Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Pat Litchauer
Email: JPJLITCH@aol.com
Age: 49
Occupation: Administrative Assistant
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: December 26, 1998
Itinerary: Western Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 50
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jan 1999
Time: 08:42:45
Remote Name: 169.132.56.158
Remote User:

Comments

From the moment of entering the terminal for embarkation to disembarking the Sea Princess, our cruise
experience was excellent. Having cruised several times before, we knew what to except, and were not
disappointed. In fact, the Sea Princess was the most favorable ship we have sailed. Unfortunately, we missed
her maiden voyage by one week. We were on the New Years Cruise and the party was great.

Our cabin was spacious and well engineered. We were able to fit 5 suitcases of clothes into our closet with room
to spare. Our cabin steward was attentive and personable. Not once did we return to our room to find it unmade.

The dining room staff and the food was excellent. Our staff made several recommendations in food choices that I
am happy to say we chose. The wine selection was very good and was not over priced. We found several of our
favorites at nearly the same price we pay at our local liquor store.

There were two disappointments during the entire trip. Although there was a twenty four-hour restaurant, there
was no midnight buffet. I don't believe too many people can eat again at that time, but I do enjoy the extravagance
of it. Second, there was a charge for ice cream, which I found petty, since pizza was free.

I would recommend the Sea Princess to anyone, and suggest their ratings be brought up a notch or two.

Name: Richard Mayer
Email: rmayer1960@aol.com
Age: 48
Occupation: lawyer
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: December 19, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark:
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization:
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Jan 1999
Time: 18:21:31
Remote Name: 152.163.201.62
Remote User:

Comments

We have cruised on celebrity, carnival, royal caribbean and now Princess. I must say that Princess was near the
top. Celebrity was possibly a bit better because of food quality, but Princess was a close second and exceeded
celebrity in some areas.

The ship itself was beautiful. The entertainment, while not Las Vegas quality, was quite good. The buffet food
was excellent and there never were lines because of the way it was set up. The formal dinner service was great,
although the deserts were nothing to write home about. The service was excellent. There was only one midnight
buffet, but there is a 24 hour restaurant and pizza is served most of the time as well. You will not starve.

The lounge entertainment was also very good. Plenty of music to dance to and lots of piano playing. The
entertainment is geared to people older than teens, but the ship did have a large mix of ages. Since it was a
holiday sailing there were hundreds of young people and the age group seemed younger than Celebrity, but not
as young as Carnival. There were many couples with children. Enjoy. You can not go wrong with this ship.

Ports: cozumel had great beaches and Cayman Islands did as well. The shopping is fun in Cozumel if you like to
barter. You will see alot of silver to buy in Mexico.

Jamaica is fun if you can take the pushy people. Shopping is secondary. Go to the Falls.

Princess cays is a great private island with plenty of water sports and of course lots of great food.

Do not miss sting ray city in Cayman Islands. It is an experience of a lifetime.

I love to cruise. It is as relaxing or as busy as you want it to be. The worst cruise I was on was good. This one is
near the top.

Name: Jennifer Bloom
Email: jlbloom@uiuc.edu
Age: 32
Occupation: University Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: 12/19/98
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService:
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 88
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 Jan 1999
Time: 13:07:44
Remote Name: 128.174.87.95
Remote User:

Comments

Cruise Review of the Sea Princess

We were fortunate to be on the maiden voyage of the Sea Princess - what a gorgeous ship! As you might imagine,
before we left we got to hear all the Titanic maiden voyage jokes. This was my third cruise and my husband's
second. I had previously sailed on Royal Caribbean (Sovereign of the Seas) and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Although I
enjoyed both of the previous cruises, the Sea Princess was the best cruise I've been on. As when a new restaurant
opens, we expected there to be some kinks to be worked out during this cruise, but to our delight the ship and its
crew ran a well-oiled machine and there were no problems visible to the eye.

BOOKING THE FLIGHT

We used Maryann Novajosky of Free Spirit Cruises & Tours (800-728-6729) in New Jersey as our travel agent. My
folks, who take 2-3 cruises a year, recommended her and she was wonderful. We did most of the homework for the
cruise in March & April. We knew we wanted to go to the Western Caribbean and she helped us sort out which cruise
line to take. We originally went with a Category K guarantee (which means we would be no lower than Category K,
but could be higher especially if the ship was full), but right before we had to pay the final payment in October she
called and said that if we went with a Category M guarantee that it would save us a total of $600. Of course, we went
with the Category M guarantee since it was only two levels lower than the K. Category M would have been an inside
cabin - we ended up getting a Category CC room which was an outside deluxe stateroom. We were very pleased!!

