princess-ocean7

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Monica Schnitzer
Email: mschnitzer@mediaone.net
Age: 32
Occupation: Recruiter
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: 12/10/00
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: C307/ DD larger outside cabin
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 75
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Jan 2001
Time: 23:32:38
Remote Name: rr-26-71-112.atl.mediaone.net
Remote User:

Comments

My husband (40) and I (32) sailed the Ocean Princess on 12/10/00 to the southern Caribbean. It was my 5th
cruise, but my first on Princess. I’ve been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. The more I cruise, the
more I see similarities in the cruise lines and their ships.

Our biggest disappointments with this cruise: (1) There was only one midnight buffet during the entire week.
You can always get food 24 hours a day, but we missed the excitement and presentation of the buffet. (2)
There are no wine stewards or bar servers at dinner. The asst. waiter brought our wine/drinks, but he was so
overworked, and it showed. They couldn’t seem to make the after dinner drink we requested after the first
dinner, and we gave up asking for bar drinks after that. (They said they didn’t have the ingredients!) Princess
really pushes that you pre-order your wine, and I think it is due to their lack of wine stewards.

The best things about this cruise: (1) Excellent ports of call. (2) Great choices for evening entertainment.
They were standard cruise shows, but there was a lot of variety. (3) Cabin size was much bigger than on other
lines. We were upgraded to a DD, larger outside cabin, on deck 9.

EMBARKATION: We allowed Princess to book our air. Unfortunately, instead of a 3.5 hour trip from Atlanta to
San Juan, we were connected through Miami, and it made for a long day. There were no lines when we got to
the pier at 3:30pm. Beware: the ship docked at the 'old navy pier' which is a good distance from Old San
Juan, and there were no convenience or liquor stores within walking distance to stock up on supplies for your
cabin. You’ll either need to take a taxi or a l-o-n-g walk if you want to get sodas, liquor, suntan lotion, etc.

FOOD: Overall, the food was good. It was about on par with Royal Caribbean but way below Celebrity. The
buffet in the Horizon Court was pretty good with a good variety. They even offered California rolls one day for
lunch – yum! Food in the dining room was about what we expected, except that all of the beef was
overcooked. We finally figured out that we had to order it one notch rarer than what we wanted for it to come
out perfect. Service was average: the waiters were spread pretty thin. We had to ask for our water glasses to
be refilled, and I poured my own wine on occasion.

BAR SERVICE: The bar servers were much less aggressive on this cruise than on any other we’ve been on.
Sometimes it’s a good thing, but we found that we missed the availability of servers in the dining room and
some of the lounges.

CASINO: Large casino with plenty of slots and tables. My husband spent a little time there every day, and he
ended up $200 ahead for the week. The number of $5 blackjack tables surprised me – sometimes a rarity on
the ships. There was lots of room at the tables in the early evening, but the place was packed after about
10pm.

DISCO: We found that more cruise staff than passengers frequented it.

LOUNGES: The Wheelhouse Bar was our absolute favorite hang out. Bar service tended to be the best here,
there were plenty of places to sit, there was almost always a live band, and the library/men’s club décor was
comfortable.

ACTIVITIES: We enjoyed name-that-tune at the piano lounge. I was quite disappointed in the wine tasting
since they offered mainly mass-market California wines that I drink at home. I would have liked to taste
something pricey or exotic that I haven't already tried. If you order a bottle of wine at the tasting, the $5 fee is
deducted from the price of the wine, which is nice. I think those were the only activities we participated in.

POOLSIDE: With only one day at sea, we didn’t spend a lot of time at the pool. When we did try to use it, we
couldn’t find a deck chair near any of the action, so we took a chair at the very back of the ship near the
health club. The Ocean Princess has about 5 or 6 pools/jacuzzis scattered about, so you’ll find plenty of spots
to cool off.

ENTERTAINMENT: As mentioned earlier, we really enjoyed the variety of entertainment. Shows ranged from
very good to just average. But there was something for everyone -- musical-type shows, dancing shows,
comedians, etc.

CABINS: Ours was larger than average. It had a mini-refrigerator, safe, hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner,
lotion, etc. A very nice touch was that our cabin steward provided pool/shore excursion towels IN OUR CABIN
each day. It was much nicer than having to go poolside to get them or to have to sign your life away for them.
Our 29-inch pullman suitcase actually slid under the bed – a first for us. Our walls must have had
soundproofing in them because we never heard a peep out of our neighbors. The cabin was very quiet. The
TV wasn’t as interactive as Celebrity’s, didn’t have as many movies as RCCL’s, but it was adequate for
background noise as we were getting ready for dinner. One of the things I enjoyed was a daily morning show
put on by the cruise director that went over the day’s activities.

