princess-ocean8

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Janine Darby
Email: jdarby1070@aol.com
Age: 42
Occupation: Executive Secretary
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: February 25, 2001
Itinerary: Caribbean Explorer
Cabin: R338
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 93
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 83
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 88
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 82
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 70
AirSeaProgram: 70
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 82
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Mar 2001
Time: 14:43:34
Remote Name: 216.42.42.4
Remote User:

Comments

This was our second cruise in the past three years. Our first cruise was with Celebrity on the 'Galaxy' to
the Southern Caribbean and was truly remarkable. This time were were with 8 other friends and all cruised
together.

Speaking for myself and my husband, we enjoyed this cruise as well, however, the lower service level was
instantly noticeable upon embarkation. This, after an awful set of flight connections that Princess
arranged. We had booked this cruise 10 months prior to sailing and could not understand WHY we would
have such terrible flights and connections if they had used our money and bought our seats when we paid
to cruise!

The Celebrity Galaxy had a staff ratio of 1 crew person for every 2 passengers, I believe. Some of their
services, I noticed that were lacking on Princess was.... On the Galaxy, when we went through the buffet
lines, there was always a waiter there to take your tray from you, delivering it to your table of choice,
placing your meal down, and taking away your tray. This was 'special' and made us feel like a king and
queen! We enjoyed being pampered. I also noticed on this ship, Ocean Princess as opposed to the
Celebrity Galaxy, that when we ate or drank anything along the poolside, the trays, dishes, glasses etc.
had a tendency to sit there for a very long time, up to an hour or more without being taken away for
cleaning. Galaxy personnel, were quick! You would swear they watched you take the last drop and place it
down, turn your head and it was gone. There service was awesome without being intrusive!

Our cabin steward was very sweet and was very accommodating as were our waiters and assistants. We
had no problems with the people who we would routinely have at our service day after day. It's all the
other service personnel that weren't overly friendly or outgoing unless you 'were assigned to them'.

This ships cleanliness was not up to the standards that we saw on Celebrity either. Both ships were 1 year
old when we sailed, and this one showed much more wear and tear. Teak wood looked worn and sun
damaged without being kept up too well. I would notice cigarette butts on occasion on the stairways and
thought to myself, 'we never saw anything like that on Celebrity'. I found a lose pill (medicine) of some
nature in my dresser drawer when I was putting my clothes away upon arrival. It's minor; however, if I had
small children with me, it could have caused a real problem.

The excursion selections were great and we enjoyed these and felt they were good value for our dollar.
(We took 4) We enjoyed the private island that we went to on Celebrity (Catalina Island) but this ship had
no private island on its itinerary. Venezuala was the pits. Why not give that up and go to a private island.

Food on Ocean Princess was very good, but the displays, variety and tastes on Celebrity were much more
superior. The cost of both trips were very similar and we will again look to Celebrity for our next cruise,
hopefully in two years with our children, Erin and J.D. now 19 and 18 years old.

Name: William Quinn
Email: bilquinn@bellatlantic.net
Age: 49
Occupation: Program Director
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: March 25, 2001
Itinerary: Southern Explorer
Cabin: A632/BB
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff: 75
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Apr 2001
Time: 14:19:18
Remote Name: adsl-141-156-92-21.dc.adsl.bellatlantic.net
Remote User:

Comments

We took the one-week Southern Explorer from San Juan. We visited Aruba, Venezuela/Caracas,
Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Thomas before returning to San Juan. The days of departure and return
don't count so it really represents a solid six-day cruise experience. If you don’t want to read the full
description the summary is: We had never been on Princess before, we really enjoyed the experience,
and we will cruise Princess again soon. Service and the ship were wonderful. While the places we visited
were ok (once), we would probably not want to revisit any of the places this cruise went except St
Thomas or Aruba.

Travel Arrangements: We had read the postings about terrible airline connections and long layovers on
Princess-arranged flights so we had our travel agent arrange for a direct flight on United--better than
Princess offered (it only cost $25 more). We live in Northern Virginia near Washington DC so we flew to
San Juan direct from Dulles Airport, leaving at 9:30 am and arriving at about 2:00 pm. BTW, should you
fly out of Dulles, the Airport Marriott there has a great ‘Park and Fly’ rate. Just spend the night there
before leaving and you can leave your car parked for up to 30 days. With a taxi over $50 each way from
our house (plus tip) or parking at 7-8 dollars per day in the ‘economy’ lot, spending the night at the
airport could be advantageous and convenient as well. In the morning you can get up at least two hours
later than if you stayed at home. Marriott's shuttle runs every 15 minutes--no hassle with remote parking
lot busses. The actual flight was ok but very full. When we got off the airplane in San Juan there were
Princess representatives to greet us and they put us on a large air conditioned bus. Our luggage had
Princess tags we had been provided in advance so they went directly to our cabin, arriving at the door
about 4 pm (we never saw the bags from the time we gave them to United until they arrived at our
cabin).

