food and entertainment were good. If you're going to one of the shows then try to get there 20-30 minutes early for a good seat.
I love Princess! I have been cruising with Princess almost exclusively since I was 24 years old and I am 36 now. I tried Carnival and while I had fun, the younger aimed entertainment was not in my wheelhouse. I really enjoy the class, space and relaxed feel of Princess cruises and that has kept me coming back for years. I love that the "cruise deck" entertainment is kept to a minimum for those who do not need the cheesiness of cruise director antics. I appreciate that I am not constantly harassed to shop. Now that I am at platinum level membership, I like that staff go out of their way to welcome me back and my room cleaning staff and their supervisors go out of their way to introduce themselves on the first day but they also greet me by name and follow up, daily, on my experience on board and what I may need in my room and so forth. It really pays to invest in Princess because they invest in you from the very first sailing and that hospitality and investment in you just increases with your membership level too.
We did the 15 day LA to Ft. Lauderdale Panama Canal cruise on board the Emerald Princess in January and absolutely loved it. We last sailed in 2007, and our last trip on Princess was the Pacific Princess from NY to Bermuda in 2001. The Pacific Princess was a lovely ship but she only carried about 650 passengers, so we were kind of intimidated by the idea of a ship big enough to carry more than 3000 passengers. We found that it was a long walk from the front to the back of the ship for us (we are 71) but being annual passholders at Walt Disney World meant the distances were not something we couldn’t handle, but enough that we slept well at night. One of the things we talked about after getting home was all the things we never found time to do on the Emerald, and how we would go on Princess again happily as there was still so much to do. In March we got an offer from Princess for a ridiculously good fare in April, and as we were debating how to celebrate our anniversary, we decided to go on another Princess cruise. We leave in 2 weeks.
How beautiful! Happy anniversary and its lovely to hear great things about princess!
Where will you be going?
@@richiegill6098 we went to the Western Caribbean.
We just came back from our first cruise with princess and I have to agree 100% with everything you said!!! You suscribes it perfectly!!!! I traveled with my husband and we had that same conversation as we were driving back home! I would like to add that this was the friendliest staff we have ever seen in a cruise! They always had a snails, would greet you all day long, would offer to help and would even catch them singing while working!!! That made this trip extremely special!!
The crew on 'Discovery Princess' didn't offer me any snails. I'll have to ask about that when I'm on 'Ruby Princess' this December.
@@bayousbambino427 😂 you won’t get any! But is you ask for “smiles” they will give you lots! 😃
its funny, you're making it seem like those things not being there is a negative. It looks awesome to me. I'm getting a bit tired of cruises becoming basically amusement parks at sea.
I love the medallion. It is so nice and convenient. You are recognized at the bars. You can enter your room, just walking up to the door. Princess is a great line to sail on. The food is a step above the other lines.
im 14. ive been on like 4 princess cruises since i was 9, and have another one booked in december. i like the simplicity and quality of the ship, because i find a lot of those ships with so many random activities to be a little bit tacky. i think that if you go on 1-2 princess cruises youll figure out what you enjoy. fyi if anyone going on the first cruise ever is my age, make friends on the first to second day. you get those memories early and create everlasting memories.
As a 17 year old who has been on 3 cruises before I absolutely agree. The two best times of my life was on cruise ships and parents don’t worry that a ship doesn’t have these new features and activities for your kids to do because meeting people and making memories is so easy and fun on any cruise at any age. Have a cruise in 3 weeks on Discovery Princess and it’s the most expected I think I’ve ever been for anything. But yes if you are young and on a cruise don’t be afraid to meet people and make friends because chances are is that all the others kids and people want to make friends too
@fsgrindz3791 I'm a 62 y/o man and would like to compliment you on your punctuation and proper grammar. A lot of grown adult comments I read on here I spent a few minutes trying to figure out what it is that they meant to say. Wrong wording and no punctuation makes me wonder how these grown adults ever graduated high school 🤔. I feel like I'm playing that game show "Wheel of fortune" and I need to buy a vowel 😂. Great job young man. You deserve a cruise just for paying attention and learning in English class 👍.
@@aidanpearce9839I'm 62 and always like making new friends. Young and older.
@@murraychadwick9362 thank you. i always think that unless im talking to people my age i should try to use proper grammar and terms that anyone would understand and not just a small set of people so i try to speak properly because this isn’t a close friend group, its an open comment section.