Ports of call: we’ve been to most of these islands before – email me if you want advice on some of the hot
spots, especially beaches. We love beaches.

SAN JUAN: Since our flight was late getting in and since we’ve been to San Juan several times before, we
missed this city entirely.

BARBADOS: We took a taxi ($20 each way) to Crane Beach. You have to walk through the resort to get to the
beach. It costs $2.50 US per person, but you can apply this towards a drink or lunch in their restaurant. Crane
Beach was one of the highlights of our vacation and one of the most spectacular beaches I’ve ever visited.
The water is quite choppy - good for bodysurfing - and there is clear blue water and pink sand. There are
only a few beach vendors here, and they are very friendly. Umbrella and 2 chairs cost us $15 US for ½ day. It
is an idyllic setting for the perfect beach day. Beware: you have to walk down about 100 steps to get to the
beach. It’s not a miserable climb back up, but it’s not for the physically challenged. If you decide to have lunch
here, try the local specialty: flying fish with some hot Barbados pepper sauce on top.

ST. LUCIA: Since we saw most of St. Lucia a few years ago on the Sea & Land tour (which I highly
recommend), we decided to take the ½ day snorkeling shore excursion to Anse Chastanet. We were late
signing up, so we got the afternoon tour. In the morning, we went to the Craft Market (similar to Nassau’s
Straw Market) and found several local bargains. For the afternoon, the shore excursion was a bust. Anse
Chastanet is a beautiful black sand beach, but the snorkeling was less than average, and the 3 ½ hour tour
only allowed for 1 ½ hour snorkeling/beach time! It was not worth the $69 per person.

ST. KITTS: This island was new for us, so we hired a taxi for the day ($80 US). We went to Brimstone Hill –
wow! The history about the fort was fascinating, and it was in excellent shape. The views of the town below
and neighboring St. Eustatius were spectacular. The drive up to Brimstone Hill was interesting since we
passed through many villages on the way. Our taxi driver was a great tour guide. Next on our itinerary was a
trip to South Friar’s beach. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful overlook where we could see both the
Atlantic coast with its pounding surf and the calm Caribbean waters in the same view. The beach on the
Caribbean side was perfect. You could see Nevis in the background, there was decent beach entry
snorkeling, and there was a beach hut where they would cook f-r-e-s-h lobster for $20US. Two beach chairs
and umbrella were $15 for the day. Our tablemates who went into town for shopping were disappointed as
were another couple who went to the Batik store and expected spectacular gardens. This is a
lesser-developed island with a lot of natural beauty. Get out and do some sightseeing and/or beaching on this
island.

ST. MAARTEN: Again, since we’ve been to St. Maarten before, we headed straight to Orient Bay on the
French side. It was rather windy on this day, so we didn’t get to enjoy the beach as much as we’d like, but it is
beautiful. Be careful about taking pictures or videos on the clothing optional side: we saw security guards
trying to confiscate someone’s video camera for doing this. After the beach, we stopped in town for some
Christmas shopping. We got some excellent deals on gold jewelry. Be sure to stop at the Guavaberry shop to
pick up some of the local berry-flavored liquor.

ST. THOMAS: We tried a new beach – Sapphire. It was a $8 per person taxi ride each way. The beach was
pretty, and the snorkeling was terrific. The coral heads were 10+ feet in some spots, but the water got rather
shallow in that area, so be careful. Beach chairs were $5 per person, and there were plenty of shady areas.
Unlike Magen’s Bay and Coki Point, it never got crowded; however, Coki is still my favorite on St. Thomas.
After a quick shower and lunch on the ship, we hired a taxi to Mountain Top. Other than a beautiful view of
Megan’s Bay, it was a bust. The mall was an expensive tourist trap. We quickly took another taxi back to
Havensight Mall for some more Christmas shopping.

DEBARKATION: It was very quick and easy. I liked that Princess’s dining room and Horizon Court were open
relatively late. We took our time getting off the ship, since it was raining in San Juan. Here’s a tip: if you
completely pack your carry on and ask your steward nicely, he will let you leave it in your room while you’re
eating breakfast. That way, you don’t have to lug it around with you everywhere. Also, debarkation morning is
a great time to go check out all of the expensive cabins that you couldn’t afford and dream about your next
cruise vacation.

