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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Lucie Duncan
Email: lbsha@aol.com
Age: 25
Occupation: UPS package handler
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: 4/03/99
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: C707/J
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 99
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 97
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 93
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 99
AirSeaProgram: 92
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 98
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 99
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Sep 2000
Time: 04:35:10
Remote Name: spider-te023.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
We took a cruise on the Sea Princess over Spring Break 1999. My husband, our four-year-old
daughter and I had an inside stateroom with a third berth on the Caribe Deck while my parents,
15-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother were in an outside balcony stateroom on the Aloha
Deck. We were very impressed with the space and amenities in our stateroom (especially the
refrigerator and hair dryer.) However, my parents were shocked to realize how much inside space
was sacrificed for the balcony. In order to be comfortable during the day they had to put both
upper bunks back into the wall. We chose to have our airfare and transfers included. Even though
we could have purchased airfare more inexpensively on our own, we appreciated the convenience
of knowing everything was taken care of for us. The transfers in Ft. Lauderdale were very well
executed.
We easily found the Princess representative in the airport and had only a five minute
wait on the bus before we departed for the ship. Since we had completed and returned our
immigration paper work and credit card information prior to arrival, we were able to make it through
the boarding process in less than ten minutes. It was incredibly well organized. The food onboard
ship was overall very good. The variety is excellent not only in the main dining room, but also in the
alternate dining choices. Be warned! The room service menu is very limited and our hot selections
were lukewarm at best when they reached our stateroom. Also, you are charged a high price for
Haagen Daas ice cream in the pool area. Our experience with the ship's staff over the entire cruise
was wonderful. Although the staff are from many different countries, the language barrier was easy
to overcome. All we had to do was listen more closely and ask if we didn't understand something
we were told. Not one staff member ever seemed annoyed that they had to repeat themselves. I'm
sure they are used to it! Every employee we encountered had a smile or a kind word and were
eager to be of assistance.
Our dining room waiter, Pompei, was a highlight of our cruise. He made
us want to attend dinner every night. The service in the dining room as well as the casino, alternate
dining, stateroom and deck was always top notch. They truly do wait on you hand and foot. We
have to give special mention to the dedicated counselors in the Children's Center. We were
apprehensive about leaving our young child in the care of strangers, but they quickly became like
members of the family. Being Spring Break, there were quite a few children onboard. However, by
Monday every counselor knew our daughter by name. We could not have been more impressed.
The only thing we could think of that we did not enjoy on our cruise were the constant
announcements and fliers about the art auction. By midweek it became a major annoyance. We
went ashore at each port mainly to shop, but we did take a few excursions. Dunn's River Falls is a
must! We took the Sundancer Cruise directly to the foot of the Falls and had a terrific time. By
coming in by boat, we avoided the pushy vendors.
In Cozumel, all we did was go shopping. There
are many shops selling unique items and we hit them all! Grand Cayman is hands-down our
favorite port. The beauty of this island is unbelievable. Unfortunately, we were unable to swim with
the stingrays but are told it is something we shouldn't miss the next time we're there. Princess Cays
was incredible. We could have spent the entire week lounging on the island. They even have a
special area strictly for children. In our opinion, it is one of Princess Cruises biggest assets. We
were extremely happy with our week on the Sea Princess. The highest compliment we can give is
that we will definitely book another cruise on the same ship. We hope you have as great a time as
our family did.
Name: Brian Keith
Email: keitbr@msn.com
Age: 29
Occupation: Network Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: 07/15/00
Itinerary: Alaska North and South
Cabin: C305 Inside Handicapped
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 92
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 93
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 97
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 93
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 97
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Sep 2000
Time: 11:25:14
Remote Name: 169.204.228.146
Remote User:
Comments
My wife and I took the cruise both directions. We ended up having to take 2 weeks of vacation at the
last minute and it was only $150 more to take the cruise again as opposed to flying from Anchorage
back to Vancouver. One bit of advice if you decide to drive to Vancouver from the states, give your
self plenty of time to get across the border. We left Seattle at 10:00am expecting to get to Vancouver a
little after noon so we could spend some time downtown before the ship left. Unfortunately it took 5 1/2
hours to travel the 140 miles from Seattle. We boarded the ship as soon as we arrived in Vancouver
and only had an hour before the scheduled departure time. Getting to Vancouver was the only major
problem on our trip.