Boarding and Time Until Sailing: Boarding was a piece of cake. We had filled out and returned all of the
documentation Princess had sent us well in advance and Princess appeared to have gotten all of it. We
spent two minutes in line and three more at the counter so we were ready to board the ship five minutes
after we entered the terminal. At the check-in counter all we had to do was show the documents
Princess had sent us, our ticket, and a major credit card. We were each issued a Ocean Princess ‘credit
card’ that served as our identification, cabin key, pass to get on and off the ship, and charge card (yes
indeed, a real charge card—-the end-of-cruise charge statement we received on the last night would
have given us both heart attacks if we had been in less than perfect health). The card can be used to
get funds at the casino, pay for drinks, purchases at the shops on board, the ice cream shop, photo
developing, shore excursions, pictures, and spa treatments. You can even charge your end-of-cruise
tips (cabin steward, waiter, etc.) to the card. The card also had printed on it our cabin number and
dining room/seating, and table number in case we forgot. When you get off the ship at the various ports
you must put the card in a card reader and the same when you get back on. That way the system can
keep track of who is on or off the ship (which won’t keep them from leaving you behind if you return to
the ship late—but at least they know who and how many they are leaving behind). When you get on the
system shows your picture to the crewmember manning the boarding station. Princess crew members
pointed the way to our cabin rather than escorting us there but the cabin and deck numbering system
was simple. We easily found our cabin, which was an outside cabin on the Aloha Deck (deck 11) with a
balcony.

We boarded at about 2:30. We were famished so we went to the Horizon Court (read: nice buffet
cafeteria) on deck 12. There was plenty to eat and lots of tables to sit at. After about an hour we did
some exploring (found the dining room, spa, etc) and when we got back to the room our luggage had
arrived. After 30 minutes of packing and wondering where everything would fit, everything had found a
place. The ship did not sail until midnight and our late dinner seating was after the lifeboat drill. Princess
does not muster passengers at the lifeboats. Instead everyone is assigned a ‘muster station’, which is
one of the public rooms. In a real emergency everyone would go to their muster area and then be
escorted to a lifeboat when it was ready for boarding. We sat through a lecture on the procedures,
practiced putting on our life vests, and then were released. It all took a relatively painless 30 minutes,
ten of which were spent waiting for all the late arriving passengers. We then went to dinner and met our
waiter crew—all of whom did a great job for the next week. The headwaiter was a frustrated chef it
seems—on at least two nights he set up a special station and cooked a pasta dish and Bananas Foster
for his tables—and they were great. The last night he passed around the recipes in response to many
requests and we plan to use them.

The Cabin. The reviews were right---the space for the balcony has been carved out of the cabin—but it
was well worth it. We had breakfast every morning on the balcony and never tired of spending time
there. The cabin had plenty of storage space (and we over packed) for our casual, formal, and semi
formal clothes. All of the luggage (and we had two very large pieces hard-sided pieces as well as
several ‘duffel’ type bags) easily fit under the bed, which had been put together from two twins. There
was plenty of room in the bathroom for one person and the shower (despite what we had read) was
more than large enough. There was always lots of hot water. We like a cool cabin and the air
conditioning system was able to keep up—unless we left the door to the balcony open. There is some
kind of sensor that shuts the a/c down when the balcony door is not fully shut so we had to make a
conscious effort to make sure it was properly closed. Speaking of the cabin we cannot say enough
about our cabin steward Andy. He was there when we needed him and invisible otherwise. The cabin
stayed immaculate (despite our best efforts to mess it up) and every special request was met with fast
service and a smile. If you are really lucky you will get to enjoy his outstanding service on your cruise.

The cabin was on the highest deck with cabins so we sometimes heard some noise from the deck
overhead late at night when the crew cleaned up. To avoid that we will probably book an identical cabin
on the Baja deck (one deck lower) next time. We never heard any engine noise or noise from adjacent
cabins. There were a few occasions when inconsiderate passengers made noise in the hall outside the
cabin late at night or early in the morning but even that was relatively infrequent. The worst was when a
mother screamed and yelled at her kids for making too much noise...we hadn’t heard the kids but we
sure heard her. The ship's stabilizers worked ok but there were two days when the seas were a bit
rough and the motion in our cabin was noticable (not bad, but noticable) when we had the seas on our
beam. This is an unaviodable 'feature' of these large cruise ships if you have a cabin on one of the
higher decks.

We signed up for spa treatments (mainly massages) on the day of boarding. Most of the appointments
are gone within the first 24 hours so if you want your pick of times to be compatible with your own
schedule sign up early. My wife and I each had three massages and enjoyed them all. A tip: Spa
treatments on some of the in-port days tend to be priced up to 25 percent cheaper. The spa treatments
offered on board were very enjoyable but were at least 25 percent more expensive than what we would
pay for in a spa at home. On the other hand we were a captive clientele and on a vacation.... The staff
normally includes a 15 percent tip on the charge slip and I felt they deserved it. One minor point: At the
end of the spa treatment they all try to push various ointments, treatments, gels, etc, which are very
pricey indeed. I would have paid more for the treatment just to avoid the sales pitch. They are nice
about it but I would prefer no sale pitch to a nice sales pitch. BTW if you are a guy and need a haircut,
get it on board. Our best friends were traveling with us and had the next cabin. The husband got his hair
cut in the salon on board and it looked fabulous--never seen it look better in the 16 years I have known
him. Everyone commented on it.