In summary, I would cruise Princess again, but not before I checked the prices on Celebrity! Feel free to email
me with questions at mschnitzer@mediaone.net.

Name: Dennis L. Willing
Email: shoot3gun@yahoo.com
Age: 52
Occupation: Medical Investigator
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: 2-4-01
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: B218 - inside
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 97
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 96
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 99
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 97
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Feb 2001
Time: 15:35:50
Remote Name: 136.181.195.9
Remote User:

Comments

?Ocean Princess February 4-11, 2001 Southern Caribbean Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, St.
Thomas, San Juan

This was our 6th cruise and first on Princess, having cruised previously on Commodore (1), NCL (2), and RCI
(2). We were traveling with 3 other couples, all with whom we have cruised before.

AIR TRAVEL: We booked our own air travel from Michigan to San Juan and saved over $200 from the cruise
line price, enough for us to go a day ahead and stay in a hotel. We could have saved another $200 by
booking a connection through O’Hare in Chicago but doing so in the winter is not necessarily a good decision.
We booked our connection through Cleveland where the weather is much better. Cleveland’s airport is
situated toward the southwest and does not get any lake effect snow, making it a more reliable connection for
us.

HOTEL: We stayed at the Hampton Inn in San Juan. It is located close to the airport and the cab ride from the
airport was $3 per person, including all of our luggage. I’ve heard good and bad things about the Hampton
but have always been happy with their service locally so thought I’d give them a try. The room cost us $169
plus about $15 in taxes, for one night. That is a single rate given to those who have reached 50+ years and
up to four people can stay in the room. We shared a room for the night with one of the couples from our
group, reducing our one night stay to $92.

The hotel is located about 100 yards down the road from the Wyndam El San Juan Hotel and Casino and
about 2 blocks from the Intercontinental Hotel. As far as location, it’s in good company. The hotel was clean,
neat, and the staff was friendly. There is an outdoor pool with swim up bar and they have a continental
breakfast bar in the morning which is free of charge. We had everything we needed for a one night stay and
were glad we didn’t book the big name hotels with their big price. There are some shops within a couple
blocks walking distance, including a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop, which we took advantage of.

Thoughts of authentic Puerto Rican food entered our heads for dinner until we saw that Ruth’s Chris Steak
House was located in the Intercontinental Hotel. My wife, the “never order beef in a restaurant” person,
promptly made it known that that was where she wanted to eat. If you haven’t tried it, Ruth’s Chris has some of
the finest beef anywhere and I highly recommend it. However, it is not for the faint of heart when it comes to
the bill. A typical meal for 2 will cost about $100, not including a tip. Ours came to $98 and $118 by the time I
added the tip.

OLD SAN JUAN: We shopped in Old San Juan and found the Ralph Lauren Polo Shop where I stocked up on
some new shirts. They were only $35 each, much less than on mainland USA. Some shirts could be found for
as little as $20 and T-shirts for $8. Everyone in our group bought something. A cab ride from the Hampton Inn
to Old San Juan was $16, one way. To take all 8 of us in an van, plus our luggage to the ship, which was
docked in Old San Juan, was $40.

EMBARKATION: This was snap - almost. Everyone in our group brought a completed embarkation form with
them, except us. I didn’t bother because I submitted all the information on-line on the Princess web site.
Needless to say, it didn’t work so we had to complete the forms while our companions boarded. Once the form
was complete, the embarkation process took less than 5 minutes and we were on our way. We were each
issued a credit card type “cruise card” which was used for everything from entering our cabin, to paying for
ship board purchases, to recording exit and entry from the ship while in port. Don’t leave your cabin without it.