The new Sun Princess will be amazing for you definitely have your family look at some of the amazing October 2024 options definitely a great ship to sail
I'm not retired and I loved carnival, but the experience on princess is much more relaxed. Totally loved it. I saw many teens in the ship they seemed to enjoy it too.
We just finished our first cruise on Regal Princess around the British Isles for 12 days within the past month. Very nice ship, great food (mostly) and lovely wait staff and service. Couple of pointers: (1) Cabin (R429) is well appointed with plenty of storage; but remember that Regal Princess is over 10 years old, so no bedside plugs or USB ports - extension needed to plug travel CPAP in at the desk. Also, recharge your phones on the desk, not bedside, so distant alarm gets you out of bed! 😄 (2) First cruise ship we’ve ever been on with no sundries shop - plenty of booze, chocolate, mementos and clothes; but no place to buy an aspirin, cough drops, chapstick, bandaid, etc. Pack your own first aid kit! (3) None of the pastries and cakes are made from scratch fresh on board - either pre-made dough then baked on board (a bit rubbery, especially when nuked for quick serve) or made ahead and frozen/chilled then thawed. Only total loser for desert was the big production Baked Alaska Parade; chef made the meringue with normal crystal sugar for a gritty, crunchy meringue 😂. (4) Ate almost exclusively in the Reserve dining room for suite/mini-suite residents. Superb staff and excellent food consistently. Fillipo, the maitre d’hotel, even made pasta arrabiata himself one night for a special treat! The Crown Grill was worth the up-charge for an exceptional meal; Sabbatini’s was fine; not exceptional. (5) Excursions varied from well planned and executed (Cork and Blarney Mills and Monet’s House and Gardens + Rouen) to far too short and rushed (no full day option for St. Andrews). Crowded tour busses with marginally mobile seniors hacking and coughing without masks were the norm, even for excursions labeled moderately intensive. Best days were ship busses to a city and explored on our own, including Belfast, Edinburgh, Rouen, and South Queensferry (tender to shore and explore!) (6) Didn’t watch many shows - thoroughly tired after excursions, a cocktail, and a delicious dinner. We each walked over 38 miles in 12 days (even with 3 sea days!). We would sail Princess again for the total value combo, even though Celebrity spoiled us tremendously last summer. 👍🛳️👍
I will be boarding Princess for my FIRST ever cruise in may. I will be sailing solo. I enjoyed your thoughts on your cruise. It helped give me perspective on the “mood” of the brand. I feel like I’m really going to enjoy its relaxing, adult vibe.
I’m sailing solo next April 2024.. I’m just going to relax and try everything! I do wish they had “shared tables” at dinner.
@@jeannebissell7167 they do! when you make your dining reservation you have the choice of "private table" or not
This is the very best description as to why we love Princess Cruises, thank you! It is definitely worth it to do the "Love Boat" cruise they became famous for because of the 70's TV show. These are the Alaska cruises they do. They are elite at this, and got this specific cruise itinerary perfect.
Done the Alaska cruise twice. Do the White Pass railroad to Canada as an excursion. It was worth the trip. We did both in late September as a last voyage each time. It was peaceful and so nice we deposited for the same trip and suite for the next year. Enjoy
Great comments. One significant complaint is that Princess needs to make the Casinos non-smoking. Hard to believe they have not made the switch at this late stage. Putting staff and customers at serious risk is not cool. 😢
We just cruised on Regal Princess at 100 percent-plus capacity, yet we never felt crowded.
It was really bad just after Christmas to just after NYD.
I'm cruising solo on Discovery to alaska 7days in September '23 for my 70th b.d. on Discovery. First time. I'm so looking for to this experience.
How was your trip??
@deebell8727 The cruiseship was fantastic! The weather was terrible. Rained everyday/night. Even though the weather was terrible, the port stops were great to visit. I'd do it again in a few years, maybe next year. Thanks for asking.
@stevelinscome728 Sorry to hear it rained. We went on our first cruise to Alaska in August 2023, and the weather was perfect. I had actually hoped for rain because I love the rain. We had a wonderful trip we booked again this August.
