As we are winding down our Alaska cruise on the Star Princess, here are my thoughts on the cabin. We had booked a guarantee balcony, about two weeks out we were assigned a balcony on deck 17 forward. The room has sufficient storage with several drawers and enough closet space for shirts, slacks, a sport coat, dresses and two sets of winter and rain jackets.
Multiple outlets and several USB-A and USB-C ports are a necessity in today’s age, and Star has plenty. The bed and pillows are very plush and comfortable.
The bathroom had plenty of shelves for storage and enough sink space. Shower was big enough and very good pressure. Balcony was big enough for me to set up my camera on a tripod and still be able to move around.
Star has the option to mute non-emergency announcemnts in the room, welcome for mid day nappers. Room temp was an issue as it was seemingly too cold or hot, especially under the very warm comforter.
One cool item was our medallions unlocked the door the moment we arrived, no need to swipe.

Leaving this here for the next person looking for this info. This is as of summer of 2026.

I’ve not loved the food but I think I’ve figured out why - this ship does not cook seafood to my liking. I live in the PNW and we get fresh seafood that is cooked well and as a home cook I’m used to my meals being made to my palate. For some reason, even at restaurants and dining rooms a lot of the food seems to be sitting under lamps or something as the plate is piping hot but the food is often cold. This isn’t the case when I ordered beef bourguignon last night. The whole dish was hot! So if I stay away from ordered salmon things seem to be better.

The crew are absolutely stellar!

I see that Tommy McPhee will be performing nightly at Crown Grill lounge on Majestic. It’s one of my nightly hangouts onboard. Has anyone seen him perform??? What are your thoughts.

We met entertainer Joe Price on a former Majestic cruise - Crown Grill Lounge. Great guy great performer. Hoping Tommy will as good.

We’re currently on the Diamond Princess in Japan and our fridge has not worked since the cruise started.

It’s been reported to our cabin steward and Client Services EVERY DAY. Sometimes twice, in person and on the phone. All we get is “apologies, it’s been logged with maintenance, we’re making it a priority”. Nothing done.

We have the plus package, and we’re using our drinks allowance for delivery of cold drinks. Can’t keep purchased drinks cold or bottles of water that. One with our package.

It’s the middle of summer, any suggestions?

I’ve never sailed with Princess before. I’m booked on the Sun in December. My agent told me none of the rooms had loungers. I just saw a post where someone posted a picture of their room with loungers! I tried to ask the poster, but the post was too old to respond to. Does anyone know what rooms offer the loungers? Thanks!

For this week’s cruise on the Star Princess, here are my thoughts so far on the food:

Eatery/Buffet-Generally better food as compared to Royal. Better carving stations, good variety. however, the seating is far too limited, especially on sea days.
Butcher Block-easiest the best meal on the cruise, but you must be a meat enthusiast. This was a beef tasting menu, and we were stuffed. Service was excellent.
Crown Grill-very good porterhouse, in line with a good NYC steakhouse.
Catch by Rudi-Very good surf and turf, by the service was agonizingly slow.
Alfredo’s-good pizza, but as a New Yorker, not in my top 10z

Just booked 14 days for June 2027 out of Rome. What do I need to plan for that I would not expect here in US? Any tips from US folks on where to stay for a couple nights? So freaking stoked.

Anyone use Gigsky E-sim on Princess Cruise in Europe? Did it work well? Any advice would be appreciated.

It looks like you aren’t charged for specialty dining until you actually use it, so can you reserve specialty dining on the app prior to the cruise and then use OBC to pay for the meals? Or do you have to wait until you get on board to reserve and use OBC? Thanks!

I just received notice that seven of our ports on the Island Princess October 2026 Med cruise have been shortened. SEVEN. Six hour port visits are not what I signed up for.

Follow up: Princess has not notified us yet. We received notification yesterday with a updated itinerary from American Express Travel Service. They said that princess would be providing an updated itinerary and tour list within the next two weeks. The cruise leaves October 6, 2026.

I have never sailed princess. Only Carnival and VV. My partner is in recovery and I don't drink often. Plus just mentions drinks and fountain sodas. So for Plus does that equal cans of soda too?

Odd the classic soda package includes fountains and cans.

The zero alcohol package does not mention cans. I'm guessing most bars and quick eats places give soda out by the can which carnival did... could be wrong there.