The Ocean Princess: The ship is wonderful. Although it is only a year old the crew stays busy making
sure it keeps looking new. Minor related nit: The promenade deck is great for walking around the ship
(three times around is a full mile, which gives an indication this is a big boat). However the deck narrows
in width at the bow and is barely big enough for two slender people to walk abreast. Five of the seven
days the crew was painting or fixing something up there and we had to wind past them in single file.
Since my wife and I spent at least an hour walking every day (we only gained one pound each) it was a
minor irritation. I don’t imagine we helped them do their maintenance and painting either since there was
a constant stream of people walking by and they sometimes had to stop their work to let us by. Note to
Princess: For the next ship provide a full-width promenade deck all the way around the ship.

There are over 2000 passengers on board when fully booked (and the ship was booked full) but there
was never a time of day or night where my wife and I couldn’t find a quiet corner—-a deck area, a
lounge, or an eating venue. The only place that stayed consistently crowded was around the main pool
area. But then there were smaller pools and sundecks at the rear of the ship that were usually deserted.
Every thing worked all the time in our cabin and in public areas. There are lots of restrooms near the
public areas and they were always immaculate. Our favorite place at all hours to go for a quiet moment
was the Wheel House bar--all wood paneling and over stuffed furniture. In the evening they had a nice
duo playing and singing oldies tunes.

Food:

There is no excuse to be hungry on this ship. The only reason we did not come back as blimps is that
my wife and I vowed to walk 3-5 miles every day and never take an elevator. As mentioned there is the
Horizon’s Court cafe/buffeteria that is open 24 hours (although late at night it has a more limited Bistro
menu). There is 24-hour room service. We had a continental breakfast (juice, pastries, cereal, fruit, and
coffee) delivered to our room every morning. BTW the milk is reconstituted—as is most of the milk in
Puerto Rico where the ship takes on its stores. I could tell the difference compared to real fresh milk. My
wife said she didn’t notice any difference.

In the mornings Horizons has two breakfast lines running with hot and cold cereals, breakfast meats,
scrambled eggs, omelets to order, cereals, fruits, pastries, rolls, etc—more than you could eat even if
you only sampled. We only ate breakfast there once since we usually had room service for breakfast
and then had an early lunch (either in Horizons or the Hamburger Bar near the pool). Around 10:30 am
they shut one side down and transition it to lunch items then around 11:00 shut down the other line and
transition it as well. The same sort of transition occurs as dinner approaches. Dinner featured many of
the same items as in the main dining room, only served on a buffet. The night lamb chops were featured
in the dining room (three excellent but small chops, plus garlic mashed potatoes) we later wandered into
the Horizon Court to find at the carving station giant perfectly cooked racks of lamb and large trays of
mashed potatoes. Folks were having the carver slice off 6-8 chops. The same was true on Prime Rib
night. Depending on your druthers you can have fancy food served fancy in the dining room or the
same fancy food served not-so-fancy but in larger quantities in Horizons.

Don’t want either? Then there is a small alternative-dining venue called the Riviera Steak House. The
steaks are good and large but they are not ‘prime’ quality (in other words don’t think you will be eating at
a Morton’s or Ruths’ Chris—especially with regard to the quality and size of the side dishes). We ate
there once and enjoyed it. One point: the steaks there are grilled, not char grilled or char broiled.
Princess imposes a service fee of $8 to eat at the Riviera since the servers there do not participate in
the tip pool in the main dining rooms. We thought it was worth it. There must be some competition with
the Dining Room staff though—-we warned our waiter and assistant waiter (we were at a table for four)
we would not be there for dinner as we were going to try the Riviera and they seemed quite hurt and
asked us if we did not like the food or the service. We assured them such was not the case but they still
seemed worried.

You can also have breakfast and lunch in one of the main dining rooms. We did not sample lunch but
did try a sit down breakfast one day with another couple. We were seated at a table with another couple
we did not know—-the staff tries to fill up tables for efficiency. There was a very nice menu and the
service was outstanding but the food was not prepared well—-it seemed to us the kitchen staff’s second
team was on duty. I ordered a ham and cheese omelet that arrived half raw—as I found when I cut it
open. I made do with pastries and bacon, declining their offer of a replacement since everyone else was
almost done with their meal. The staff in the dining room seemed very unhappy with the omelet and I
was assured by at least three folks including the headwaiter they had spoken to the kitchen supervisor
and made a note in their own log for the dining room manager.

