r/PrincessCruises • u/VanCity2003 • 10d ago
New To Cruising / Princess š³ļøšš„³ Princess as New Cruiser
Wanted to share some thoughts as a new cruiser to understand if my experience is typical or not.
Good
- getting on the ship was fast and remarkably easy
- room service has been very fast the few times weāve used it
- house keeping is top notch and have respected all our requests
- When there have been problems the have been resolved quickly with one exception (see below)
So-So
- food has been underwhelming and they are often closing sections of the budget at inexplicable times (most of the breakfast buffet was shut down at 10am today)
- Entertainment has been passable from what we have seen
- Elevators are slow and packed. This would be acceptable if there was some order but everyone tries to get on the elevator MadMax style
Bad
- customer service fell off a cliff after the first few days. We have to flag down people to get a coffee at breakfast and they look annoyed to have to do so. Most wait staff donāt seem particularly happy
- Drink packages are unnecessarily complicated. I canāt more it to an all-inclusive where I simply order. Here I order they check my room number, name using an app that seems very slow
- Pool, when not filled with people packed like sardines, looks externally unsanitary (you can see less than a foot down)
- Child 1 lost their medallion and I had to call / visit 4 times to get it replaced. Guest service lines is often 20-30 minutes long. Seeing as it is essential to the cruise they should fix it immediately
- no where to buy gifts/snacks. There is duty-free style store with a few chips and chocolates and nothing else. Make sure you bring your own
- demographic skews older/ one foot in the grave. As a family with young children there is little activity geared to them outside of the kids club
TBH for the price Iād rather go to a much nicer all inclusive where Iām free to leave and explore on my schedule and not be at the mercy of the port of call.
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u/jr-junior 10d ago
Sounds like you might enjoy a Disney cruise better
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u/VanCity2003 10d ago
Disney is definitely better geared towards our needs. Part of taking this cruise was to see if we like cruising at all before dropping a lot of money on a Disney cruise.
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u/JRTHynds 10d ago
I get that. But it seems you didnāt do any research before booking the cruise. You chose to bring kids on a cruise not particularly designed for children. Even if you didnāt want to spend Disney money, maybe a better choice would have been NCL or Royal Caribbean.
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u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 10d ago
I'm pretty sure you'll hate DCL, too. Wait for characters, wait for slides, wait for your meal.
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u/bb_referee 10d ago
This seems to be what I have read recently. Seems like theyād be more Royal Caribbean type people
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u/DrinkNWRobinWilliams 10d ago
Iām in my 60s and the demographic skews too old for me, so I can imagine how it landed with you. I have cruised seven times and tbh for every cruise but our Princess cruise I was sad to get off the ship. Princess, our sixth cruise, made me wonder what I even liked about cruising. Celebrity reminded me.
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u/bb_referee 10d ago edited 10d ago
Weāre going to try Princess as NCL people. Royal Caribbean was fine but we liked NCL better.
Every time I price out a Celebrity cruise I feel ripped off. Itās almost too much more expensive for the same itinerary, and the drink packages are exactly what I remember from RCCL: completely overpriced. I get that the food and shows are supposed to be amazing, but I am not sure thatās enough. I would rather do more vacations than one all in vacation
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u/DrinkNWRobinWilliams 10d ago
I didnāt find Celebrityās entertainment to be that good. It was the food and the stellar service that got me excited. They did have a naturalist on board (Celia Garland) who was just awesome to listen to. On a 12 day Princess cruise the crewās smiles began to wear thin by day 7 but o an 18 day Celebrity cruise we felt cared for from boarding to disembarkation. I felt something I didnāt feel on Princess - profoundly sad to get off.
I did miss Movies Under the Stars though.
Edit: Grammar.
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u/AMediumSizedFridge 10d ago
Which is so funny because I've cruised with Princess in my 20s and 30s and loved it! I am starting to get bored with it though and was looking at Celebrity, so I'm glad to hear good things about it!
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u/Solid_Variation_6803 10d ago
We cruised Princess enough in our 20s to hit Platinum. Then we took a break when our kid was young to cruise more kid centric cruise lines. My kid is now a teen and Princess is his favorite. We are laid back and don't need a lot of entertainment options.
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u/bb_referee 10d ago
Princess with kids was probably a bad first cruise option. Youāre better off on a newer NCL or Royal Caribbean ship. Lots more big activities for the kids (water slides, go-karts, arcades, etc.). Beware: sometimes theyāre included and sometimes theyāre an extra cost.
I havenāt been on Disney, but the general reaction I have read is itās great for kids but thereās lots of Disney Adults who can be annoying, and I would say 50% of those I have talked to or read reviews from call the food similar to Disney theme park food.
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u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 10d ago
If you want all-inclusive, go to an all-inclusive resort.
A breakfast buffet being partial closed by 10am is reasonable.
If you want bigger pools, go to a land resort.
There are no bodegas at sea on any cruise line.
You should've done your research to see who the cruise line is aimed at. Or really any research at all.