Embarkation was a breeze. They had people waiting to take our luggage outside the pier and they
directed us as to where to park We waited in line for 2 minutes and it only took about 5 minutes to
have our cards issued and board the ship.
The ship is beautiful but not as big as I had expected from reading the reviews. But this being the first
time either of us had seen a cruise ship we had very little to base our expectations on. Everything on
board was immaculate, there were always people out painting the outside areas and the inside areas
were always spotless. My favorite area was the Wheelhouse Bar. It has a very nice country club
atmosphere and the leather couches in here are very nice. There is also a great blues duet that plays
in here. Their names are Phil and Nancy and they are definitely worth checking out. The dining rooms
were nice but did tend to get a little noisy.
Our cabin was a handicapped room and we were hesitant about our cabin assignment due to some
bad experiences in handicapped hotel rooms. Luckily we did not request to change cabins and this
was the best decision we made. Our room was huge, and the bathroom had a very large shower and
plenty of elbowroom. There was enough closet and drawer space for the 2 weeks worth of clothing that
we brought. We looked at the other cabins while in Seward and we would not have traded with anyone
since all of the other cabins seemed very cramped and the bathrooms seemed like they would be
impossible to get ready in. The balconies were also very small and the space for them would normally
be part of the cabin.
Throughout the cruise there was never a problem getting a drink from the bar. There were waitresses
coming around so often it really became annoying but we quickly figured out that if you had a glass in
front of you that they didn't bother you. Our dining room waiters and assistants were excellent. Service
was impeccable and our waiter on the return trip, Martin, was a lot of fun. Every night he had a
different trick that he would show us, and there was always some friendly banter between him and the
assistant. Our room steward was also very good and continually greeted us by name and with a smile.
All in all service was excellent in all aspects.
The food on the ship was amazing, I would say it was better than the food we have had in even the
finest restaurants. The pasta was superb and the Prime Rib, Tenderloin, and Veal were the best I
have ever tasted. The deserts were amazing also. I have read reviews of people complain about the
food but at our table for 8 there was not a single complaint and everyone showed up for dinner every
night. I would also recommend that you take part in the formal nights. It was a lot of fun to get all
dressed up for dinner and to have everyone in eveningwear.
The ports of call were interesting and there was plenty to do on your own. We did all of our own tours
since the ones through the ship were very expensive. In Skagway we really enjoyed the Park service
tour through the restored buildings and the explanation of the history of the town. It was very
entertaining and also free. The bus tour up to White Pass was also very nice since we got to stop
numerous times at the different sights and take pictures plus it also went further into Canada than the
train ride does. This tour also cost about 1/3 what the train ride costs. Skagway was probably our
favorite city. While in Juneau we took the tram to the top of the hill where they have a very nice visitors
center and some great nature walks were we got to see some bears at about 100 yards. They also
have a good state museum if you enjoy that sort of thing. The trolley car ride through town was
entertaining and a great way to get around the city. The Mendenahl Glacier was a disappointment but
the Parks service visitor's center there was nice. Ketichkan has the best shopping of all of the three
cities. We got all of our gifts here. It is a very small town so we were able to walk to everything that we
wanted to see here. It is worth going to Creek Street just to see the salmon. They are so thick here
that you can not see the bottom of the creek for all the salmon in it. One thing we would recommend is
to visit the other princess ships while in port. It is a great way to check out the other options and to try
the different restaurants on the other ships. Just show them your cruise card and they let you right on.
I found the recommendations that others made for what to bring very helpful so I will list some of the
things we found helpful. First off a backpack should be mandatory, it makes life much easier in port.
Second bring a portable clock since the rooms don't have them and it is difficult to tell what time it is
when you wake up. Bug spray is very important since the misquotes are the size of humming birds.
And don't forget your swimsuit since there is nothing like sitting in a hot tub watching glaciers calving
into the ocean.
I hope this review was helpful and enjoy your trip.