Ice Cream, Pizza, and Hamburgers/Hotdogs: Just aft of the main pool area there is a Hagen Daz
ice-cream parlor. There are additional charges to partake but the charges were less than one would pay
at a Hagen Daz store in our local mall’s food court. I have read postings decrying the charges for ice
cream. They really can’t make it free—the kids on the cruise were lined up ten deep sometimes with
their cruise cards as it was. Hint: they have flavors that are not advertised in the menu boards so ask for
what you want if it is not shown—-they may have it (coffee ice cream in our case). I think this is where
our one-pound each weight gain came from. The pizza at the pizza parlor was very good but not quite as
good as many of the postings had indicated. The pizzas are small individual ones that are made to order
so be prepared to wait 15 minutes for your order. Every time we went there was plenty of room and we
were waited on within a minute (actually, I think that would apply to every bar, lounge, and eating place
we tried on the ship). Just above the pool there is a snack bar that serves large thick hamburgers,
hotdogs/sausages, grilled chicken breast sandwiches, and very good french-fries. We must have liked
it—-we ate lunch there every day but one. Sometimes there was a line but it always moved fast. Hint:
just around the corner is the smoking section of Horizons. It is actually outside but under cover. The
doors to the Horizons are always left open so the air conditioning flows out past these smoking tables
which quite often have no smokers at them—-a great place to enjoy the view while being in the shade
while being semi-air conditioned and eating your burger.

Dining Room(s): There are two main dining rooms (Tuscan and Sardinian). Unless Princess has
instituted personal choice dining by the time you read this everyone gets assigned to one of these two
rooms, in either early or late seatings. We had the late seating at a table for four. The staff took very
good care of us. I must say though that they seem slightly undermanned considering the number of
tables each waiter is assigned. The staff seemed a bit rushed but always managed to satisfy our special
requests. I am a fiend for well-prepared mashed potatoes and our waiter made sure I had a plate of
them at every meal. I ate every bite too. We ate every dinner but one in the dining room and enjoyed
each one. There were at least three different entrees each night plus some standard choices (sirloin
steak, chicken breast, etc that could be ordered anytime). They also had a different healthy heart and
vegetarian entree available each evening. Presentation was better than the food (the food was very
good but not gourmet). We made a practice of skipping the appetizer and soup most nights, opting for
two different salads instead. Feel free to order a bottle or two of wine rather than ordering by the glass.
They will re-cork the bottle and bring it back the next evening until it is gone. This is a much better deal
on a per-glass basis.

Shows: Beats me. We didn’t see any. By the time we were done with the day’s activities we were too late
for the early show and by the time dinner was over we were too sleepy for the late show. They do show
more-or-less first run movies in the Princess Theater (a very nice venue that hosts some of the shows in
the evening) during the day. We saw two movies and enjoyed them. These movies also show (on
different days) on the in-room TV movie channel. There are two main show venues: the Princess
Theater and the Vista Lounge and the shows rotate through them. Several of the lounges also have
their own entertainers. We heard no complaints from those that attended the shows.

Day 1, At Sea:

The first full day was at sea. We did not stay up to watch the ship leave the pier the night before—way
too late for us as we like to be in bed and asleep by 11 pm even when vacationing. We are in are 40s
and it seemed all the ‘older folks’ in our group were staying up later and waking earlier than we were. Of
course they were taking afternoon naps. In retrospect this was one of the best days. The day had no
structured activities and we spent the day walking, sitting around the pool, and laying in lounge chairs
on the Promenade Deck watch the ocean go by. It was extremely relaxing. BTW although everyone
should know this already--the sun is very hot and bright in that area (the cruise goes to a latitude well
south of Hawaii). It is even hotter and brighter for most of the passengers that had been covered up all
winter. Nonetheless we saw a relatively large number of people with very winter-pale skins screw up the
rest of their cruise on the first day by lobstering (new verb) themselves in an hour or less. The next day
there were a lot of folks we could not bear to look at—-it hurt too much. They must have felt a lot worse.
Princess should put a big sign in every room that says ‘Only you can prevent painful sunburn for you
and your loved ones from ruining your expensive cruise experience, so use a little sense and a lot of
sunscreen!’

That evening was the first formal night—about 75 percent of the men in the dining rooms were wearing
tuxedos and the rest were in suits. The women wore long and short cocktail dresses and lots of fine
jewelry. The ship’s photographers had several stations set up and the lines were either very long or
very short—the grand staircase was a venue for formal pictures that was in high demand and the line
there was at least 30 minutes long. The station on deck four that used a standard photographer’s
background averaged three minutes. The photographers were happy to work various poses and group
shots; you just had to ask. Photographers were around for formal shots on all the formal and informal
evenings. The pictures were usually posted the next day and you could buy them or not. There were
various priced package deals but basic color 8 x 10s were $19.95 each. There were far too many shots
we liked. Buying all the ‘good ones’ almost put us into bankruptcy but we now have good shots to send
to parents and use for the Christmas card. BTW the cameras must be on some kind of digital system.
We loved one shot; for a change my wife and I had the right smiles and head positions at the same time,
but our faces were way too shiny. We mentioned this at the photo counter and in ten minutes we had a
print with the shine on our faces corrected.