FLIGHT ARRANGEMENTS & EMBARKATION

We had Princess work out our flight arrangements. We took USAir on the way down to Ft. Lauderdale. There were
plenty of Princess representatives there to meet us at the baggage claim area. We had to wait about 15 minutes at
the airport in the cruise lounge, be we were soon loaded onto buses and on our way to the cruise ship terminal. The
cruise ship terminal is only about a 5-minute bus ride from the airport. We had no problems checking in and
basically walked right up to the representative to get our room key. We hustled aboard the ship and spent most of the
afternoon checking the ship out. We ate in the Horizon Food Court (Deck 14) right after we arrived. Our luggage
arrived about an hour or so after embarkation outside our cabin door.

THE SHIP

Wow - the Sea Princess is absolutely gorgeous. When people ask us what our favorite port-of-call was we always
say the ship! It was decorated beautifully from top to bottom, you never felt cramped even though the ship was full,
and the food was excellent. In addition, the Cruise Director's staff did a great job of providing all kinds of
entertainment and activities. Of course, the great thing about going on a cruise is that you can be as busy or bored as
you want to be. I would say that we were somewhere in the middle.

FOOD

The food on the Sea Princess was the best I've ever had on a cruise ship. It was always hot, there was a good variety
of food, and our waiter (Andreas) and Jr. waiter (Daniel) gave us excellent service. In addition, our Head Waiter
(Guisseppe) was helpful and friendly - he visited our table every night. We asked at the Purser's desk for a tour of the
kitchen. It took a little bit to convince him that this was possible, but we finally did get a tour. I would say that the tour of
the kitchen was one of the highlights of our cruise. Check either at the purser's desk or with your head waiter to see
about touring the kitchen. Our head waiter was up on the Horizon Food Court during the day, so he wasn't able to
take us. We met a head waiter at 11:00 a.m. between meals and he gave us about a 25 minute tour of the kitchen.
Absolutely remarkable how they feed so many people so well and so efficiently. By the way, there is no smoking in
the dining room areas. We were so impressed with that.

OUR CABIN

Like I mentioned earlier, we were upgraded to an outside deluxe stateroom (Category CC). Our cabin was A215 on
the 11th floor (Aloha Deck). We had two comfortable twin beds that had been pushed together into a queen size bed,
plus we had a nice sitting area. The bathroom was small, but well designed. The rooms do come with a hair dryer,
so don't bother to bring one along. Angel was our cabin steward and he did an excellent job. I miss the turndown
service each night and the mint, too.

ENTERTAINMENT

The entertainment ranged from good to excellent. The first night, Saturday, we went to the Welcome Aboard
ShowTime show that featured Stu Moss, a comedian, and the cruise staff members were also introduced. Stu Moss
did a pretty good job, but we thought his show later on in the week was even better. Sunday night we went to Vista
Showtime which featured Dan Horn a comedic ventriloquist - he was hilarious. On Monday night we skipped the
'Gotta Sing Gotta Dance' show and to be honest it didn't sound like we missed much according to friends who did
attend the show. On Tuesday night we attended the Christmas Variety Showtime which starred Pete Matthews, a
comedic juggler from England. Do NOT miss Pete Matthew's show - it was the best show on the whole cruise.
Wednesday night we went to the Spotlight Showtime starring Karen Saunders, a singer. She was o.k., but we wish
that we had gone to see Pete Matthew's show again. Thursday night we went to see the Vista Showtime with Stu
Moss, the comedian, and Wayland Pickard, a piano entertainer. This was a pretty good show. Stu Moss was much
funnier this time and Wayland Pickard did some good imitations of famous pianists. Worth seeing. We missed the
'Glamour' show on Friday night - too busy packing.

We are not night owls - so we didn't get to see any of the really late late night events including the Island Buffet, the
50's Sock Hop, or the Pub Night Comedy Show. We would occasionally have a drink in the Wheelhouse Bar after a
show and they always had good entertainment. This bar had a huge non-smoking section (it may have all been
non-smoking), so that is one of the reasons we liked that particular bar.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

You can sign up for a tour of the bridge for the two days that you are at sea. It was an excellent tour and the Captain,
David Christie, personally met each of the groups. It takes about an hour to tour the bridge. Given that the Sea
Princess was brand new, it had the latest and greatest high-tech equipment on board.

TV is available in your stateroom. We didn't watch it a lot, but we usually did check CNN about once a day and you
could usually get ESPN. Depending where we were you would either get the World Version of CNN or the American
version.

Bingo - you've got to play at least once while you are on the cruise ship. We played twice and enjoyed it. Also,
although we aren't art connoisseurs by any stretch of the imagination, we did attend an art auction. It was an
interesting place to people-watch.

My husband did attend the Service Club meeting that they had for Kiwanians, Lions, Rotarians, etc. The ship bought
a drink for each person that attended.

I went to one of the makeover workshops that the beauty salon had. It was interesting and the best part was that each
person who attended got a 25% discount on any hair care service. This was handy because the salon prices weren't
cheap.

Afternoon tea was a highlight of the cruise for us. Everyday in the dining room they serve afternoon tea from 3:30 to
4:30 p.m. We met so many nice people during tea - a nice relaxed atmosphere to meet all kinds of new people.