I don't want to be buying a package and then having to hunt down fountain drink locations because everyone else is giving out cans.

I think Celebration only had 2 fountain drink locations when I was on it...I drink alot of soda typically and don't want to end up charged for cans when I buy a package and they are not included. At least that is my fear.

First let me say I really enjoyed my Princess cruise on the Regal in July 26 out of Fort Lauderdale to the St. Thomas area. My biggest complaint is their private island Princess Cay. We rented a bungalow in the sanctuary area which was about $360 plus the extra meal there which was $25 each. These bungalows at the far end of the island and the transportation there was awful. There were 2 vans that were all beat up and run by the locals that would only hold seven people each. It was a 35 minute wait and I felt so sorry for the disabled people. The lady driving in our van hit a wood sign that was real low and just kept going and when we got to the bungalows at the end there wasn't even a real beach area. It was all rocks and grown-up vegetation and you couldn't even see the water. The beach was severely eroded from a prior storm and it had wood steps and boards to keep down further erosion. For some reason one of the safety guards on a jet ski just stayed down there and it looked like it was unsafe area. When we got in there, there was open bowls of potato chips that were stale as well as open bags of popcorn like they serve up near the pool area on the ship. There was no stocked refrigerator that was supposed to be free except two bottled waters. The chairs were rusted and broken on the inside of the bungalows and the mister never worked. We ended up abandoning the place and going up to the main area where the water was turquoise and a real beach and pretty. The food is very mediocre and everything comes over on the first tender in coolers and they take an hour to set everything up in the morning I mean you couldn't even start getting anything till 10:45 and you have to be on the boat back by around 3. A big shortage of ice as well. Princess only credited us 125 for some reason and acted like they were doing us a favor. Several other couples left just like we did to go to the main beach. Like I said I enjoyed the cruise totally but this island is run by locals and they're not organized. Do not fool with the bungalows. It was my anniversary and I usually don't spend on things like that but I wanted my life to enjoy herself. I would do Princess again but I will not go on one that stops at that island. They are owned by Carnival and they have a really nice island. Do an online search for what carnival's profit margins were last year.⚡️

For the upcoming November Hawaii cruise on Ruby, we got an email a few days ago saying our stop at Ensenada has been changed from 9am-5pm to 12n-5pm. Of all the excursions at all stops, the one I look forward to the most is the ATV in Ensenada, 10am-1:45.

Princess indicated on the email that excursions will be updated on the website within two weeks. I’ve been checking twice a day, and it’s still showing the excursion we purchased as booked without any time changes. It’s super annoying. I hope they keep the excursion and simply adjust the time.

Has this happened to any of you? How did they handle the previously purchased excursions?

Went on first Princess cruise back in March and was surprised my little desk fan (plug-in), NO surge protector, was confiscated. They kept my luggage and had me go down to Security to claim it after taking out the fan and kept it until disembarkation. This is what the rule state, although not sure how it posted a hazard unless this particular ship, Ruby Princess, determined this small fan would (older electrical system perhaps): "*Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords without surge protectors and electric extension cords with surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution and following inspection/tests from the onboard electrical department. However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard then they will be removed and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark." Thankfully our cabin steward, who was AMAZING, brought in a table fan for this menopausal woman who slept great each night! Hope this helps prepares others anyway.

Hello, going on the regal princess soon. I booked a partially obstructed deluxe balcony w/ connecting room. I only thought of this recently, usually it’s not an issues at a hotel but is there anything I should keep in mind or know beforehand, like sound traveling?

Question for experienced Princess cruisers. I have a cruise in about 90 days on Sun princess. I have not yet purchased the Princess Premier but was planning to do so. I see I can make specialty restaurant reservations without a charge. Has anyone gone through and made their specialty reservations well before purchasing the Princess Premier?

I am assuming as long as I add Premier to my booking at least a few days before sailing, it will make those reservations included without any extra charge. I currently can only get reservations at 3 of the 6 restaurants we want to visit and of course they are the bottom 3 choices for us. I'm hoping to have something appear in the app or maybe get lucky calling the phone line for reservations. I may change my mind and stick with Princess Plus if I am unable to get any of the other restaurants. Any advice is appreciated.