Day 2, Aruba: A nice place to visit but we were only there 10 hours. We signed up for the Atlantis
Submarine cruise and were disappointed. It was a 30-minute boat ride to the submarine’s dive site. On
the way we got to experience the island’s garbage disposal system as we went by the giant hill that is
the garbage dump. At the top they were burning the previous day’s garbage intake. Wonderful sights
and smells (not!). I understand as an island there is a problem with where to put their garbage but it
didn’t add to our experience. We spent about an hour underneath the water and there was only about
10 minutes of interesting viewing. Our friends did a much better (and cheaper) snorkeling expedition
where they saw more and had a better time (they did get to see the garbage dump too). I understand
the Atlantis tour in the Virgin Islands is much better in terms of the viewing experience so if you want to
take the submarine wait and do it there and snorkel or scuba on Aruba.

Day Three, Caracas: The ship came into the harbor at 6:00 in the morning. I was (barely) awake and
happened to notice from the lack of motion we were entering the harbor so I left my wife in bed and went
up to the open observation deck on top of the ship’s bridge. This is an approach that has to be seen to
be believed for a ship this big. So if you can bear to get up that early do it. The harbor (La Guaira)is
actually many miles from Caracas. We tied up to an old pier that had a large movable platform for the
ship’s largest gangway to attach to—-then you walk from the Promenade Deck down the gangway and
across the platform into the air-conditioned terminal. However, right after the gangway was in place
someone on the shore moved the platform, which caused the gangway to fall off and bang against the
side of the ship. One of the crew had been on it 30 seconds before and had he still been there would
have fallen at least 30 feet onto the concrete dock. The ship’s crew adapted quickly and two smaller
gangways were set up directly onto the dock at a lower level. The crew spent most of the day trying to fix
the ship’s large gangway, which had been almost ripped loose from its supports. Most of the tours here
are of the all-day persuasions so most of those going ashore (about 1,100 folks) had to be on their
busses by 8:00 or earlier. We stayed on the ship and enjoyed a spa treatment. The harbor where the
ship docks is a cargo-type place and is in a very industrial setting. On the steep hills above the harbor is
what is pretty much slum housing. There were gaps in the housing where recent landslides caused by
rain had taken whole groups of houses away. I understand that the local Port Authority has done a lot to
fix up the inside of the terminal building with new shops and they are sprucing up the outside as well.
The folks we talked to that took the tours seemed satisfied and the ship did wait for the one bus full of
passengers that had been delayed due to becoming caught in a very large traffic jam caused by a
wreck. A word to the wise: We were told Princess ships would not delay their departure for non-Princess
tours if they get back to the ship late.

Day 4, Grenada: The island looks beautiful as you approach it from the sea. There is only a small dock
here so large cruise ships have to anchor out and tender in. The tendering operation worked well. We
didn’t try to be on the first boat ashore and so had a very hassle-free trip to the island and back after
our tour. The ship’s crew put on their Sunday best to man the tenders. My wife and I took a snorkel tour
and enjoyed it very much. There was lots of coral and small fish. BTW one of the things we noticed and
were glad of is that Princess does lots of emergency and safety drills with the crew. Once we were
unable to walk around the Promenade deck because of all the lifeboat drills going on but we figured it
was for our benefit in the long run. Some of the other cruise lines we have been on put off drills or don’t
do them at all in order to hide the need from the passengers. They used the opportunity in Grenada to
do some of their training and it was very interesting to watch. Dinner was supposed to be semi-formal,
which we understood meant coat and tie. A lot of the men had a casual or sports shirt with a jacket and
fit right in so you don’t have to wear a tie—more than half did not wear a tie.

Day 5, Dominica: We had eschewed an island tour in favor of a snorkel tour for the afternoon at the
Champagne Reef and a spa treatment for the morning. However the morning snorkel tour came back
with almost all of the passengers suffering from painful jellyfish stings. Princess briefed the 50 or so
folks scheduled for the afternoon snorkel tour of the problem and offered to refund the their money. We
and a few others still wanted to go and at least enjoy the boat ride and sun. However the tour operator
was unwilling to operate the tour with less than 12 people (and most of the people scheduled took
Princess’ offer of a refund) so we also took the refund and spent the afternoon around the pool. Those
that took the land tours said the some of the sights were awesome. Those that walked around the town
were not impressed. We did notice a large number of hair braiding stands right across the dock from
where the ship tied up. That evening I swear every female passenger on the ship from age 5 to 25 (and
some older) was wearing beaded and braided hair. There were some guys sporting new braids and
beads too. The braids looked good and evidently the prices were incredibly cheap. If you have always
wanted to try it out the price of making a mistake was pretty low.