There is a business center on board (right next to the beauty salon) on the 12th deck aft. They do have internet
access available, but you have to pay for it. They do not have telnet capabilities, so if you plan on checking your e-mail
you've got to have an internet-based account (like hotmail, yahoo mail, etc.). Internet time cost $7 for 15 minutes.

PORTS OF CALL

We went to four ports - the Princess Cays (Princess' private island); Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; and
Cozumel. We didn't do a great job of picking side trips, so I'll share with you our experiences.

Make sure you sign up for the tours on the islands early. There were a number of the trips that were full and had
disappointed people who didn't try to sign up until too late.

PRINCESS CAYS

Princess Cays is a nice island (actually it is a very small part of the Bahamian Island of Eleuthera). There were plenty
of hammocks and beach chairs available. Word to the wise, when they start issuing tender passes to go to Princess
Cays - get in line early. We were on the first tender over to the island, but we heard horror stories of people having to
wait up to two hours to get on a tender over to the island. Go over on one of the first ones and you won't have to worry
about waiting.

We went snorkeling and the snorkeling was o.k., but not as nice as on Royal Caribbean's private island. There were
only a few fish and nothing too exciting to look at, but we were just happy to be in warm water instead of winter in
Illinois. So, we really enjoyed our day on Princess Cays. On a side note - the strawberry margaritas on Princess Cays
and on the ship are excellent.

OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA

We went on the Ocho Rios Highlights tour (OCJ-A - $42 per person). On this tour we drove through Fern Gulley, went
to the Shaw Park Botanical Gardens, and to Dunns River Falls. Fern Gully and Shaw Park were a little disappointing.
We heard from other people that the Prospect Plantation and Dunns River Falls tour (OCJ-B - $46 per person), was
much better. We decided not to hike up Dunns River Falls. Dunns River Falls is fairly steep at points and looked fairly
dangerous. Many people just went half-way up. We had fun just watching people attempting to climb. You may want
to buy some aqua socks at home if you plan to climb, although they are available for rent.

There were vendors at Dunns River Falls and they are fairly aggressive. It gets kind of old after a while. Probably if we
had to do it over again we would have walked (or taken a taxi) to the Grand Jamaican Hotel where I guess they have a
lovely beach and spent the day there (they said there is a $10 charge to spend the day on the hotel grounds).

GRAND CAYMAN

We took the Stingray Sandbar Snorkeling by Catamaran tour ($49 per person). It takes about an hour by Catamaran
to get out to the sandbar. It was a pretty windy day, but the ride wasn't too bad. When we got out to the sandbar we
stayed there for about an hour. It was neat to see the stingrays, but to be honest, there were so many of them gliding
by you that it was kind of freaky. I ended up just floating on top of the water since then the stingrays float beneath you.
If you stand up they will brush up against you. Some of them are unbelievable huge. I'm glad we went, but I wouldn't
do it a second time.

COZUMEL MEXICO

We took the Tulum & Xel-Ha Lagoon tour (CZM-B - $80 per person). I don't think that this day was worth $160 for both
of us to see. Note that when you get off the boat you have to take a small boat for about 45 minutes to get to Playa del
Carmen. This was a bumpy ride and many people got ill. Then, once you get to Playa del Carmen you take a 50
minute bus ride to get to Tulum. The whole way your tour guide gives a lecture on the Mayan Indians. Tulum was
beautiful, but we only had about 30 minutes to look around on our own - our tour guide lectured at us most of our
time there. It would have been nice to have more time on our own. Please note that when you get to Tulum you have
to pay $1 to ride the tram to the actual ruins or you can walk a half-mile. Our tour guide asked us as a group whether
we wanted to ride and we voted yes. Then he collected our $1 bills and paid for us as a group. You would think for
$80 per person that this $1 tram ride would be included in the price.

Once we left Tulum we had about a 15 minute bus ride to Xel-Ha which is a nice swimming lagoon that also gives
you the opportunity to swim with a dolphin (for about $45). The problem was that we only had about 45 minutes at
Xel-Ha, which wasn't very much time. We decided just to walk around and not go swimming since we knew that we
had another 30 minute bus ride, plus the boat ride back to the ship. And this was our second formal night and since
we were at the first seating (6:30 p.m.) and the tour wasn't supposed to get back until 6:00 p.m. we knew we weren't
going to have much time to get ready. All in all, this was a disappointing tour, especially considering the price of the
tour. If we had to do it over again, we would have just spend the day at a beach and then done some shopping in
Cozumel since that is where the best bargains of the cruise are located. As it was, we had no time at all to shop at
Cozumel since the tour lasted from 9:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