Sailed on a 10-day Princess cruise very recently and had one of the best vacations of my life. I was in the NAVY in the early eighties and wasn't going to go out to sea ever again in my life. My partner got a free cruise for 2 balcony room from a casino and just loved it. It was relaxing the enclave was amazing, the food was great, and the service was amazing. We saw every show and went on every port call (only did a couple excursions). We have 2 more Princesses cruises already booked. One in 73 days and the other in December. I can't wait!
Our first cruise was a 10 night with Princess in the Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale. We have sailed six times and enjoy their ships, food, service and environment.
We cut our teeth on Princess when we were in our late 20s and early 30s. That was a few years ago and we are still not the typical demographic. We now cruise with kids, and try to cruse with multi-generational family, however, we are usually buy ourselves as a family unit. You've hit all the points that keep us coming back. Ships that don't feel crowded. Low key vibe. Tasteful activities. Generally good food, or at least the chance to try things you can't find at home. Competitive pricing for lots of different classes of room, and the ability to avoid being nickeled and dimed throughout the trip. Really great itineraries, especially from west coast ports. Different itineraries attract different age groups, but the crowd is a bit older, but that has never bothered us. I recommend Princess to anyone that asks who is a first time cruiser.
Princess is definitely at the top of our list. I would agree that if you have kids this probably isn’t for you unless you are the grandparents. Always a relaxing experience and the crew is always friendly.
Princess was our first cruise line 20 years ago and also our latest cruise this month. Enjoyed it then and now, and have also sailed Royal, NCL, HAL, and Celebrity. For a more relaxing adult vibe, our favs are Celebrity (upscale contemporary design/feel) and Princess (classic elegance)!
I’ve been on carnival and Norwegian. They’re the crowded, constant noise cruises that are fun. But quite frankly their crowds can get rowdy. as I get older, Princess is more ideal: calmer, not crowded, within my budget but there’s still fun things for me and my teen daughter. Taking my 2nd princess this august to Hawaii. Good video thanks 💙🤍🚢
You will love your cruise 🚢 enjoy
Agree....and uuuhhhh we were shocked to find out how LOUD, CROWDED and well people seemed irritated on our 7 night Disney cruise
We have done 9 cruises in the last 10 years with Princess. You are correct that if you just want to have a relaxing and enjoyable cruise, this is a good one. We are now in our mid 60's and have tried other lines to see the differences. Carnival was crowded, loud and much more family oriented with all the bells and whistles for the kids. Not on the top of our list. Last January we did an NCL cruise and there were some aspects that we liked however there were some places that were so loud because of the center design that it was just was too loud. So, that one will be above Carnival for us. The reason I watched your video is that we will be going in November on the Discovery. It just feels like home. Thanks for sharing!!
Having sailed Carnival Ecstacy waaay back in 2002, as my first cruise in my able-body at age 16... this cruise-line seems way more my speed now dis-able-bodied at 38! I need food-fill, low thrill, chill, that fits the bill 😉
I am going to be on this ship in a few months. I cannot wait. Thank you for this video. This will be my 4th cruise with Princess, I have enjoyed each and every one of them.
We love Princess...We cruised exclusively with Disney until someone told us Princess was a similar upscale-ish experience without all the the theming and kids and dollar bills :). I'm not into loud party cruises (or cruisers), so Princess is perfect. It feels luxurious (OMG the beds are amazing), but doesn't break the bank. All that said, we also love Royal Caribbean for more activities and dining options if that's what we're in the mood for or if we travel with our kids/grandkids. We may splurge one more time for Disney before the grandkids get too old, but Princess has become my choice for hubs and I. Have our next Princess cruise booked for September.
So great to hear this! I'm cruising on Princess for the first time in October with my college BFF. Princess sounds just right for us.❤
70 cruises with Princess. just disembarked Regal Princess this a.m. in Fort Lauderdale. Will be back on board for back to back in three weeks. Princess is our second home.
I do absolutely adore the Princess Cruises product. I'd love them to reduce their solo fare a little - it's so high on most sailings unfortunately!
Princes is not a drunken party ship. The passengers are looking an entertaining time with good food, clean ship, and an opportunity to get away from rowdy crowds. I have 4 more cruises booked. Good job Princess.
Top of our cruise list also. A bit different depending from the embarkation port not poor but the crowd sometimes makes it. A cruise we had from Yokohama with 90% older Japanese was a treat!