CABIN: We got a great deal on an inside cabin, $499pp, so everyone snapped it up. One couple in our group
always have a balcony cabin but gave it up and down graded when they saw this price. No one was
disappointed. We had cabin B218 on the Baja Deck. We found it spacious, for an inside cabin, with lots of
storage space. We even had drawers that went unused for lack of things to put in them. The suitcases, 3
large ones, all fit under the beds easily. I had heard some complaints about the tiny shower and was
expecting the worst but was pleasantly surprised. The shower was larger than those on RCI’s Rhapsody of the
Seas and Enchantment of the Seas. My 6'1" 240lb frame fit in there nicely. The shower drain ran very slow on
first use and we reported this to the cabin steward. It was fixed immediately and we did not have further
problems. The closet was stocked with a couple dozen wooden hangers and there was a blow dryer in the
bathroom. However, the towels were the typical motel 80 grit sandpaper type. We met Armando, our cabin
steward immediately, and he gave us a run down on the cabin. I told him we would be snorkeling at every port
and would need beach towels every day. I also asked that the water bottle in the refrigerator be kept full.
Towels were there each day and the water bottle was monitored and replaced as necessary. Also on the plus
side, the fore end on the Baja deck has what could be considered a semi-private balcony. Accessible only
from the Baja deck and spanning the width of the ship, is deck about 10' deep. Very quiet and secluded and it
is free from all the loud music on deck. It’s a great place to go at night, hold your sweetie and just watch the
moon, stars, clouds, and water.

CREW: This was by far the friendliest crew we’ve ever encountered. Throughout the week, whenever you
passed a crew member, you were always greeted verbally and with a smile. Everyone would bend over
backwards to please you. Anyone and everyone from the cruise director to the guy polishing the glass
seemed pleased that you were there.

DINING ROOM: We ate at second sitting in the Tuscan Dining Room, table 81. Our waiter, Manuel, was from
Portugal, and our assistant waiter, Charlie, was from Taiwan. Service was outstanding and both were
appropriately rewarded for it. Manuel made sure every need was taken care of. He removed the lobster tails
from the shell and took them away. Coffee and iced tea were provided to those who wanted it, immediately
when they sat down, without ever having to ask. We were always greeted by name, even though they never
asked for our name. I still wonder how they did that.

FOOD: I’m not a gourmet fan, meat and potatoes are more my style. However, I made an exception here. This
food was outstanding, head and shoulders above any of the previous 5 cruises. The presentation was also
unique, almost too good looking to eat. I had prime rib, duck, steak, Cornish hen, lobster, and who knows
what else. The standard lobster order was 2 lobster tails, not one or even a half like I’ve previously
experienced. Following the lobster being served, Manuel came around with an additional lobster tail for
everyone, bringing the total to three. Two of the men in our group placed another order and received 2 more
lobster tails. Again, Manuel brought each another one, making their total, 6 lobster tails in one meal. Manuel
never gave anyone a hard time about the additional orders, like I’ve seen before, but actually asked if 6 were
enough. He was willing to get more.

Food in the Horizon Court followed the standards of the dining room. Breakfast was pretty much the standard
fare but would have many options, including squid ball soup if you were so inclined. I wasn’t. At lunch the
menu was never repeated and was outstanding. I had prime rib, roast pork, roast turkey, ham, shrimp, and
who knows what else...again. I had lunch meals that were every bit as good as my dinner meals, just without
the presentation. Good thing we were snorkeling every day and working some of it off. Both of us are usually
pretty conservative about our eating, trying not to gain too much weight on the cruise. However, we both
made an exception here, it was just too good to pass up. We’ll just have to work harder at the gym for a while
now. A nice touch was a waiter pushing a cart from table to table that was stocked with juice and coffee, so
you didn’t have to get refills yourself.

We did not make it to the burger or pizza bars.

We did, however, make it to the sundae bar, 5 days out of 7. You are charged for this and the charge varies
according to what you order. I recommend the Strawberry Landslide at $3.95 each. A single dip sundae cost
$1.90.

SHIP: This is a beautiful ship and someone was always present polishing this or that keeping the ship in tip
top shape. RCI had nicer atriums but that doesn’t make the ship, just an observation. Dirt or litter was never
observed anywhere, it couldn’t with all the people cleaning. Elevators were a little slow the first day or two until
everyone found their way around, then there wasn’t a problem. We did get stuck in one once on our way to
lunch, but were “rescued” within 5 minutes. It must have been repaired quickly since it was working after we
finished eating. We tendered in St. Kitts and the anchor lost some paint that day. Two days later, the anchor
had been completely repainted to a gleaming white again.

In port, exiting and re-entry to the ship was easy. Slide your cruise card into the reader and it recorded you as
being off the ship. When returning to the ship, slide your card in the reader and it records you as being back
aboard. The first time you use the card, at embarkation, a photo is taken of you when you put the card in the
machine. At each re-entry from a port, when you use the card to board, your picture is flashed on a screen for
a crew member to compare against the person using the card to make sure they match. This is always
monitored. No one ever checked any of our belongings upon returning to the ship, so if one were inclined to
bring alcohol aboard for use in their cabin, this would not have been a problem.