DISEMBARKATION

In our Princess Patter (the ship's daily newsletter & schedule of events) it said that Delta Airlines (our ride home) was
to meet us on the 8th floor to check in our luggage at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, our disembarkation day. So, we
got there at 6:00 a.m. and waited……..and waited…….and waited. Finally a Princess representative came on the PA
system and said how disappointed they were, but the Delta and USAir had not shown up as promised to check our
passengers in. We were VERY disappointed. This meant that we had to identify our luggage when we got off, then
lug it to the bus, when we got to the airport we had to lug it into the terminal, and check it in ourselves. If they had
shown up as promised we would not have had to touch our bags at all. My husband called Delta Airlines after we got
home to find out what the deal is - he had to talk to many, many people and finally got somewhere when he asked for
the President of Delta (imagine that). Someone in the corporate office eventually looked into it and ended up
apologizing profusely, saying that they had a miscommunication with Princess and didn't know where they were
supposed to go on the ship. My thought was - why not send someone to the ship and there are only a thousand crew
members that could show them the location - oh well. It could have been worse, friends from Colorado Springs got
stuck on TWA the day that the flight attendants had a sick-out and I guess they had all kinds of trouble getting home.

SUGGESTIONS

All in all, we had a great time on our cruise. I would highly recommend the Sea Princess or her sister ships to
anyone. Here are some special little things that we did or wish we had done:

1. $2 bills. I had read on a web site about bringing along $2 bills for tipping. This worked out exceptionally well. 2. We
prepared our envelopes for tip money for our waiter, jr. waiter, and cabin steward before we left home. I made up
some neat envelopes on the computer and they were a hit with our guys. The only one that I didn't prepare an
envelope for that we eventually ended up giving a tip to was for our Head Waiter. 3. I wish we would have brought
t-shirts from the University of Illinois for our waiters and the cabin steward. I know they would have really appreciated
them and it would help them remember us. 4. Make sure you bring a bag or backpack along for your side trips on
land. You'll need something to carry your towels, suntan lotion, bathing suits, etc. 5. Bring along business cards - we
exchanged business cards with a lot of people on the trip. Those that forgot them really regretted it. 6. There are
safes in each room - this was a really nice feature.

Well, that's about it. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at jlbloom@uiuc.edu.

Bon Voyage!

Name: John Mills
Email: cruiseaholic@hotmail.com
Age: 40
Occupation: Systems Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 23
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: 12/19/99
Itinerary: Western
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 100
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: 100
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Jan 1999
Time: 08:12:01
Remote Name: 198.124.130.98
Remote User:

Comments

INTRODUCTION:

Princess Cruises has 'done it again' with the introduction of the Sea Princess, triplet to the highly acclaimed Sun
Princess and Dawn Princess. Inaugural festivities began in Fort Lauderdale on December 16, 1998. Present to
help launch the third in a series of 'Grand Class' ships, were celebrity musical and acting threesomes, including
The Pointer Sisters, The Shirelles, 'My Three Sons'' siblings Robbie, Chip and Ernie, Salt-N-Pepa and '50s faves
Jerry Mathers (The Beaver) along with his brother Wally (Tony Dow) and pal Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) who
talked about life after ``Leave it to Beaver.''

Rising 14 stories above the ocean and measuring 856 feet in length, the Sea Princess is the third 77,000-ton, $300
million superliner in Princess Cruises' Grand Class fleet. Like her sisters Sun Princess and Dawn Princess, she
offers her 1,950 passengers a large number of cabins with private balconies (400+), two state- of-the-art
showrooms, two main restaurants, a 24-hour cafe, an oceanview fitness center, sports deck and 19 staterooms to
accommodate disabled passengers.

I had the pleasure of sailing on the December 19, 1998 maiden voyage of the Sea Princess from Fort Lauderdale,
Florida to the Western Caribbean. I traveled with my friend, Carol Carlson who had been on four previous cruises
this was my twenty-first cruise.

EMBARKATION

Our flight arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50 am and were met at the gate by a Princess Representative. As
passengers began to arrive, the Princess Representatives (who were very prevalent in the airport) asked everyone
to congregate in a specific area. At approximately 12:00 noon, the bus arrived, we boarded and were on our way to
the terminal. NOTE: If you put your Sea Princess luggage tags on the luggage when you checked in for your flight to
Ft. Lauderdale, Princess will take your luggage off the carousel and transport it to the terminal, you will not see it
again until onboard ship.

After a short ride to the terminal, we saw the Sea Princess in the distance. Princess personnel were in abundance
as we stepped from the bus and made our way into the embarkation room. Check-in was by cabin numbers and
you went to the appropriate line. If another line had no passengers, the clerks would call someone from another
line over to their line. All in all, it went very smoothly and we were on the ship at 12:45. Suites and mini-suites had a
separate check-in line.

Once onboard we were met by ships staff who directed us to our stateroom. We were not escorted but found that
this was no problem. There was staff at every elevator, stairwell and hallway on the ship to ensure that you could
find your way around. We easily found our way to D337.