I’ve got 35+ cruises with Princess. Glad you enjoyed everything. The Medallion is great as you described & the Princess Plus is great as it includes your drinks, gratitudes & wi-Fi charges. Did you order anything from your phone & if so how did that work? Something to know about Princess….If your a veteran & have at least 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock you get OBC for both of these regardless of the length of your cruise. On a cruise 14 days or longer that’s a total of $500 to use on the ship. Great video. Thanks for posting.
Thanks. My daughter and I are soon to do our first Princess cruise and it’s sounding like it could become our new favorite.
Great video. We've taken our kids on Princess and Carnival. While they like the slides and rides on Carnival, they actually preferred the Princess kids club. They described it as more engaging and hands on. We also went over spring break, so they were able to make lots of friends. We're hoping to take a Royal ship soon, but I wouldn't hesitate to take the family on Princess again.
I've actually done the majority of my cruising as a child and teen; the first was when I was six months old; so, maybe it doesn't count. Regardless, I guess it's the way my parents raised me, but, I was never bored on board (ah, wordplay!) those old school ships (_Mikhail Lermontov_, _Skyward_, and _Norway_), which was back when people would've laughed at you if you suggested a roller coaster on a ship. I didn't even partake in any of the activities they had specifically for kids. I just went on excursions ashore with my parents and took in the experience of being at sea when... Well, at sea. That and exploring the ship and going into spaces I probably wasn't supposed to. 😉 Hey, how else would I be able to say I was in the crow's nest of a former French ocean liner?
I think if I were a kid or teen today and went on one of those crappy Canival ships, I'd be excited about the water slides and go-carts for about a day. Then I'd long for something more mentally engaging. My parents were usually good at keeping me occupied with books and drawing materials. But, I'd probably enjoy an engaging kids' program.
Now I like getting drunk in wake-view pools and wearing a tux on formal nights, like my father did. (The tuxedo for sure; drunk in pools: uncertain, but very likely!)
My 1ST cruise was on Princess many years ago. To this day, it was my favorite cruise ever. My other cruises have been on RC.
Years ago you may not been as pleased as you are now, my sailing started in 1972 skip several year before second ,but as time went by Imy sailing trips got closure together. I have tried 7cruise lines and after 26 cruises mostly on Celebrity and Princess. I tend to rate the two as a close tie at finish line with nose win to Celeb. BUT last 5 years have took note that Princess ship upgrades are making noticeable difference, and their medallion concept is be on top of improvement list. You have made the right choice to choose a cruise line NEWEST ship for first time sailing with that line , that way you experience what the future have in store.
My last cruise was this past Christmas on Celibrity newest ship Beyond and I was amazed with design, layout, theater stage electronics and impress with rooftop Garden with live shrubs &plants (with my background in prop. maint.) I had to explore and take note on their watering system. Very interesting.
What beyond Let to have is the medallion, room key did what madallion does, only you would had to physically swipe the card near cabin door lock to open .
I still put Princess and Celib. At close tie. I'll yet you decide who take the lead.
We are platinum members on Princess and what kept us sailing with them was they always had the best itineraries of any other cruise line.
I absolutely love Princess. I've never been a big partier. Princess and Holland America are both such relaxing and refined experiences. They are just my speed. I have been on Carnival and Royal in the past, and they both made me very uncomfortable. There were so many families onboard, and such an emphasis on partying. Those ships just felt loud and crowded.
25 cruises on Princess. In addition to all the great stuff , they are organized better. They sweat the details so I don't have to. This is why you can truly relax on Princess.
That is indeed some fantastic wallpaper
Sailed Santiago to Buenos Aires with a number of days cruising in Antarctica waters this past January. I echo your comments. Not crowded. Food was wonderful. Plenty to do and see. Sea days (and there were many) were relaxing and fun since there were activities of all types. I thought the price was a good value. Not crowded. Staff was amazing. We mainly do river cruising but think we will definitely do another ocean voyage on Princess.
I had the same initial hesitation to Princess…the name! But you nailed it, Connor. They offer the ideal balance of adult comfort, fun, and reasonable price. Holland America does better on itineraries and their service is just as fabulous, but Princess ships, with the luxurious central piazzas and numerous entertainment venues, will have you exploring and finding new places for an extended cruise 🙂
Thank you for the review. I've only cruised on Princess, and I love it. It's great to hear the thoughts of someone experienced with other cruise lines but coming on Princess for the first time. I'm taking my first Carnival 🛳 this year - hope I'm not disappointed.