Name: John
Email: johnss@brightpoint.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Director of IT
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sea
SailingDate: October 28, 2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: C321
FoodDiningRoom: 91
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 94
CabinAmenities: 94
FoodLidoDeck: 81
DiningRoomService: 94
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 94
DeckService: 94
ShoreExcValue: 92
GoodForHoneymoon: 97
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 97
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 97
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 89
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 96
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Nov 2000
Time: 20:29:49
Remote Name: ct462299-a.nblvil1.in.home.com
Remote User:
Comments
This is my wife and my first cruise on Princess. We have sailed the Carnival Ecstasy (96), Celebrity
Galaxy (99), and the Celebrity Mercury (99). We have been impressed with Celebrity in most cases
and we wanted to sail Princess to form our own opinion on which we liked better. We were sailing with
my mother and her friend who are in their late 60's. My wife and I are in our mid-30's. We chose inside
guarantee's and we were in room C321 and my mother was in C315 which is a handicap room.
To help you understand our review, I think it is important for you to understand what is important to us
on a cruise. We cruise for the food, camaraderie, and meeting new people. We do not expect true
5-star dining on a cruise that has to feed 1000 people per seating. We expect good, fast, courteous
service in all areas of the ship. Entertainment is not as important, but we like to see it. We are not big
dancers, gamblers or drinkers so the bars and casino's are not that important.
With that information, here is a re-cap of our cruise. You will notice at times that I get very picky about
things. Please note that I am splitting hairs to show why I might prefer Princess or Celebrity over one
another. We had a great cruise and we would sail Princess again. Please take this with a lot of salt.
These are my opinions and probably won't match yours.
October 27.
Arrived the day before our cruise departs. We booked the travel on our own and the flight was smooth
and on time. We normally like to stay at the AmeriSuites, but due to our late booking and a boat show
in Ft. Lauderdale, we had to take a room at the Ramada Airport. The room was $59 and this should
speak for it self. The room was adequate for one night. The main problem was that there is nothing
within walking distance. Half the vending machines did not work and there was no food vending
machine. The bar food was okay except for the cook who keep playing with his hair while preparing
the food. We decided to try the dinning room that evening. Went in at 7:05 PM and were told we had
to have the buffet because the cook was too busy to handle the menu items. We had a big lunch at
the Cheesecake factory at the Sawgrass Mills Mall so we did not want the buffet. A couple were
leaving at the same time this was happening and said the buffet was the worst food they had ever
had. We passed on dinner all together and saved the calories for the cruise. The shuttle from the
airport to the Ramada was very good and check-in staff were excellent. The front desk seemed to
care.
Sawgrass Mills Mall is great. It is huge. We spent 4 hours there and you could spend a day it is so big.
From our hotel that was close to the airport, it cost between $30 to $35 each way with tip. Cheesecake
factory was great. The salmon was excellent along with the pasta. The white-chocolate macadamia nut
cheesecake is to die for.
Day one ended frustrating, but overall it was a great start to a vacation.
Day 1 - October 28.
After a morning adventure at the Ramada, we arrived at the port at 11:30 AM. One thing I noticed was
that Princess does not have complementary lemonade or fruit punch while you are waiting to embark
like Celebrity does (splitting hairs here). That was a non-issue, because at close to noon, they opened
up the embarkation process. There was an initial long line to scan your luggage but that only took 10
minutes in the worst case. You then proceed to one of several dozen check-in lines. I did not see one
that was longer than two or three couples. We were on the ship and in our rooms by 12:30 PM.
Princess does have the embarkation process down. Our luggage arrived by 3 PM. We had
pre-booked on the Princess web site shore excursions and they were in our room by 3 PM as well. If
you send or expect gifts or flowers from family or friends, they will be delivered to your room by 3 PM
as well.
We were in room C321 which is a standard inside on the Carib deck. It measures 7.5' wide by 17.5'
deep. Took a tape measure to make sure. This comes to 131 square feet compared to the advertised
148 square feet. (I can't believe I miss-marked my measurement by 2', but it is possible.) Within that
space you have your closets, desk, and bathroom. This is a small room compared to the Celebrity
standard inside. Princess did a good job utilizing the space. We had plenty of room for all our clothing
and stuff. You do not feel as cramped in the cabin when you are getting ready, but that comes at a
cost of the bathroom space. The bathrooms are small. If you drop the soap in the shower, forget it you
are on your own unless you step out of the shower into the bathroom area. There is very little storage
space in the bathroom compared to the Celebrity Century class ships. The handicap room C315 is
huge. If you are handicap and require a wheel chair, the handicap rooms will accommodate you. They
are every bit of 218 square feet.