STATEROOM

We were in a Category F, outside obstructed view stateroom, this meant that one of the lifeboats was hanging
outside the window. Plenty of light was able to come into the room. The beds could be configured together as one
or as two twins. There was ample drawer and closet space. Bathrobes were provided for use in the room. There
was a small refrigerator, television and hair dryer in the room and all in all was a very comfortable room.

The bathroom was a typical cruise ship bathroom (small), but the shower itself was larger than on other ships I
have been on. There was plenty of shelf space to store personal items on.

One thing I would like to see in this room would be some hooks on the wall to hang clothes on while dressing.

PUBLIC ROOMS

Boarding the Sea Princess on Plaza Deck you enter the Grand Plaza, the four-story hub of much activity for the week.
The general ship layout is the same as that of the Sun Princess and the Dawn Princess. The décor and colors on
the Sea Princess are more vivid than that of her two predecessors. Overall, she is a very elegant and sophisticated
vessel. The Grand Plaza is accented in glass, brass and marble with a floating staircase sweeping from the Plaza
Deck to the Emerald Deck and two glass elevators going up the four stories.

On Plaza Deck level is the Purser's Desk and Shore Excursion Desk. There is ample space to lounge in one of the
comfortable chairs and sofas provided and sip a drink from the bar conveniently located on this deck. Plaza Deck
also has one of the two Dining Rooms on the ship - the Neopolitan Dining Room. The Neapolitan is very pleasingly
appointed with tables in groupings, several raised slightly on platforms. Padded waist-high dividers helped to
dampen the noise. Wait staff were extremely efficient and friendly. Service herein was excellent. Dining here was a
pleasure and the noise level was not near as bad as the dining room on the Century. Conversations could be held
with ease, whereas on the Century you could hardly hear the person next to you.

Passenger staterooms are located forward on Plaza Deck.

Up one level from the Plaza Deck to the Emerald Deck you find the Princess Shops, including the logo shop which
had a great selection of Sea Princess and Princess Cruises logo wear. This shop also sold casual wear for men
and women as well as necessities like toiletries. Across the Atrium from this shop was the jewelry store and
formal-wear boutique. The second dining room, the Sicilian Dining Room, a virtual twin to the Neopolitan Dining
Room is located on this deck. Passenger staterooms are located forward on this deck as well.

Up another level you find yourself on the Promenade Deck (yes, this ship has a wrap around Promenade Deck),
where most of the ship's nightlife takes place. Located on this level you find the Atrium Lounge where you can sit
and have a drink while listening to piano melodies.

Heading forward from the Atrium Lounge, you find the nautically themed Wheelhouse Bar (where a live combo
plays). Décor in the Wheelhouse is geared to ships memorabilia, including a large ship model and paintings. The
quaint atmosphere in this room is enhanced by the comfortable leather sofas and high back upholstered wing
chairs. Past the Wheelhouse forward, you find the Princess Theatre. This is one of the best theatres afloat,
providing excellent entertainment in a room with no bad sightlines. It is decorated in deep red tones with large
paintings on the wall. One nice feature is that no waiters were trying to sell drinks during shows in this lounge.
Chairs are comfortable, each successive row elevated behind the other.

Heading aft from the Grand Plaza and Atrium Lounge, you find Rocky's Disco. Unlike some ships who have the
disco in a room that doubles as a lounge at other times during the cruise, this is a true disco designed for that
purpose only. Neon lighting supplements the dark purples and grays in this happening spot. The D.J. provided
fantastic music during the evenings, from disco onto today's popular hits.

Passing the Disco, you find the Library, which is a great place to sit in a comfortable chair and read a book or listen
to music on the self-contained headsets. The Card Room is opposite the Library and has numerous tables at
which to sit and play cards or board games, all the while looking out onto the Promenade and outlying ocean vista.
Continuing down the main hallway, you find the photo shop and gallery and the Vista Lounge. The Vista Lounge is
where additional entertainment for the evenings takes place. It is laid off in small seating groups of a settee, small
table and several chairs. During shows here, waiter dispense drinks as requested.

The Sea Princess divides the evening entertainment between the both the Princess Theatre and the Vista Lounge.
For example, one evening Neopolitan Dining Room guests would be asked to attend the show in the Princess
Theatre while the guests dining in the Sicilian Dining Room would be asked to attend the show in the Vista Lounge.
The next night, it would be switched. On one occasion, tickets were even handed out for the appropriate shows.

No passenger cabins are located on the Promenade Deck, which by the way, is true to name, with a traditional
wrap-around Promenade that saw many people happily strolling along, arm in arm.

The top level of the Grand Plaza takes you to Dolphin Deck and finds Lago's Pizzeria. This spot, decorated in
wrought iron tables and chairs, some with upholstered settee's was open from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and from
11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. This became a popular spot during the week and the pizza was excellent.

Located opposite Lago's is the Grand Casino, a large area with an abundance of slots (from $.25 machine to $5.00
machines) and the traditional gaming tables. A striking feature in the casino is the spiral staircase (going down to
the Promenade Deck) with a roulette wheel, stained-glass ceiling.