Internet access is available on the ship in the business center. However, there are only 4 terminals, packed
into a cubby hole office and the hours are quite limited. Access is sold in 15 minute blocks for $7.50 per block.
We found Internet cafes available at every port and they were easy to find just by looking for the signs. The
most expensive was only about half the ship’s rate and the cheapest was about a quarter of the ship’s rate.

The gym was well equipped with treadmills and elliptical walkers, more so than the YMCA gym we attend at
home. They had fewer weight machines though. We left our workout gear at home and were glad we did. We
don’t know when we would have fit a workout into our day.

ENTERTAINMENT: I thought the entertainment was very good. There are two locations for evening
entertainment, the Vista Lounge and the Princess Theatre. Some shows play for 2 consecutive nights and
you see one the first night and the other the second night, based on which of the two dining rooms you were
assigned to. To keep either theatre from being overcrowded, tickets to the show that was appropriate for your
dining room, were issued at dinner. Other shows played only for an evening and you had to decide which to
see. A comedian/magician was very good and had 2 different shows. The on- board show group had 3
different shows, and there was a couple of comedians to boot. Needless to say, you couldn’t see them all.
Each that we saw was good but since entertainment preferences vary greatly, you’ll just have to select your
own. We only had one problem though, in the Vista Lounge there is a bar and one group at the bar began to
get rowdy during a show, ruining it for those of us to sat nearby. The cruise staff, being a typical cruise staff in
these situations, did nothing to quell the disturbance even after we voiced a complaint. We left before the
show was over and we were not alone.

ATTIRE: Tuxedos were very prevalent on the formal nights. I did not see a single male not wearing a tie and
the ladies were dressed to the nines. It was quite evident that this crowd enjoyed the formal evenings since
almost no one changed clothes after dinner, but went to the evening shows in their formal dress. On the
semi-formal nights there was a mix of attire with men, some with jackets and ties, some with shirts and ties (no
jackets), and some with jackets but no tie. I did not see anyone in casual attire on these nights.

PORTS: Snorkeling is our “thing” whenever cruising. Our daily routine consisted of snorkeling in the morning
followed by an island visit in the afternoon. Beaches are not our passion, snorkeling is, so the only time we
see a beach is if we are snorkeling from it. All of our excursions were booked on-line on the Princess web site,
since they made it too easy. Unlike our embarkation information, this information was received and the tickets
were waiting for us in our cabin when we arrived. Perhaps being on-line works better when cash is involved.

In Barbados we went on a catamaran sail to Carlisle Bay where we snorkeled over an old sunken tug boat. In
addition, two boats, recently confiscated from drug runners and sunk there, were also visible. The tug was
nice but the other two were so new that no marine growth or life was on or near them. The surrounding area
in the bay is a sand bottom so there wasn’t much to see other than the tug. We were taken to the beach on
shore for about an hour before returning to the ship. An OK tour but I wouldn’t do it again. Instead I think I’d
opt for Folkstone Marine Park, where friends went and raved about the snorkeling there. Wish we had gone
too.

In St. Lucia we were taken on a catamaran to Anse Chastenet, where we snorkeled from the beach. The water
was clear and calm and there was a nice reef to snorkel over. However, a dive shop had just dumped off a
dozen scuba divers there so we saw more divers than marine life. We were on the top, they were on the
bottom. The sand here is a gray/black volcanic sand that is very course. It does not compact when wet like
regular beach sand so when stepping on it in the water, you sink into it. When trying to put on my snorkel fins
I was sinking in to about mid-calf and had to go out to deeper water to put them on. After seeing St. Lucia
from the sea, we knew we had to see this beautiful island from land, so after lunch we hired a “private” cab
driver for a tour. The cost was $30 per person for 3 hours. During our tour he advised that he could have
been hired for about $40 per person for the day. Not only would we have seen the sights he took us to, but
we could have snorkeled in the same place too. The cab drivers that work for a company do not have this
flexibility only the “private” drivers do. He showed us his license issued by the department of tourism to show
us he was legit. We had the chance to stop and eat tree ripened bananas and grapefruit. Both were better
than anything you can buy in a store at home. The bananas were juicy and grapefruit was sweet. If I had it to
do over again, I’d skip the excursion and hire the driver.