We then proceeded to the Horizon Court for lunch. It is a little chaotic like others have written. I am
used to Celebrity where you get a big tray and when you are done getting your food items, a white,
gloved attendant takes the female's tray and helps you find a seat. That is really a nice pampering
touch in which they don't do on Princes. Is that a big deal, no just a nice touch that is missing. The
plate they do give you in place of a tray is very large and held everything that I wanted. In addition,
they did have an attendant pouring the ice tea and that sped that process along. On the inside line
(center of the ship, there are two lines one on port and one on starboard) is the hot food selections. In
the middle is a salad bar and whole fruit (apples, bananas, pears, etc.), and on the right are cold food
selections which included fruit, smoked fish and meat, breads, and desserts. I found the buffet food
much better than on Celebrity.
We were in the early seating for dinner. We prefer that because we don't like to go to bed stuffed.
Dinner was good along with the service. We had a table for six and our other two table mates were
from Indiana as well. The appetizers were good that we had (spring rolls and shrimp cocktail). The
soups were hot and in the traditional puree style. Salad was fresh, and crisp. The main course was
good, but I have to rate Celebrity as better. I had the salmon. It was not hot by the time it got to me a
little over done, but I still found it a very good meal. The pasta was excellent along with the prime rib. A
seafood stuffed pastry was excellent as well. Desserts were very good. They have the best ice cream
in the dinning room and it is at no charge.
The evening show was good, but normal opening night in that it gave you a small taste of what you
would get all week. The comedian was very good. A very good first day.
Day 2 - Princess Cay
The day dawned bright and beautiful. It was a perfect day and the sea was a sheet of glass. We had
breakfast in the dinning room and meet four wonderful people. We love eating in the dining room and
meeting new people. We also think the food is better than the buffet.
We picked up a tender number, which is used to speed the tender process and it works well. Once our
number was called we proceeded down to the tender and we were on board and going within minutes.
An excellent process. We were at the beach within 5 minutes. If you have elderly or handicap people
that can walk with a cane, the process is easy and our member had a great time. The water is a
beautiful clear blue. The sand is white and the swim area is calm. The snorkeling is poor, but people
had fun. We rented two rafts at $8 each for all day and floated around in the ocean. Most of the
activities and people are on the North Bay side. There are plenty of chairs and hammocks. There
were many water dispensers with fresh water and ice throughout the area and bar waiters were by
often. We decided to eat at the BBQ at the Cay instead of going back to the dinning room on the ship.
The BBQ is good, but not spectacular. The food was fully cooked (sometimes I find that hamburger is
undercook at these BBQs) and fresh. The chicken was a little dry but very tasty. Hamburgers were
cooked well and the ribs were good. You can get salad, slaw, baked beans or another dish that I did
not recognize as a side. For desert they had small cookies that were good or un-iced brownies that
were tasty. They also had Ice Cream that they charged for which we did not get. Bar drinks come in
small or large cups. We got a large strawberry daiquiri. It was big and strong. Princess Cays is a very
clean facility with friendly staff and plenty of room. We gave it two thumbs up. I am not sure if there is
ever more than one Princess ship here at a time. There is plenty of room for one ship, but two would
make it very, very crowded.
We returned at 2 PM to iron our clothes for formal night. A good idea if you want to beat the crowd.
The laundry facilities are an A++ and a great weakness (lacking) on Celebrity.
Captain's party was this night in the Grand Atrium. It was very nice and there were a wide variety of
drinks available. There are four places for formal pictures. One being on Deck 7 as you are trying to
go to the Vista Lounge for your show. That area was a mess and people keep walking into the
photographer's way. Dinner was good, but there have been a few minor things that I felt Celebrity was
better at than Princess. For two straight nights, the waiter and bus boy have put a dish in front of the
wrong person. This happened two or three times each of the first two nights. I like ice tea and on
Celebrity, they would have ice tea waiting at my seat upon my arrival at dinner and my glass would
never get more than half empty before they would bring me a new glass on Celebrity (splitting hairs).