Passenger staterooms are located forward and aft on this deck.

The next three levels, Caribe Deck, Baja Deck, and Aloha Deck contain only passenger staterooms.

Up to the next level, Riveria Deck finds the Riveria Pool and Bar, the Childrens Center, the Teen Center, the Beauty
Parlor, Business Center, Princess Links and Oasis Spa and Health Center.

Note that the Business Center provided most computing needs, including PC's (hooked up to the Internet for a
charge of $7.50 for fifteen minutes) and a fax.

Lido Deck contains the Horizon Court 24-hour restaurant, Grill and ample deck chairs for lounging in the sun. The
Horizon Court provides buffet's for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Buffets are closed in the evenings and the forward
area is used as the Bistro. The Bistro provides an alternative sit down restaurant, with fare different from that in the
Dining Rooms. In the evenings, music and dancing is provided in the center are of the Horizon Court. One nice
feature of the Horizon Court on this class of ships, is the fact that it provides a very relaxed and intimate
atmosphere. Buffet lines are set aside and can be closed off and the room has various elevations and great views
of the outside world around. This provides for a much better setting than some ships buffet areas that resemble a
cafeteria. This is a very pleasant room on the Sea Princess.

The Grill offers hamburger and hot dog fare with french fries on the open deck. Deck chairs are located on Lido
Deck overlooking the pool, down the sides of the ship and around the back to the Oasis Bar, overlooking the Oasis
Pool.

Sun Deck contains ample space for deck chairs and a wading pool forward and a paddle tennis court aft,

DINING

Both Dining Rooms served early seating at 6:00 p.m. and late seating at 8:45 p.m. Food was up to par with my past
experiences on Princess and I have viewed that food as excellent. The Matre'd and Head Waiter came to the table
every evening to chat and try to get you to eat the pasta they preparing. Flexibility was one of the key words on this
cruise. If something did not suit you, the Princess staff were happy to accommodate you whether it meant bringing
you more of a favorite dish or preparing something special, it was no problem. Our waiter, David and busboy,
Constantine were the best. David has just been promoted to a Head Waiter on the Grand Princess and will be
leaving the ship soon.

Not only in the Dining Room, but throughout the ship, I found the staff to interested in pleasing the passenger and
they went out of their way to do so.

One thing to note was that the late seating was at 8:45 p.m., and the evening shows usually began at 10:50 p.m.
Most tables were finished and out of the dining room by 10:40 or so, but our table never made it to the evening show
on time.

ENTERTAINMENT

Evening entertainment varied from the production shows like 'Glamour' and 'Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance' to comedians,
magicians and ventriloquists. The production shows were done with flare, with great enthusiasm shown in the
dancing and singing by the entertainers.

THE WEEK ON SHIP

Saturday, December 19, 1998 - Excitement rose as time drew nigh for the departure of the Sea Princess from Fort
Lauderdale for it's maiden voyage. A countdown was held over the loudspeaker system, the ships whistle blew and
we were off. Cruising past the condos leaving Port Everglades, we saw send off signs and had the typical
horn-blowing, light-flipping send off. Princess had set off fireworks earlier in the week, so there were none at this
particular time. Attire for the evening was casual.

Sunday, December 20, 1998 - Princess Cays. What an absolutely lovely and tranquil spot. We arrived slightly
behind schedule and tendering began late. Tickets were handed out and you were called to tender over. Open call
tendering was opened at about 1:00 p.m. at which point tickets were no longer needed to go ashore. Princess Cays
is a great spot and Princess has it done first rate. Stone walkways mark paths between the shops, bars,
hammocks and beach chairs. You can lounge on a hammock, beach chair, rent a jet ski or float. Princess also
serves a beach barbecue.

This was the first formal night with the Captains Cocktail party held in the Grand Plaza.

Monday, December 21, 1998 - At Sea….AH…This is the life. The weather was warm, the sun shining. Attire for the
evening was casual.

Tuesday, December 22, 1998 - Ochos Rios, Jamaica - Since this is not one of my favorite places, we took a
shopping tour which left at noon. We slept late, ate a leisurely breakfast, then went ashore to meet our tour. It was a
nice tour with the highlight for me being the Wassi Art Pottery Factory. Coming back ashore, I ran into Ray, my
assistant cabin steward from this past summers journey into Scandinavian/Russia (on the Royal Princess). He has
now been promoted to a cabin steward. The Westerdam was also in port. This evenings attire was casual.

Wednesday, - December 23, 1998 - Georgetown, Grand Caymen - I took advantage of the opportunity with everyone
off the ship and enjoyed having the ship virtually to myself. This was a busy day in the island with the Imagination,
Westerdam and the Veendam also in port. Tendering here went quite smoothly. This evenings attire was casual.