This was incredibly helpful. I've sailed with Princess several times and can confirm that all of what you said is accurate. My vacations were relaxing and enjoyable, and the ships are more than big enough to accommodate all of the guests. Princess was especially enjoyable when visiting Alaska. If there is a date/location that Princess offers that suits my schedule in the future, I would love to cruise with Princess again.
My wife and I have sailed 35 cruises with Princess on 15 different Princess ships and have never been disappointed. We keep coming back because their product is consistently superior.
Carnival has always been crowded and rowdy passengers on board. We have sailed both Princess and Norwegian pre pandemic. We are now ready to cruise again and since we liked both Princess and NCL, our deciding factor now in choosing which line to go with is the price. We also looked at some of the reviews of cruisers in the past year... and the winner for us is Princess. We are going for a Mexican Riviera cruise in November via Discovery Princess and on a Grand Mediterranean cruis in February 2024 via the Sun Princess , their newest ship.
Please let me know how this goes. One of my guest clients is looking at a similar ship and route. Thank you and enjoy! 🌟💚🙏🏽
We have been on 3 Princess Cruises -- Eastern, Western (7 day), and Southern Caribbean (10 day), all leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. Next year our plan is to do an Eastern half of the Panama Canal, also a 10 day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale.
One of the things that bothered me about cruising in general was the pricing based on double occupancy as I mostly travel solo. But I decided to try out a group cruise and it was on Princess in 2018. I was hooked, Princess was amazing. I've since done 8 more cruises and 7 of them have been on Princess. They've all been wonderful experiences. The last one I took was on the Diamond Princess and I got invited to dine at the captain's table and a tour of the bridge all thanks to a photo of the Diamond Princess I took while on the one non Princess cruise I took. It's a great story but one far too long to share here. Princess has been my favorite and I'm sure I'll be booking another one soon.
Princess at least gives solo cruisers double points on their loyalty program. Sail solo eight times and you will make Elite status.
Some cruiselines offer solo cabins at solo prices (no charge for double occupancy)
We have sailed Princess three times in the last 20 years since we got married and love it! Next January 2024 we are sailing the Discovery Princess out of LA to the Mexican Riviera and are thrilled and excited to go onboard.
Just booked our 25th Princess Cruise which sails in October. Discovery Princess for the first time. Mini suite. Standard balcony cabin appears to be a bit small. Our last cruise was pre-Covid on the Pacific Princess sailing around the UK in 2018. It was fabulous, as was all the Princess Cruises we sailed on. We have also done one (and never again) Carnival to Mexico and a few Royal Caribbean which are also great. Just a tad too busy and noisy for my vacation time which is when I want to divest of noise. We have never had a bad experience on a Princess Cruise. My first was to Alaska in 1990. Been to AK eight times since. Never gets old. Here’s a Pro Tip: If you’re a veteran, Princess throws you some on board credits when you prove your status. (Call them). Usually $100 plus any additional OBC’s that may be had when they have specials. Our next cruise scored us $400 between my wife and I. Not complaining ! 😂
Just got back from a princess cruise to Alaska 11:04 it was 10 days 7 days on the boat and 3 on land.
We sailed on the royal princess it was unbelievable.
Crew was always super happy all the time.
We have sailed princess five years now and always have positive thoughts about the cruise the crew and the food. We’re in our early 70 s and enjoy the quiet atmosphere absent the water slides and other distractions. Princess does have children on board but teenagers would probably enjoy the activity available on other ships.
We are in our 70’s now and have cruised for many, many years with all the various Cruise lines, and the past few years we finally sailed on Princess and it’s been our only one we cruise on now. We love them. Going on another one, a 30 day cruise, booked already. My hubby says “ok Princess” to me, “Let’s go”. Lol
I was on this cruise! It was a fun time! I agree with everything you have to say about the ship. Princess has good prices and is more relaxing and adult oriented than most others I've been on. The low cost of drinks was very nice. But we were all very underwhelmed with the food in the buffet and the main dining room. I've sailed with Princess multiple times, but I do feel that the food quality is drastically declining, so I will be trying other liners for my next few cruises to compare.
I love Princess. Great excursions, food, beds, service, and entertainment. Best of all, I never feel I have to hurry for anything.