Last Day: Saint Thomas: We shopped a bit and took a helicopter ride—a great way to see St Thomas
and St John. Our only complaint is that it was too short. It was, on a per minute basis, the most
expensive thing we did on the entire cruise and the most worthwhile. The shopping was excellent. We
were very sad to leave the island since it meant the cruise was almost over. On the last day you can visit
a station in the Vista Lounge and charge tip vouchers to your ship’s card. This way we did not have to
worry about having the right small bills to do our tipping. We just put the vouchers in the tip envelopes
and handed them out. Princess wants as much of the luggage put outside the cabin as possible by 8 pm
and all of it by midnight.

Debarkation Day (Don’t let the door hit you on the butt on the way out...): Like all lines, Princess wants
its departing passengers out of the cabins and off the ship as fast as possible to make way for the next
load (but Princess, don’t you love us any more?).

Princess issues colored baggage tags the day before debarkation (a detachable part of the tag serves
as your personal pass to get off) based on your departure times from the San Juan airport or the
post-cruise tours you have signed up for. We woke early and went to breakfast. Then we came back to
the room and took our showers, changed into travel clothes, packed our carry-on luggage (or carry-off
in this case) and went to one of the public areas to wait for our color to be called. We were out of the
cabin by 8:30 am and off the ship by 9:15 am. The Princess Terminal was a bit of a madhouse (not
air-conditioned too—-it must be hell-hot in there in the summer) but we found our luggage grouped with
all the others in the same debarkation color code in about five minutes. Then we had to wait in line
about 10 minutes to go through customs/immigration. Since we had filled out all of our customs forms,
actual processing took about one minute and we were free to walk out. There our airline (United) had
set up a check-in stand just around the corner. It was very hot and sunny and there was no overhead
covering so it was the most uncomfortable we had been on the entire cruise. The line was about 20
minutes long (American and Delta had set up on board earlier in the morning so their folks had a better
deal). Once we had been checked in and given over our baggage which United put on a truck, we
boarded the Princess transfer buses and were at the San Juan Airport by 10:15 am. Our flight was not
until 2:00 pm so we found a comfortable chair and waited (NOT!). The airport was filled with well over
6,000 folks from four or five different cruise ships, all waiting for their afternoon flights. The place looked
like the airports you see on the evening news—-the ones where no planes have been able to takeoff for
three days due to bad weather. All chairs and available floor space was filled with cruise passengers’
butts. The air conditioning system was not up to the load of handling so many people so the
temperature and humidity slowly rose. The small snack bar in our wing had a line (I counted) that was
over 150 people long at one point and the lines for the ladies room stretched a long ways. I was glad I
was a guy (my wife waited 20 minutes in line). one of the Princess cruise reception folks said it was this
way every weekend.

About 1:15 our flight arrived and disgorged 150 folks many of whom were going to the Ocean Princess.
My wife and I hated them because they were just starting their cruise and ours was over. Oh well, all
good things have to end and our cruise was over. Our United flight back to Dulles was ok but very full
(just like the fight down) and we found our luggage had made it safely from the dock to the plane when
we picked it up at Dulles.

This cruise was not nearly long enough. By the time we were fully familiar with the ship and completely
relaxed we were almost done with the cruise. We'll be back next year for a longer cruise--probably the
15-day repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal to San Francisco.

Name: Phyllis Boone
Email: p.k.boone@worldnet.att.net
Age: 42
Occupation: medical professional
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Ocean
SailingDate: 3/18/01
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: A639
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 94
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 94
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 98
CasinoStaff: 70
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 93
Stabilization: 93
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Apr 2001
Time: 14:20:00
Remote Name: 152.knoxville-06-07rs.tn.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:

Comments

Ocean Princess Review Sailing date: 3/18/01

A companion and I (40 something) sailed on the Ocean Princess to the southern Caribbean. This was
our third cruise, having previously cruised with Carnival and Celebrity. The Ocean Princess is a stylish
and elegant ship, and kept immaculate by the staff. I don’t know when they did all that cleaning, because
I never saw them, except for the cabin stewards in the hallway. The Celebrity ship was also kept
extremely clean, with the staff working all through the day. Overall, I had a fabulous cruise and would
cruise with Princess again. Our cabin was on the Aloha deck with a balcony. This was a first for me, my
previous two were outside cabins with large windows. I had read that once you have a stateroom with a
balcony you wouldn’t ever go back. I wholeheartedly agree. I absolutely loved opening the curtain every
morning and stepping out onto the balcony and greeting the day with my cup of coffee delivered by the
excellent, prompt room service staff. My sister, her husband, and 16 year old son also cruised with us;
they were in the cabin next to us and the divider between the balconies was opened up. We could all sit
on the balconies and enjoy the ocean breezes and watch as we arrived and departed each port.