Tonight, like last night, I had to ask for ice tea. I got my first glass after I had finished my appetizer and
I was half way through my soup. I then had to ask for a second after my soup, and I did not receive it
until my dessert and I had to ask a second time. A positive for the bus boy, he realized he forgot and
he apologized. That is all I ever ask is for someone to admit they made a mistake and be genuinely
sorry and he was at that. I will give the staff credit if you wanted something a little special, they always
tried to accommodate you. At lunch, the dinning room served vanilla chocolate chip ice cream, which
is my favorite, but I missed it being at Princess Cays. I ask if they could get me some at dinner and if
they couldn't bring me a banana desert. They brought me both chocolate chip ice cream and the
banana dessert. Our tablemats wanted soft crescent rolls instead of the hard style rolls they served.
They brought the crescent rolls within minutes.
They separate the dinning rooms for the shows. We were in the Sicilian and our show was in the Vista
Lounge and those in the Neapolitan went to the Princess Theater. The show was a Polish violinist.
She was very good and she played about an hour.
Day 3 - At Sea
We were up and about at 8 AM. We had breakfast in the Sicilian dining room. Service was excellent
and the food was good. We did the Bridge tour at 9:30 AM. We got tickets from the information deck
the previous day at 3 PM and they don't advertise it. It was a half an hour and was really worth it. I
highly recommend it. We then went to the Culinary Demonstration in the Vista Lounge. Graham the
cruise director hosted it with Mario the Maitre d'Hotel and Executive Chef Antonio Costantino. It was a
funny, entertaining demonstration and was as good as the comedy in the main theater. We had a
blast and recommend it. Take your camera.
We had lunch in the dinning room. Service was very good and the food was good. Went on deck 10 to
the back of the ship. There are plenty of deck chairs available. Many places to just get away from it.
Went to read on back of deck 10 and ended up sleeping for over an hour in the breeze with Cuba on
the starboard side.
Dinner was very good. The lamb chops were very good and both fish preparations were prepared
well. Service was excellent. The only botch was our table mates ordered a Merlot and the waiter
brought a Cabernet. My belief is that we have a very new and inexperienced waiting staff. They are
hard workers and try their best so that overshadows any mishaps.
The show in the Princess Theater 'Rhythms of the City' was very good and it blew away anything that I
have seen on Celebrity as far as production shows go. I still don't like the theater itself, but the
production was very good. We ended the evening by wondering around the ship. Casino was not very
crowded. The casino is bigger than Celebrity's with room to get in and out of the aisles. There were a
lot of people in the Grand Atrium doing sing along and having a ball. Hard to believe three days are
now over.
Day 4 - Ocho Rios
We started the day with breakfast at the Horizon Court and then watched the docking at Ocho Rios.
We were docked by 8 AM and we headed for our ship booked tour. We booked the Catamaran Party
Cruise and Dunn's River Falls excursion. We had a large catamaran that probably held 40 to 50
people but there were only 19 on the first sailing. This is a great tour and my wife and I found it worth
the $39. The crew was very helpful and friendly. It took about 20 minutes to get to the falls. The falls
were great. You will get totally wet. The main reason is that your guide makes you get wet. The water
is cool, but not terrible. This is a great time, but not for those that have trouble with their knees, legs
or balance.
We had lunch at the Dinning Room. The food was good, and our server was outstanding. The
waitress got my wife's tea right away and had a second glass before the first was empty. We then
walked to the Taj Mahal shopping center. It is an easy 5 minute walk from the ship at the Main Pier.
You are asked if you want a taxi or your hair braided every few feet, but it was not overwhelming and
they took a firm, but polite 'No thank you maan' and they would leave you alone. We did not find the
locals as pushy as many have posted on the boards. On the way back, my mother did not want to walk
and we did take a cab. No problem finding one and the driver was very nice and friendly.