Agreed 100%! Our family was on this same cruise and I will say it was a wonderful trip for most of our group that ranged in age from 13 - 76 years of age. The only person who was disappointed was my 14 year old son who was sad that there wasn't a gaming area. Hopefully you were able to partake in the drink presentations at Good Spirits Bar!
I enjoyed your presentation. I love Princess cruises. The quiet and peace are heavenly.
Love Princess. Sailed to Eastern Caribbean for 7 days. Headed to British Isles in July. Can’t wait!
THank you!! I leave for this exact cruise in 2 weeks. Now I'm so excited.
We'll sail with Sky Princess next weel to Norway and Iceland next month and can't wait!
First cruise was in 2016 on Royal for a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise, and have since been on Regal and Enchanted for a New England/Canada and just booked an Alaskan on Discovery for May 2024. I love that Princess caters to a more 'mature' crowd that isn't necessarily looking to party and get Sh*tfaced, the relaxed atmosphere, overrall upscale feel, great service and food are all things I have enjoyed. I also enjoy the general lack of kids to help make it a more peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. Princess Plus and Premier are totally worth it, especially if like me you prefer higher end drinks or at least the option of them. There's a charm to modern ships that are not as gaudy as older ships; Sure we'll say the same thing when current ships are 20 years old.... but the muted golds and modernized fixtures are so much nicer to see an use.
I've been on 2 Carnival cruises otherwise, and don't get me wrong we had fun... (pun intended), my first experience was on Pride to the Bahamas and I hated the ship and destination islands, compared to Royal which was still brand new when I went on it... Pride was an absolute letdown for the ship itself, with 'promises' that it was going in for major renovations, which have still not happened (since 2018). The 2nd was on Panorama right before Covid shutdown the industry, where I splurged for an upgrade to a Cloud9 Spa room on a Mexican Riviera cruise.
I had us booked on 2 NCL cruises for January of 2024, both of which were canceled by the line; I will not be booking with them again, horrible experience overall. They seem like a good deal until you can't actually get to the ship because they cancel everything.
I want to try a few other lines, but after my experience booking with NCL, I really just don't want to risk going outside the Carnival owned lines.
Sad you experienced that but also really liked your description of your experience with Princess.
You didn't even mention the food. Princess food by far exceeds Carnival and RC. Variety is always there and you can tell they're not trying to scrimp and save every cent.
I’ve been on 5 princess Cruise Ships And one of the main Reasons why I love Princess is because of how calm All of the ships are it’s one of my favorite cruise lines!!!
Princess cruises are more relaxing than the others I have sailed. I sailed the first time on the Discovery Princess on February 20th 2023 with a 5 day cruise to Cabo San Lucas overnight. Will be sailing again April 15th for a 7 day to Mexico. The production shows and the other entertainment are excellent!
We just did a 8 day Caribbean. We've only done 4 other cruises before but, this was hands down the best! Highly recommended and are looking to book another soon. Outstanding.
My wife and I are taking the Alaska cruise in the beginning of September 2023. I’ve read these comments and they sound promising. We had a horrible cruise 23 years ago and it’s taking that long to get back on a cruise ship so hopefully all these words of wisdom will come true.
I will make sure to leave my comment Vegas kid
First time cruiser here! Will be on Royal Princess to Alaska for 7 days with my mother in law end of May! This video just validates that I made the right decision to sail with Princess. I can’t wait.
Our first cruise was with Princess...loved it. Have since sailed with Royal Caribbean & Celebrity. Princess is still our favorite...for food, service, atmosphere.
Headed to Alaska on Princess this June. Only my 2nd cruise. Looking forward to it, with my wife. Thanks for your input as it increases our excitement. I live in LA area and will also have to look into that 4 day cruse offer as well.
We have cruised NCL 3 times,Carnival 3 times and sailed Princess the first time May 2022. It was our favorite cruise ever and now have 2 more Princess cruises booked. Wish we had always sailed Princess.
Cruised Regal Princess in January. We had a great time. Staff was great, food and atmosphere were equally great. It was our first cruise with Princess but won't be our last.
I've only been on one cruise before and that was on the Carnival Miracle. I didn't really enjoy the experience much because it was too crowded and there were not very many places to actually relax. I'm set to sail on Crown Princess February 2024 to the Mexican Reviera, so I'm super excited after watching this video! I'm relatively calm myself but I'm only 31 so I hope it isn't too boring lol.