Airline transportation: My companion and I used frequent flier miles for our tickets and booked them
shortly after we booked the cruise (8 months in advance). We decided to arrive in San Juan the day
before sailing to see some of the city, and to get away from the cold weather a day sooner. My sister’s
family waited too long to book their own airline tickets and get a good price, so they ended up
purchasing air add-ons. They could not do an air deviation and travel with us because they waited so
long to book the air. So my friend and I were in San Juan by ourselves.

San Juan Airport: Our flight to San Juan was on time, and uneventful. However, the San Juan airport is a
nightmare. There were three Delta flights arriving close together, and we waited 45 minutes for our
luggage at baggage claim. I was praying none of our luggage got lost (my worst fear). The flow of
‘people traffic’ was one-way throughout the building, and you could not go back without going outside
the building and going through security. We were not allowed to ride an elevator down to the lower level,
even though we had ridden the exact same elevator up to the main level to find a restaurant an hour
before. People who were greeting arriving passengers were not allowed inside the building. They were
waiting outside the doors at Baggage Claim. We had to turn in our luggage claim tickets to security
personnel before we could exit the building. Our encounter with the airport was enough to avoid ever
returning to San Juan.

Hotel: I did extensive research on hotel rates in San Juan, and found a rate of $119.00 (AAA rate) at the
Comfort Inn Tanama Princess. Thank goodness I read some comments on the message boards. There
were some less than glowing comments about the property, so I canceled that reservation, and booked
at the Hampton Inn for $169.00 because of positive comments about the Hampton on the message
boards. The hotel is located about 100 yards down the road from the Wyndham El San Juan Hotel and
Casino and about 2 blocks from the Intercontinental Hotel. The Embassy Suites and Casino was about
four blocks away. 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. We walked to the Wyndham and scoped
out the casino, then kept walking down the street until we came across the Embassy Suites. We found a
$3.00 blackjack table, and had dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. I feel more comfortable eating at
places I am familiar with when in foreign countries. Then we took a cab back to our hotel for $5.00 since
it was dark.

Embarkation: After meeting my sister’s family at the airport, we all rode Princess transportation to the
ship. There is another story about transfers which I won’t go into (another fine mess). The check-in
process took about 3 minutes. Remember to fill out the immigration form just in case they ask for it.
There is a little shop to buy soda and liquor in the terminal building before embarking the ship. We
wanted to dump our carry-ons in our room, then come back to buy sodas. We should have bought them
when we checked in, because the diet coke was sold out by the time we returned. A taxi ride to a market
would have been $20.00, so we chose to wait until the first port. I was awestruck when I entered the
main atrium of the ship. Marble and brass everywhere. Leather chairs and blue/gold carpet. I always
made a point to walk through the atrium going from one end of the ship to the other to admire the
magnificent decorating.

Cabin: We were on Aloha deck, starboard side, near the aft of the ship. I was a little leery of being on an
upper deck, after sailing on lower decks previously, because of feeling the ship rock, but I barely noticed
the rocking. The only time I felt any ship motion was when we were coming into port and the side
engines came on. The ship vibrated noisily, but it did not last very long. The cabin was much smaller
than on our previous cruises, due to the balcony, but it was adequate. At least one person was on the
balcony most of the time, so we were not bumping into each other much. The beds were comfortable,
and the luggage fit underneath well. My sister’s cabin had four berths. During the day three of them
were folded up against the wall and the fourth was made into a sofa. They gave their luggage to the
cabin stewardess to store for them. The bathroom was small, but adequate. The shower was larger than
a standard stall shower and there was no problem with enough hot water. We had to open the shower
curtain and shave our legs with our feet propped on the toilet. There was minimal counter space around
the sink. I think the bathroom layout on Celebrity was more efficient; there was a larger vanity area and
more storage space for toiletries. I fixed my hair at the desk area since that was where the hairdryer was
located. We packed a small electric clock and a multiple outlet adapter, and since electrical outlets were
scarce, I unplugged the TV, then plugged it and the clock back using the adapter. Our cabin
stewardess, Linda, was the absolute best we have experienced. She was always friendly, courteous,
and granted our requests immediately. We had few requests, because she did such an excellent job. As
an example, the first two mornings my companion would pull her bedspread from underneath the bed
and use it for an extra blanket. Linda noticed this and, on subsequent evenings, she folded the
bedspread to the foot of the bed instead of placing it underneath. We were extremely generous with our
gratuity. We ordered coffee via room service every morning, except the last, by placing a card with our
order outside the door in the evening. We also ordered lunch one time. Service was both prompt and
courteous. The menu was limited, though there were more choices than on Celebrity room service. The
servings were small. I am pretty sure the same person delivered coffee every morning. We also tipped
him generously.