We had tee in the dinning room. We really enjoy this on the Princess. It is first class and you can meet
a lot of nice people. Dinner was great. It was Halloween and this was the first year that they let the
crew staff dress up. Every one of the staff was dressed up and they had decorated the dinning rooms
and the grand atrium. It was very well done. Many guests dressed up as well. It was a fun night. About
every dinner item had pumpkin in it. It was a very good dinner. All the items were well prepared and
tasty. My only issue that is consistent night in and night out is the service level. Our waiter Daniel and
our assistant waiter Dan gave a very good effort, but it is frustrating to order ice tea and hot tea
before dinner and not to get it until after the second course. Our table mat ordered soup, but did not
get it
(I know that I will get snide replies on the board about being to picky or that I have to great of
expectations. On the contrary, I am happy with the cruise and these are not big issues. I continue to
point this out so that you can understand why I say Celebrity is better. Again, this could be luck of the
draw in waiter assignment, but I have never had this kind of service on my two Celebrity cruises, which
I am comparing this cruise to. Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America compete for the premium
cruise ship market. I do not expect the food to be true gourmet because there is no way you can get
that when you are serving 1000 people in 2 hours twice a night. The food is really very good
considering the numbers. However, there is no reason that I should not get 5-star service. I have
eaten at 5-star places. I should not have to ask for refills on ice tea, nor should my glass become
empty. They should be able to put the right plate in front of the right person, and they should get the
drinks to me in a timely manner. This can be controlled on a cruise ship. If a staff is falling short, the
head waiter over an area should see that and compensate, and the waiter and assistant waiter needs
more training, or they have too many tables and management needs to hire more staff.) I point these
little things out to demonstrate why I rate Celebrity at 94 and Princess at 92. These are both world
class cruise lines, but I have found that Celebrity does more of the little things to make the experience
a little better. I am sure that many will agree and many will disagree. These are just my experiences
and my opinion. I will sail both Celebrity and Princess again in the future.
We then went to the Vista Lounge for the 'Pub Night Comedy Show' hosted by Graham and his staff.
This was very, very, very funny. It is British humor at its finest. I was laughing so hard it hurt. Again,
the entertainment over all is much better on Princess than Celebrity. Take your camera or better your
camcorder.
Day 5 - Grand Cayman
Started the day in the Horizon Court for breakfast. We then took the ship tour 'New Waves Reef and
Wreck Snorkeling'. It departs from the pier and the tour stayed five minutes from the pier. This allowed
for ample snorkeling. The crew was great and both sites had a great variety of fish. We saw a small
turtle that was no more than 6 feet down. Very, very clear water.
We ate at Lago's Pizzeria for lunch. The pizza was good and I did not find it doughy like some have
written. Was it spectacular? No not in my opinion, but it was not bad. I recommend that you try it and
form your own opinions. I don't like having to tip the waiters there and I miss the ability to just stop by
and pick up a slice like you can on Celebrity.
Skipped tea today but we had a drink on the Sun deck as we pulled away from Grand Cayman. It was
French night in the Dinning room. The French Onion soup was very good according to my wife (I don't
care for it.) The escargot was not bad according to our tablemat's. The Salmon was good, but I found
the sauce to have a little too much olive oil taste for me. Four people had the Orange Duck. Three of
them thought it was good while the fourth thought theirs was to chewy. We ordered two extra plates of
the frog legs so everyone could try them. I thought they were over cooked and chewy. I would not
recommend them. Two of us ordered the raspberry crème brulee that was on the menu, but they did
not have it. To substitute, they brought us a chocolate, strawberry, vanilla soufflé with a lemon citrus
sauce that was out of this world. Glad they didn't have the crème brulee. Again, we had the same
nagging problems. Most of our drinks were brought in a timely manner, except my wife ask for another
container of hot tea that took almost 20 minutes to get and my wife ordered the French Onion soup
and they didn't bring it to her, and she had to request it a second time after everyone else had
received theirs and started eating.
The show in the Princess Theater was 'Glamour!' It was good, but not nearly as good as Monday
night's show. Still, much better than Celebrity. I enjoyed it.
Day 6 - Cozumel
Docked at the new main pier in the center of town. This was great. No taxi ride from the international
pier to town. We took the cruise lines 'Sail and Snorkel' tour. It was a wonderful time. The snorkel part
was okay. It was close to shore between the main pier and the international pier. It was calm and there
were many fish but little coral. The sail to the beach was wonderful and the beach facility was great.