Thursday, - December 24, 1998 - Cozumel, Mexico - We got off the ship and went shopping at the local shops and
vendors. It was a very hot day, but Santa Claus greeted us as we got off the ship. This evenings attire was
semi-formal.

Since this was Christmas Eve, at midnight, there was an interdenominational service and a Catholic Mass.

Friday - December 25, 1998 - On Christmas morning the pastry chef's had prepared a chocolate village and nativity
scene that was on display in the Grand Atrium. At 10:00 am, there was a service of Christmas Carols and Scripture
as well as a Mass. Santa arrived shortly before noon and before each seating, crew gathered in the Grand Atrium to
sing Carols. Throughout the day, a festive mood prevailed with wait staff running around in shorts and Santa hats.
This evenings attire was casual.

Saturday - December 26, 1998 - We were up early to get breakfast and prepare for early debarkation.

DEBARKATION

We had an early flight home (11:10 am), so I was somewhat concerned about the debarkation process. We had
arranged our own airfare, but had given the flight information to Princess upon embarkation. Delta, American and
US Air were supposed to board the ship and provide luggage tags and boarding passes for their passengers,
irregardless of whether they had used Princess air or not. US Air and Delta did not show up. Princess had us off the
ship and at the airport in good time. We were checking at the Delta curbside counter at 9:15 am.

The whole process was efficient and quite organized, overall going very smoothly.

ENDING

In short, the Sea Princess is absolutely beautiful-her color schemes vivid and her décor warm and inviting. She was
a complete joy on which to sail and it was thrilling to see everything so fresh and new. At first, some of the crew
seemed nervous, but by the second day, they were into the routine of their jobs. Passengers were very upbeat
throughout the week. It was a fantastic cruise!

To those planning to sail on the Sea Princess, note:

1) There are self-service laundry facilities on board 2) Hagen-Daas ice cream bar is available at a charge 3) There
were hair dryers and refrigerators in the rooms 4) The art auctions are run by Princess and are much less obtrusive
than on other ships. 5) The dining options are varied. I enjoy skipping the dining room one evening to eat elsewhere
and the Bistro did an excellent job. 6) The pizza is excellent. 7) Deck around the pool and immediately above pool,
and around Oasis pool gets crowded. My favorite place to relax in the sun was forward up by the splash pool on Sun
Deck. This are did not get near as crowded as the other areas. 8) There were abundant tables around the pool and
the deck above on which to eat lunch. 9) I carried my own liquor and sodas on board and consumed them in the
room with no problem and no questions asked.

Beginning with her Dec. 19 inaugural cruise, Sea Princess will sail on a 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary,
departing from Fort Lauderdale and calling at Princess Cays (the Line's private beach in the Bahamas), Ocho Rios,
Grand Cayman and Cozumel. In April, she repositions to Alaska for the summer season.

Princess Cruises is one of the three largest cruise lines in the industry and operates a fleet of nine ships deployed
on approximately 70 different itineraries calling at more than 230 ports worldwide. The company currently carries
approximately half-a-million passengers annually and, with three more ships currently on order, will have about
22,500 berths and carry 1 million passengers each year by 2001.

John C. Mills, Senior Programmer/Analyst, Gaithersburg, MD Email: cruiseaholic@hotmail.com

Name: Rick Norton
Email: rickcop@prodigy.net
Age: 48
Occupation: Legal Professional
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: 1/30/99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 100
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 50
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 100
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Feb 1999
Time: 22:51:20
Remote Name: 209.156.109.16
Remote User:

Comments

Actually, my wife and I sailed on the Sea Princess, not the Sun Princess. However, the Sea Princess was not on
the selection list. My wife and I travelled with my mother-in-law aboard the Sea Princess to the Western
Caribbean. Overall, we found this new ship to be all that it has been touted to be. The only negatives about the
ship were the cabin size and the tight casino. With regard to the cabin, it does not accommodate three people
very well. The quarters were tightly cramped and the square footage was only 42 sq. ft. There was no chair in
the room although out stateroom steward brought us one a few days into the cruise. I would not recommend an
inside cabin for more than two people.

The casino on board was modern and the staff friendly and helpful. However, I heard quite a few complaints from
passengers regarding how tight the slot machines were. I personally watched one woman put almost $2000 into
a dollar slot one evening and she won nothing. The gaming tables were better.

The overall cruise itinerary was good with the exception of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We had been forewarned by our
travel agent as well as by the cruise brochures that the people in Ocho Rios were most aggressive and that it
was highly advisable to travel in small groups. With the exception of Dunn's River Falls, which was a blast, we
didn't find anything positive about the island. To begin with, we had struck an agreement with a cab driver (a red
cab as suggested) only to find him charging us twice the agreed upon price when he returned us to the ship. In
fact, he locked the doors on his cab and wouldn't let us out until we paid him what he was asking. Although I
wanted to argue, it was easier to just pay the man than to risk getting arrested.