We adore Princess Cruise ships. We’ve been cruising with them for almost 2 decades. I believe that they have the smallest cabins and balconies, if that doesn’t bother you, you’re more than likely enjoy this brand.
We sailed with Princess for the first time last January and we've already booked to return to the same ship next January. The ship was beautiful (Enchanted Princess), the food was good and the crew were all incredible. It was a great experience.
My wife and I love Princess ships, we are travelling on Sky in November from the UK to the Fort Lauderdale.........can't wait.
You nailed it. I only go Princess now. Touring the west coast in three weeks with hubby (Crown Princess). Heck, Princess is probably the only line with free afternoon tea and scones/desserts.
And the food and wine list- don’t get me started. Wonderful.
PS do their Norway cruise. This line is known for better excursions!
I like Princess. Very relaxing compared to other cruise lines. No issues at all when cruising them.
I just went on my 1st Princess cruise for my 15th cruise. Loved it, the food was so good!
Absolutely lov the medallion on Princess. Greatest thing. Loved the Discovery Princess & we went on the Emerald Princess for Panama canal.
This sounds like a pleasant break from the kid filled Royal ships I've recently sailed.
We've done Disney, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival (I've done Holland America also years ago) especially when our kids were younger (Disney was hands down our fave family cruise line) but as my kids are now young adult and teen about to turn 18, we opted to try Sun Princess next year for Europe and cannot wait! My girls do not want a loud, crazy activity cruise, no longer into Disney characters as much as when they were young, and love to chill, eat great food, and want more history, art museums, culture and education talks instead - so this cruise line may be our new perfect fit! Your cruise savings tips and review videos are great by the way!! Have to say that Princess offered some fantastic deals recently - with Premier and Plus packages included in our rates and extra perks by booking really early.
Our first cruise was Discovery Princess this past February for Valentine’s Day. Simply the best!!!! And our only! There was plenty to do as a more laid back trip
First time cruising may 2024
So glad I watched!!
I have sailed Discovery twice to Mexico. I loved it. I went in October 2022 and February 2023.
Just read about response comment on Celebrity Beyond and yes I agree it appear to be floating art musuuem which from what I been told is same as Celibrity Edge, which I am a museum fanatic rather be art, machinery, autos, or history artifacs, etc. Which could be little interest to others , As for Princess their Decor is more toward Luzery Hotel look same look throughout ship. I prefor a little variety. Thou apperance is noted, my main interest is in their itenuaries and plan on board activities which. Now also was mention serving size at meals were less, so let me mention I belief you will find this on most cruise ships, for their been notice of waste of food be left on plate, and I'm personally against food waste and thus agree to down sizing on portion. Boarding ship I realize cruise expense INCLUDES meals & for this reason I chose main dining room over paying for select dinning, so can't claim if select will bring you seconds if you clean your plate but know for fact their been occasion in main dining where I have received second portion abone reguest. YES I have had opportunities to eat in select dining room for was gifted to me without charge , and found services to be better than main dine but this I notice is due to less occupancy , and slower relax atmosphere. And too much food which I had make effort to finish, for not only raise not to waste food but educated that not to clean plate means you are NOT please with meal. As for my rating between 7 CRUISE LINES, (26 tours) my preference would be CELEBRITY A+, PRINCESS an A, but found that CELEBRITY has change karaoke to sing with life band playing which limit your selection to what this band knows, Whereas PRINCESS still follow the original karaoke format and have few hundred songs listed in their data banks And with this note I'll take away the plus form CELEBRITY which put the 2 Cruise Lines equity tied in my opinion. I love my karaoke but prefoance is country songs and artist such as Willie Nelson, Kenny Roger's, Allen Jackson & Certain songs by Elvis.sum it up my music choice goes back before year 2000
While we had a fantastic time on the NCL Breakaway Vloggers Cruise a few weeks ago and met so many of the UA-cam "CruiseTubers" that we follow, we can honestly say that for our age demographic (early 70s) and pocketbook, Princess and Celebrity fit the bill. Definitely a relaxed chill atmosphere and enough to do and have fun when you want to. When it comes time for our granddaughter to be introduced to cruising, we will look to NCL out of NY, or even better, our home port of Cape Liberty, Bayonne NJ, for a Royal Caribbean ship (Oasis) for her first cruise. 👍🌞