Food: We were assigned the Sardinian Dining Room at first seating, table 146. Our waiter and assistant
waiter, Gary and Lake, were excellent, except for a few minor omissions the first couple of evenings.
They were both jovial and we enjoyed laughing with them. Lake is from Thailand, and my companion
wanted to learn some phrases in the Thai language. Every night Lake would teach us a new phrase. He
brought another waiter, who was also from Thailand, over to our table one evening for her to converse
with. Lake labeled whoever had the most crumbs around their bread plate the ‘Crumb Bum’ for the
evening. The menu was quite varied, with several standby entree choices. The portions were adequate,
but the vegetables could have been more varied. The salad course consisted of only one choice, a
mixed lettuce/tossed salad, but with three different dressing choices each evening. The soups were
delicious. Overall, I thought the food was very good, but Celebrity has perfected the dining experience.
We went to the Horizon Court for breakfast and lunch. The food was good, with different items each day.
Breakfast had little variation. I never figured out how the line was supposed to progress and found
myself going against the flow hunting for things. There could have been more than one beverage
station for each side. The guys in the group raved about the Pizzeria, and had lunch there several
times. The womenfolk were not impressed at all. The service was much below expectations, and the
pizza was bland.

Entertainment: We went to either the Vista Lounge or the Princess Theatre every evening after dinner.
The first night we saw a magician. The second night we saw a musical production show. The vocalists
were good performers and the show was well produced, but the dancers lacked the intensity and
precision I would have expected. We avoided the production shows and saw the comedians for the
remaining shows. Overall, they were very entertaining and enjoyable except for a husband-wife duo
singer/comedy act that was absolutely awful. We could only suffer through about 20 minutes before we
had to leave. The last straw was when the husband attempted to play on the guitar, and subsequently
butchered a Mozart piano concerto that I can play myself. I’ve heard sick cats that I could better tolerate.

Excursions: We purchased three excursions through Princess and decided to wing it for other ports. The
excursions were requested using a form, which we returned to Princess by mail about three weeks prior
to sailing. Barbados: Purchased Princess’ Catamaran Sail and Snorkel Adventure. We had a fabulous
time sailing with about 40 others to a beach where there were three shipwrecks for good snorkeling. The
water wasn’t as clear as I expected and the sky was overcast, but I had a marvelous time. To no one’s
surprise, I was the last one out of the water. The crew was very attentive to the passengers while
onboard, but I was disappointed in the lack of in-depth instruction for the beginning snorkelers. Overall,
an excellent excursion. We returned to the ship for lunch, then went downtown by taxi. We walked
several blocks browsing through the shops. I would do my shopping elsewhere in the future.

St. Lucia: We did not have a planned excursion here, so we walked into the cruise terminal to find a tour
on our own. Several people approached us about taxis and tours. One company had a display in the
center of the building and wanted $55 for a four-hour tour of the Pitons and Botanical Gardens. We
found a tour for $35 per person for a five-hour tour to view the Pitons, a small botanical garden with a
waterfall, Marigot Bay, and a bubbling volcano. Princess did not offer a similar tour. We stopped several
times along the way for pictures and souvenirs. The guide was very knowledgeable. There were five in
our party and we had the van all to ourselves. We spotted several vans that were packed with people,
presumably on the $55 tour. We definitely got our money’s worth.

St. Kitts: This was the only port we tendered at because the pier was destroyed three times by
hurricanes. We pre-arranged privately with Tropical Tours at $22 for a three hour island tour to
Brimstone Hill and Romney Gardens/Caribelle Batik Studio (ship’s tour was $42). The guide dropped us
downtown, we shopped for awhile, then walked back to the ship. A very interesting and scenic tour.

St. Maarten: We booked the Under Two Flags Island Tour through Princess. A good way to see the
island and the guide was very informative. We elected to get off the bus downtown and found some
fabulous shopping areas. We walked back to the ship, which is much, much further than we realized
when we started. Take a taxi unless you really enjoy walking.

St. Thomas: A beautiful island, and my favorite of the Virgin Islands. We took a taxi downtown in the
morning and shopped, then returned to the ship for lunch. We booked the Coral World tour in the
afternoon through Princess and saw wonderful marine life and sharks. There was a gigantic aquarium
with a scuba diver feeding the marine life, including stingrays and a lobster. I got fabulous video of the
feeding. There was a separate building with numerous small aquariums with all types of rare species
and saw some sea horses born in captivity.

Disembarkation: Our flight was at 1:00 and we were off the ship by 9:00. We did not relish the idea of
sitting at the airport crowded with people for four hours, so we found a tour guide who would take us on
a tour of old San Juan and shopping district and get us back to the airport by noon. The cost was $20
per person, and money well spent. If your have a later afternoon flight ask around for private tours.
Princess offers only all day excursions. We checked our luggage with the airline just outside the terminal
and stored our carry on luggage on the tour bus. The only negative was all the people hunting for
luggage in the terminal and trying to get out. Chaos is a mild word. I think the ship did not allow most of
the previous group to exit the terminal before calling the next color for disembarkation. A little more
organization would help here.

Overall impressions: Excellent service; food was very good but not outstanding; ship sponsored tours
were good, though pricey; taxi prices were outrageous; best shopping was in St. Maarten and St.
Thomas. I look forward to a cruise with Princess some time in the future.

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