In St. Kitts, another catamaran took us to Shitten Bay where the snorkeling was fantastic. We saw lobster,
barracuda, peacock flounder, star fish, and blow fish, to name a few. The bottom was strewn with large rocks
which was a safe haven for lots of marine life. This was great. Good thing too, because by the time we got into
St. Kitts, we found - - - not much. This is a very rustic village struggling to come to grips with huge numbers of
tourists invading the island. An hour ashore was all we needed and half of that was spent in an Internet café.
We went back to the ship and relaxed.

In St. Maarten we booked the snorkeling trip to Shipwreck Cove. Prior to leaving we were informed that due to
high winds and rain, the visibility was poor. They offered a refund to anyone who wanted to cancel. A few did
and they weren’t given a hassle. We went anyway and visibility was about 5 feet. The captain told us normal
visibility was 25' to 40' and we just caught a bad day. I did see some wrecks by free diving down close to them,
however, doing this constantly is very tiring. We were able to hand feed numerous fish here which was a nice
diversion. The fish came to you which enabled you to relax on the surface rather than free dive. We went
back on board and got a nice scenic trip along the coast and a brief history of the island. When we got our
final fill before disembarking, we noticed that we had received a $10pp refund on the excursion.

In St. Thomas we booked the Sailboat and Snorkel trip to Buck Island. This was another nice excursion that
we would do again. Never having been on a small sailboat, 32', we found the trip out and back very enjoyable.
The snorkeling was great with clear calm water. Like St. Kitts, the bottom was covered with large rocks, hiding
an abundance of marine life. We were able to see squid for the first time.

DEBARKATION: The ship departed from the Old San Juan pier but docked at the Frontier Pier upon return.
Debarkation was fast and easy. Bags, as usual, were put out the night before and were tagged with color
coded baggage tags. Those first off the ship were those with early flights. Next you simply waited until your
color was called. We were off by about 9AM, picked up our luggage, which had been sorted by the colored
tag, went through customs and checked our bags at the pier. We were on our way before 10AM.

THE DOWN SIDE: With every up side there is a down side. First was the towels, I could have done some
rough sanding in a woodworking shop with them. Rub lightly if you have a sunburn. Second, the ship seemed
a little warm overall. This was especially noticeable in the dining room and the show lounges and doubly so
when in formal clothes. A little more air conditioning would have gone a long way. I also wish the cruise staff
would be more aggressive in handling incidents like that in the show lounge. They let a few louts ruin things
for others. And try as I might, this is all I can find where improvements would be warranted.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was one outstanding cruise and the best of the six we’ve taken. It wasn’t that
just one thing was a little better than another cruise, it was that everything was a little better than every other
cruise. From the crew, to the food, to the service, to the accommodations, to embarkation, to debarkation,
everything was better. I would do this ship and itinerary again in a heartbeat and will definitely be sailing with
Princess again. I’m impressed.

Name: Paula Dykstra
Email: pokyd@aol.com
Age: 48
Occupation: Administrative Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: February 4,2001
Itinerary: Classic S. Caribbean
Cabin: C324
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff:
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Feb 2001
Time: 10:16:00
Remote Name: bistro.adminsrv.emich.edu
Remote User:

Comments

This was my first Princess cruise and it was wonderful! The Ocean Princess is only about 1 year old
and she is beautiful. In spite of being large we never felt crowded; no lines (I don't consider 3 people
ahead of me in the buffet line to be a true line) and no problem finding deck chairs, even on the day at
sea. We had an inside cabin and were satisfied with it; it was much larger than our cabin on Royal
Caribbean. My large suitcase was just a hair too large to fit under the bed but it fit in the closet quite
nicely. Plenty of storage room; we each had our own set of drawers and didn't even fill them up. The
refrigerator and safe are really nice to have.

Food: We tried most of the alternative dining spots and enjoyed the pizza; it was very good for
mass-market food. The Riviera grill above the pool deck has burgers and hot dogs which were just OK
but the fries are the absolute best! The Horizon Court buffet was much more diverse than other lines, I
thought. It wasn't the same old thing every day. And although I did notice some strange leftovers
(mashed potatoes with vegetables at breakfast??), the majority of the food was well-presented and
very tasty. They don't provide you with trays. But, unless you really pack the plate, you can put your
glass on it; or, come back for your drink (see previous statement about no lines). It's not really a
hardship. The waiters were very conscientious about refilling coffee/tea at breakfast, too. Dinners in
the dining room offered plenty of choice and were delicious. I will say I did not care for Princess' soups
and salads as much as some other lines, but the entrees were great. I think Royal Caribbean still has
better desserts.