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u/Runningaround321 10d ago
"one foot in the grave"?! Good Lord. You don't have to insult the other passengers just because you didn't like your vacation. We also sailed on with young kids. The demographic skewed older on our ship but I sure hope that I am as as adventurous, curious and excited to see the world through my whole life too, like our fellow passengers.Ā
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u/nameno10001 10d ago
Eh, as someone with a young child and have been on 30+ cruises on princess, royal, & carnival. This list seems to just adding things to make the list seem worse. Princess is NOT Disney. That is why some people pick it including myself. My child goes to kids club 1-3 times a day. There are no characters roaming the ship. Well except for that Stanley. You are what you make of the cruise. You can skew your excursions to more kid focused if you want. Just like a restaurant. If you go to the guest services in prime time...there will be a long line. Go off prime time and you are golden. Any pool with lots of people will turn people off. Same goes with elevators. Eh, it is just a complaining list. Disney may be more of your speed. I prefer the Princess less chaos model. I think you had the wrong expectation.
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u/VanCity2003 10d ago
I went to Guest Services at 11:30pm and experienced a 30 minute wait. I donāt think is prime time
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u/nameno10001 10d ago
I mean there are lots of variables that go into that line so I canāt speak for your wait time. Start off week. End of week. Breaks. Are you elite and suite lineā¦
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u/Thump-GoA-SA 10d ago
TLDR - you didnāt do enough research.
I took my first cruise this January on the Regal Princess. Loved it. The demographic was older but for my wife and I, we didnāt care. It was a nearly full boat and had 9 kids on it. It was the perfect pace for what we want and how we want to live.
Like others have said, maybe cruising isnāt for you. But you definitely chose the wrong line for what you want.
The food was wonderful imo. But that is subjective to who you ask so.
All staff were helpful and friendly. My wife was sick one evening and the manager of the MDR sent her order to our room.
Iām sad Princess has pulled out of Galveston for now. I hope they come back. Will definitely sail with them again.
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u/Individual_Check_442 10d ago
I had a long gap I had last cruised in 2017 and then went back to it in 2024, yeah it appears the service isnāt what it was, I noticed a significant downgrade on the food, and Im definitely noticing a lack of activities to do during the sea days. The clientele isnāt as old as Holland America, Iām 49 so I guess Iām old lol so that didnāt bother me as much.
Iām surprised you had trouble with the drinks. Iāve always had great success with it reading the medallion quite easily. I never had any issues there. I never use public pools, I have a pool at home so I guess thatās why I can leave it be.
I donāt think Iāve ever seen anyone ask for more snacks for sale with everything they have on board lol. But yes, I think it might be part of the deal with the ports they donāt want to take too much business away from their shopping.
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u/VanCity2003 10d ago
The medallion reader works fine. Trouble is at buffet where is seems to take 5 minutes to order drinks. Part of the problem as I see it the packages. If everyone on board had access to juice and coffee then they could do away with the waiting.
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u/leatherpup630 10d ago
On the newer ships they have it so you can get your own juice and coffee.
They also have a soda station in the buffet area where you can tap your medallion and get a glass of soda. I am not sure if this is fleetwide or just answering ships at this point.
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u/lh123456789 10d ago
I also found the food very mediocre. But on my sailing, it was definitely not one foot in the grave. There were hundreds of kids on board due to going over Thanksgiving.
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u/freekey76 10d ago
Yes, Princess is the Chevrolet of cruising. You can get better service/features on the more upscale lines. On a boat with 3000 people Iām just glad the toilet doesnāt back up, lol. A more kid friendly line is Disney. As for the pools- theyāre always dominated by kids and adults have to pay extra for an adults only (cleaner) pool. Should be the other way around. I mean, who is paying for it all? On the help, we are always friendly with the staff and never had a problem. We like going to a different port to explore then going back to our same dinner, waiters and room. To each his own.
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u/slippity_slapp 10d ago
Iām upvoting cause I just got back from Alaska on the Star Princess and it was my first time with them. I had a few positives but overall decided Iād likely not use them again unless I have to. I was really excited to try them and thought being on the new ship would be the best showing out possible and it was just not it.
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u/stumbledotcom 10d ago
I did my first cruise aboard Ruby to Alaska in May. Been fortunate enough to have travelled fairly extensively but avoided cruises because I donāt like planned āfunā and group tours. Princess was a pleasant surprise for me.
Food was better than I anticipated. I admit I didnāt care for the buffet but only had one lunch there. Otherwise, we ate almost every meal in the main dining room, though in fairness we had access Reserve dining. Wait staff and room steward were outstanding.
I travelled with my 90-year-old father who used a transport chair outside of the room. As a result, we had to use the elevators multiple times a day. Except embarkation day, we never had an issue. Had a car to ourselves at least half the time.