We did some shopping in the Taj Majal mall, which was on the ships' recommended list. On average, the store
personnel were rude, pushy and not very knowledgeable about the products we were looking at (jewelry). In one
store, the Tropicana Jewelers, the clerk actually had us removed from the store for questioning the price he was
offering for a Byzantine gold chain. To be honest, we couldn't get back on the ship fast enough.

Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico were wonderful. The people were friendly and helpful. Stores were a bit
pricy in Georgetown, GC, but Cozumel more than made up for it.

With regard to the ship, she's a beauty. On our first full day at sea (Monday), we went through 20-25 foot swells
and gale force winds. With the ships' stablizers extended, the ship was as steady as if it were sailing on smooth
waters. You will like this ship. The Captain of the Sea Princess was very outgoing and approachable (which is
unusual) and kept us abreast of the ship's happenings on a daily basis.

All in all, it was a great trip. I would, however, caution anyone who is going on this cruise, regardless of the cruise
line, to look into Ocho Rios carefully. Anyone who has questions should feel free to e-mail me and I'll be happy to
help in any way I can.

Name: Joe Blazenski
Email: jblaze@teleport.com
Age: 52
Occupation: Systems Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: 2/6/99
Itinerary: Western Car. Ocho Rios/Caymen/Cozumel/Princess Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 94
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Feb 1999
Time: 20:07:44
Remote Name: 216.26.16.147
Remote User:

Comments

This was our second cruise as well as our second Princess cruise. Our last was on the Regal Princess to Alaska
last September.

We tended to make a lot of comparisons between the two ships. The Regal definitely came out ahead in most
cases. It had a larger cabin quieter dining room and much better theater and cruise director. The staff seemed
more personable on Regal as well.

The Sea had more swimming pools and outside deck space, but also had 25% more people in 10% more
tonnage. The deck by the pools at sea reminded me of the public swimming pool when I was a kid growing up.
Very crowded, but there was always a deck lounge available and the tails of people hogging all of them was not a
problem.

The buffet areas were much better than the Regal. There were always seats and the food area was well laid out
and never a bottleneck, even at the busiest of times.

The layout of the Sea was a little confusing. Aft elevators and stairwells only went to deck 7 so we always had to
use 2 elevators to go to dinner. Traffic flow forced you to go through the picture gauntlet or the Casino (your
choice). Traffic flow seemed a second thought to the ship designer, or maybe first thought so that you always
had to by somewhere that could extract your money.

The dining room was noisey because of the low ceilings. The theater had cramped seating and a low height
stage that limited what the shows could do. The shows were generally good with the last being the best (Gotta
Sing/Gotta Dance). We actually went twice to it.

The itinerary was a one time deal for us, we would definitely not do Western Caribbean again. My wife especially
liked the Princess Cayes private island, though I found it just OK. I grew up going to the beach whenever I
wanted in the Los Angeles area when it was a lot less crowded than now.

Ocho Rios was a real eye opener. I haven't seen such poverty since the Vietnam war. The people were friendly
but extremely pushy. Dunn's falls was fun and well worth the visit. Stick with the Princess tours if you want to go
on one!

Grand Caymen swimming with the stingrays was the highlight of the trip. If you haven't done it, definitely do it.
Caymen is a wealthy place and had lots of shore based tour operators to take you to the stingray shallows for
half the cost of the Princess package.

Cozumel was a nice enough town, but not a place we would visit again. The biggest enigma was the tour to
Tulum. The only way to get to see the ruins is spend most of your time in Cozumel on a tour from Princess. At
$72 a person, it certainly wasn't worth the price, but then there is no other alternative on how to get there. The
"basic meal" was an embarassment to Princess. Canned tuna mix with crackers! If you have been to Chechen
Itza, don't bother with Tulum unless you have a specific assignment to see these particular ruins. They are
featured on the cover of the Princess brouchure with good reason. They generate the most profits for Princess.

We bought the air package from Princess. It was ontime to the minute from Portland Oregon. There were a few
problems. The flight from Portland to Ft Lauderdale managed to get us one box of cherrioes for almost 8 hours
of flying with no chance to eat in Houston because of the short time between planes. We arrived at the ship very
late in the afternoon and some of the prime fishing tours were already sold out before we were even on board.
Fishermen beware! The boarding was very short since we were about the last people to board.

Disembarkation was a little confusing because buses were in different places depending on your airline. We
almost missed getting the one to Delta because it was poorly marked. The flight back was early arriving in
Portland with a surprizingly good dinner on the flight from Dallas to Portland.

All in all this was not up to the standard set by our Alaska cruise on Princess. Most everything that was important
to us was a notch down from Regal. That is not to say it wasn't indulgently luxurious, which it was. From talking
with other people we had chosen an exceptional first cruise to Alaska so most anything else would be a step
down regardless of what it was.

Would we sail on the Sea or one of its sister again, sure. Would we choose Regal over Sea if we had the choice -
yes.

Back to Sea Princess

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