Service: Outstanding! Our room steward remembered everything we wanted replenished daily; he was
never intrusive but was very good at answering questions if we saw him in the hall. And he spent a few
minutes trying to get my hair dryer working when I thought it was broken (it wasn't). Very good. The
waiter and assistant waiter were also excellent, and worked very hard. Our head waiter tried a couple
of different things out on us during the week; he prepared a special pasta one night which we all tried;
and he did Bananas Foster as a special dessert for us one night. He's a frustrated chef, I think! My
experiences with the shore excursion desk and the on-board stores were also pleasant. I finally found
an American crew member one afternoon, who was very willing to talk about life aboard ship. It
apparently is a great way to see the world (you often work on different ships during your career with
them), but it is very hard work and if you get at all homesick, forget it. Being away from home for 6-8
months at a time could be very hard.

Itinerary: This was not my first visit to many of the islands but it was nice to be able to confirm my first
impressions. My favorites are Barbados, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. St. Lucia (my first visit) is
absolutely gorgeous and reminds me of Hawaii; very lush. There is not much shopping here so take an
excursion to see this beautiful island. I loved the catamaran trip down the coast to the Pitons; either
this or the Land/sea excursion got great reviews from fellow passengers. On St. Kitts we ventured into
the rain forest. I was a bit concerned that it would be too strenuous but the guide stopped often to
comment on things and if you watch yourself you won't have a problem. They make you take a walking
stick (provided) which really did help. And the homemade banana bread and guava juice afterward
were worth it! This tour also visited Romney gardens which are lovely and worth a visit. Barbados is
loaded with friendly people who are really proud of their past and enjoy telling you all kinds of stories
and showing you the sights. It's quite a beautiful island on the interior. Go see it. St. Maarten and St.
Thomas are great shopping ports, but also have wonderful beaches and snorkeling. Magen's Bay (St.
Thomas) is a beautiful beach but be prepared for crowds. If you're looking for some solitude this is
NOT the place to find it. But the swimming is wonderful and the beach is large.

What's not to like? I did not think the shows were as good as Royal Caribbean; the latter is known for
its entertainment. One show was downright embarassingly bad. Another was just so-so. One was very
good. You definately take your chances. - The bathroom door opens onto the desk; so you can't open
it if someone is sitting at the desk or using the drawers. - Many people commented that the ship rolls a
lot; you can definitely feel the movement even on calm days. Now I don't mind this but a couple at our
table missed two dinners due to seasickness. Many others mentioned that the rolling interfered with
their sleep. Not the most stable of ships, I don't think. - I was disappointed in the on-board shops; not
many of them and too much shlocky stuff to sell. I heard people comment that they ran out of many
logo items mid-week so if you're interested in that stuff, get it early.

Embarkation and debarkation are a breeze if you've done your paperwork. Very nice job. Since we had
a late flight back, we decided to take the excursion to one of the San Juan hotels to 'rest up' for our trip
home! Although there was some irritation at first - the hotel was full and so only had one changing
room for the ladies, none at first for the men (the situation improved later in the morning, after some
check-outs), the pool was absolutely spectacular, the beach was nice and clean, and the lunch buffet
was good. It was much more fun than hanging out in the San Juan airport waiting for our flight. We'd
definitely recommend doing this if you have a late flight back.

All in all it was a wonderful trip. Princess does a very good job with most things but like all lines they
have their strengths and weaknesses. It just depends what's most important to you - those are the
lines you'll like best.

Name: Tim Miller
Email: phoenix2@bignet.net
Age: 46
Occupation: advertising
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: 2/25/01
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: A740/BB
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 97
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 79
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Mar 2001
Time: 14:28:27
Remote Name: pm005-037.dialup.bignet.net
Remote User:

Comments

We returned from our 2/25/01 sailing on the Ocean Princess last Sunday night... as this site has been
a great source of information in the past as we planned our cruises, I was determined to add my review
after this trip, so here goes…..

We booked the Ocean Princess for a combination of the itinerary, as well as the opportunity to try
Princess. We have previously sailed Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival so we have some point
of reference. All in all, we had a wonderful week...can't say enough about the relaxing qualities of a
cruise!