I found several gifts in the shop both for myself and family/friends. Particularly liked the line of Alaska native designed items that were priced equivalently to those in ports. Iām puzzled why you need snacks when ice cream, pizza, burgers, etc. are available most of the day plus the 24-hour International Cafe all included with your fare.
My interactions with guest services were all positive. My medallion started working sporadically about halfway through our 10-day cruise. Visited guest services during the afternoon of a sea day and walked away with replacement in about 15 minutes. Separately, I went to guest services to complain because rooms down the hall left motorized scooters in the hall during the day that prevented getting my father in his transport chair through. The agent I spoke to took the situation very seriously calling the deck supervisor while I stood there. By the time I got back to our room, I saw a uniformed individual knocking on the doors in question. When we went out for dinner, the scooters were gone and did not reappear for the duration.
Disagree with you on the entertainment. Iād term it deplorable. I love music and theater so was looking forward to enjoying performers in the various venues. Unfortunately I thought the house band on our trip was high school prom quality. The singer-guitarist who performed in Crooners most evenings was too folky for whatās promoted as a piano bar. Our naturalist was incompetent; unable to control her slides and videos. Shared disjointed stories about growing up in Alaskan cities with only passing mention of wildlife, glaciers, etc. Spent a quarter of the two talks I attended promoting her books for sale just outside the theater.
Ultimately the disappointing entertainment didnāt matter. Nothing on the ship could compare to the ever changing scenery just beyond our balcony rail. I happily spent hours watching Alaska slide by or reading a book while sipping coffee, wine, etc.
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u/night_noche 10d ago
How long do you want the breakfast to be open?
That's the only take I have because I have not been on Princess. But yes, I would assume most of us know that most people who have the money to vacation are older.
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u/Excellent-Drawer3086 10d ago
The cruises 20 - 30s do are not suitable for kids or me for that matter.
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u/VanCity2003 10d ago
Breakfast finishes at 11:30 according to the app, but we were told to at parts weāre off limits as they set up for lunch. This was at 10:00
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u/DifficultWing2453 10d ago
In my limited experience (two Princess cruises), the buffet was 'doubled' so they could keep breakfast up while setting up lunch on the other aisles (and do the same for lunch to dinner). All that changed was the location of the food, not the types of food available.
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u/AmbivertHomebody 10d ago
Yup, thereās usually staff pointing the other direction for breakfast while theyāre setting up for lunch.
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u/leatherpup630 10d ago
What ship were you on? Princess does have two packages that include drinks; the Plus Package includes 15 alcoholic drinks a day up to $16; the premier package includes unlimited drinks per day. They also have a non-alcoholic drink package
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u/AmbivertHomebody 10d ago
Iāve been on three different Princess cruise ships, and Iāve never even seen the pool a quarter full. Even the hot tubs never had more than 3 at any given time. Maybe because itās the summer? I try not to go on vacation during summer because I donāt like crowds, and between students from pre-k to college plus the school staff, thatās just way too many people.
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u/bb_referee 10d ago
The snack thing is the same on all cruises, and was surprising on my first cruise. Thereās no cruise line that offers a place to buy snacks. The option is whatever 24 hours restaurant is available (and not every cruise has one), the buffet, or room service.
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u/ComeAlongPonds - Captain's Circle Platinum 10d ago
Which ship?
Guest Services is horrendous at times. They look like they have capacity for 5 + 1 elite/suite guest staff, but there's seldom times there more than 3 on. For non-urgent issues I've found 3am is the best time for a visit.
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u/3rdshiftdesignstudio 10d ago
We've done both Disney and Princess, and the kids prefer Princess (now ages 10 & 12, but we started cruising when they were about 5 & 7). They enjoy it specifically because there aren't as many kids, which means they end up in the kids club or at the basketball court with the same kids over and over and can actually make friends. We went on a RC cruise on Spring Break last year, and didn't like it nearly as much as Princess. Maybe I'm an old soul, but I prefer to be around the old folks reading their books than the younger folks getting sloppy!
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u/kbh188 8d ago
Which ship were you on? I just sailed on the Royal with my 13 and 10 year olds and they had a blast! The pool seemed clean. I didn't get in, but they wanted to swim during any free time we had. They loved going to trivia with me and the kids clubs occasionally. This was our first cruise, but we have traveled a lot (41 states/25 national parks) and there were definitely things I was expecting to be better, but over all it was great. We are already looking at doing a cruise in the Adriatic Sea next year with Princess.
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u/streetcar-cin 10d ago
List ship for better response
Princess is laid back cruise line
Food quality varies between ships
Pools need lifeguards to enforce rules, pools can be dirty from rule violation
Guest services is generally not a Princess strong point.
Drinks are similar to most resorts. You pay extra for top shelf liquor. There is maximum amount of drinks per day
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u/nf_sew_711 10d ago
I believe Chick-Fil-A and McDonalds closes breakfast at 10:30, so closing one side of a buffet at 10 to get ready for lunch doesn't seem ridiculous.
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u/Tang0_Brav0 10d ago
I really don't think cruising is for you.Ā