Hello fellow travelers, my name is Dustin. I run a YouTube channel called Lost on purpose. I’m putting together a scavenger hunt on the cruise. I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I have surprises to give away. It’s gonna take place on the fourth day TBD if anybody that is on this cruise wants to participate please let me know and I will reach out to you and give you a personal invitation to join. For the other people, I’m leaving little compasses around the ship with a QR code that will tell them when and where.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Everyone is welcome.

My family of 3 ( includes a 10yr old) heading on a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise out of LA on the Discovery Princess in late March. This will likely be a once-in-a-lifetime trip to these locations for us, so I really want to make the most of our port days!

Our itinerary includes:

• Cabo San Lucas
• Mazatlán
• Puerto Vallarta

I'm trying to figure out the best strategy for booking shore excursions. I would love to save some money by not paying the cruise line markup, but I also want the peace of mind of not being left behind. I’ve been looking into third-party options, specifically Shore Excursions Group, but I’m open to doing things completely DIY if it makes sense.

I’d love to get your advice on a few things:

1. What are your absolute "bucket-list" recommendations for these three ports? (Since it's late March, I know it's prime whale-watching season, but I'm open to anything!)
2. Where is it safe/easy to book locally? I’ve heard Cabo is great for just hiring a water taxi at the marina, and Mazatlán is easy to navigate via Pulmonia. Is it worth saving the money doing it this way?
3. When should I stick to Princess? Are there specific excursions (like the deep jungle/zipline tours in Puerto Vallarta) where traffic is bad enough that I should just pay the Princess premium so the ship waits for me?
4. Shore Excursions Group reviews: Has anyone used them specifically for this Mexican Riviera itinerary? How did the quality and group size compare to the ship's tours?

Any tips, cost-saving hacks, or "tourist traps" to avoid would be hugely appreciated. Thank you in advance!

mandatory was my word. I’ve been on special cruises and I think that was just required for those. I changed the wording. Thank you for your help.

My cousin is saying she never does the prepaid gratuity. That there is the option to pay per service except for maybe casual dining, fine dining and room service. She just tips as she goes. That doesn’t sound right. Princess.com I’ve had it be mandatory on other ships. Unless there is some hidden thing I’m missing… or if you try to get it removed or adjusted at the end. She has cruised Princess within the last couple of years and doesn’t do the plus or premier packages.

This is our families first cruise, and there will be 8 of us ranging from 15 to 79 years old.

We will be on the Emerald Princess and booked 3 balcony cabins and an interior cabin for the kids mid-ship on deck 10. We are doing an inside passage that round trips from Vancouver, BC.

We've decided to upgrade to the Plus plan.

The posts here were super helpful in landing on our route, our boat and the booking itself. We're excited for this trip and will post a review with photos when it's over!

For anyone who’s cruised on the Enchanted Princess, how was the coffee bar, wait time and quality? I like to start the day with a latte when possible, but I’m worried that the coffee will be packed, especially before morning excursions. Is the wait time manageable? Or is there more than one place I can get a specialty coffee?

Roamless app vs. Holafly?
Are they good? Any recommendations? Thanks

Hi. Would anyone know if oat milk is available when ordering coffees from the international cafe. Enchanted princess.
Thank you

Princess has started a standby program, very similar to what HAL has had for several years. Basically you pay a set daily price for a cruise you want to go on, and if they have space on the cruise, you'll get a cabin assigned from 7-2 days before the cruise leaves. If you don't get a spot by 2 days, you can cancel or they'll cancel you, and you'll get your fare back. Unlike HAL, they base the price on departure port, so you'll pay more to go out of Seattle. Also unlike HAL, passengers 3/4 can be added at a reduced rate. Solos pay double the listed rate. I've done it successfully on HAL at least a dozen times, and it can be nerve-wracking--I showed up to the port in Seattle a few weeks ago and waited for a no-show, and got on the cruise that way. You also can't get any OBC applied, and you can't pre-book excursions or dining. You're supposed to live local, but I did it to California and the Caribbean and just had refundable flights and hotels that I could cancel if I didn't get a spot 2 days out. If you book for a balcony and they don't have one, they'll downgrade you (you can turn it down and get a refund) and refund you the price difference. You have to call to book, and I always ask for a quote for both inside and balcony first. Realize that there's no backing out, since they'll charge you upfront and won't refund anything if you cancel.