We flew to San Juan a day early so we spent the first night in a hotel in San Juan--the El San Juan
Hotel & Casino... probably one of the nicest (and most expensive) I had ever been in. We were
upgraded to an ‘ocean suite’ which was right on the ocean with our own balcony, etc. We could have
spent the week there! Arrangements were made by the cruiseline and all went very smoothly. My only
question/gripe was that we booked 3 months in advance and were scheduled on a connecting flight
out of Detroit to Atlanta and then to San Juan. Friends traveling with us added a person at the last
minute and ended up with a direct Detroit-San Juan flight.

Sunday boarded the Ocean Princess--Princess Cruise line...the ship is only a year old and definitely
was the prettiest, most elegant ship we've been on. Princess did a great job of embarkation. We
arrived at the cruise terminal and were on the ship within 15 minutes with no lines or hang ups. In
addition they provided a duty-free shop where you could purchase liquor, cases of pop and water at
very reasonable prices. There was no hassle about taking these on board for use in your cabin. While
the ship was large (2100 passengers), you never knew there were that many people on board. Overall
it was laid out fairly similarly to the other ships we have been on (RCCL Nordic Empress, Carnival
Elation, Norwegian Wind), but everything had a slightly more elegant, well-designed feel to it. We
thought the atrium was the nicest we have seen. Our balcony cabin was at the very back of the ship on
the top cabin deck (Aloha 740)...while it was smaller than other cabins we’ve had, it was well laid out,
nicely decorated and we really enjoyed the balcony and being able to open the door at night, going to
sleep hearing the waves. The in-cabin refrigerator was a great touch and very convenient. Our friends
had a mini-suite that was fantastic…very elegant, with beautiful woodwork and amenities--plus a huge
balcony in the rear of the ship. We would go to the Horizon Court and raid it for ‘hors d'oeuvres’ before
we sailed each night and go to their balcony for sail-away cocktail party. Passenger age was probably
mostly late thirties through eighties, but there were no throngs of kids or teenagers as on some
cruises. Never had the problem of a pool or hot tub jammed with unsupervised kids. Food was good
but not great. The food in the dining room (Sardinian) was beautifully presented, although from a
taste/quality standpoint, somewhat on the bland side. We felt the food in the Horizon Court was
nowhere near as good as the other ships we have sailed. Granted, all of the ‘alternative dining’ on
cruise ships tends to be more cafeteria-like, but the Horizon Court seemed to be even moreso and
there didn’t seem to be much variety or excitement about the presentation. The pizzeria was excellent
on the 2 occasions we ate there. Service across the board in all areas of the ship was fantastic. Ocean
Princess has 4 pools and 6 or 7 hot tubs. The best part was that they were open 24 hours a day so
you could go swimming any time day or night. And there never seemed to be a problem in finding a
deck chair. Lots of areas to find a quiet spot if you wished. The pool layout was very nice—the center
pools being on two levels broke up the area nicely and the upper pool allowed for a view over the
other pool area.

Our first day was at sea, 2nd day landed at Aruba. A very pretty island with lots of resorts and beautiful
beaches. We took a ‘snorkel/sail’ excursion from the ship. Was a fun boat ride but the snorkeling was
nowhere near as good as Cozumel with all the beautiful fish.

Next to La Guiara, Venezuela--the port for Caracas Venezuela. Ended up staying on the ship instead
of going into the city. They warned you to stay with the ship's tours for safety...and the only one that
provided a tour of the city was an all-day trip. We didn't want to spend the whole day on a bus, so
opted to enjoy the ship that day (many passengers did the same). Funny thing was that we selected
this cruise partly because of the ability to see Caracas! Next day to Grenada. It was a pretty island
from the water, but once you got into the town away from the pier area, we felt a little uneasy with the
pushy vendors (spices are the big thing there) and ended up in a locals shopping district in which we
felt we were practically the only tourists! On to Dominica...one of the most untouched islands in the
Caribbean. It was beautiful--mountains and rainforests. Town was very picturesque and the people
very friendly. Went on a fun tour—‘Wacky Rollers’-- that went through the rainforests and mountains.
Ended up at a gorge in the rocks where you swam through waterfalls and hot springs. This was the
one that really made the trip. Next to St. Thomas....pretty, nice, clean and friendly. I can see why
people like to go there for a week's vacation. In between, lots of time in the sun, casino, bingo and
shows. We really enjoyed it all.

Debarkation was very painless (other than the wait for customs). The major airlines had tents set up
for luggage check-in right outside the terminal. There was none of the usual jockeying to get luggage
to porters and loading it on busses, then reversing the process at the airport. Bravo Princess!

Overall, the Princess experience was very, very good. We won’t have second thoughts about sailing
with them again!

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