They had volleyball and kayaks. It was a fun time. It is four hours from 10 AM to 2 PM, so we ate a big
breakfast, but they do have a grill there and for $7 you could get a big burger and many sides. The
ship crew was great. They had complimentary soft drinks, margaritas, and Dos XX beer on the boat
and at the beach. I had a liquid lunch of Dox XX beer instead of the burger.
We returned at 2 PM and had a quick lunch at the Riviera Grill. The fries were hot and the
cheeseburger was good. We then went into town for some shopping. Cozumel is a fun place and
being at the main pier made it convenient.
It was the Captain's Gala dinner. As my usual, I ordered two plates of lobster. They were excellent!
Each plate comes with two small tails that were tender and very sweet. Some at are table order a plate
of lobster and the Beef Wellington. The beef was good, but if you love lobster skip the Wellington and
go for two plates of lobster. The waiting staff started to settle in and there were no issues with the staff
today. A very good dinner.
Day 7 - At Sea
We were up late and had breakfast in the Horizon Court. It is a clear beautiful day out. We then went
down to deck 11 aft and found a nice spot to read and watch Cuba and the sea go by. At 11:30 AM,
we went on the Galley tour. It is incredible how they get so much food out so fast yet keeping it good
and fresh. We then had lunch. It was by far the best. The beef pot pie is to die for. The pastry top is
wonderful. The breaded pork was excellent along with the past in cheese and cream sauce. We saw a
singing performance in the afternoon that was excellent and then played the final Snowball Bingo.
Then it was back to the room and prepare for dinner.
It was Baked Alaska night and America night in the dinning room, but I didn't see anything that I would
classify as American dishes. I must admit that our waiter (Daniel) and our assistant waiter (Dan)
improved their performance considerably by the last night. Still not as good as the Celebrity service
we had, but they do try their best to please and they work hard. I will miss our table mates. We found
out that we are returning on the same plan to Indiana with them. What a small world.
We went to the Princess Theater for a juggling performance that was good, but the crowd was cold. I
felt bad for the performer because his show was great but the audience did not appreciate it. Towards
the end, the crowd did pick up. We then went to the talent show at 10:30 PM. There were nine or ten
acts, and all of them were great!
We got our bags out in the hall by 8:30 PM and they were well gone when we returned to our room at
mid-night.
Day 8 - Going Home
Because our tag was light blue 1, we were not scheduled to leave until the end of the disembarkation
process. No big deal our flight was not until 6:30 PM. Because of this, we got up at 7 AM and went and
had breakfast in the dining room at 7:45 AM. We were finished with breakfast by 8:40 AM. We
returned to our room and got our bags. I think we irritated Jose our cabin steward because he wanted
in to our room and we did not turn it over to him until just about 9 AM. Jose did an excellent job on our
room and was always helpful.
The ship cleared customs at about 7:10 AM and they started with the red numbers. Our color was
called at about 8:45 AM. Disembarkation went well. We found our bags quickly and in the correct
section of the warehouse. The only thing that is difficult is leaving the baggage warehouse. You have
to go left to get to the taxis and rental car buses. We had booked an Alamo car from the ship tour
desk. We found the Alamo bus quickly and we were on our way to the rental agency. It is close by and
everything was in order. My only complaint about Alamo in general is they are dog slow to get you
your car at the counter. This is something I encounter on a national level and Ft. Lauderdale is no
exception. We then went to the airport and checked our bags for the flight just to get rid of them and
went back to the Sawgrass Mill Mall.
The return flight on ATA was late by 40 minutes due to a mechanical problem on the inbound plane
before it left Chicago for Ft. Lauderdale. Home again. The real world is calling how sad.
Summary:
In summary, we liked Princess. Princess is a premiere cruise line player. The staff is very friendly and
they work hard to please you. The Sea Princess is a beautiful ship and well laid out. The only thing I
really didn't like was the Princess Theater. Not because of the theater style seats without the little
cocktail trays that everyone seems to miss, but because there or no far side aisles. Meaning there is
only one way in and out of the side rows and those that get there first take the seats by the aisle which
means you are always having to climb over people.
A thing that irritated me about the passengers and Princess is that Princess does not enforce the
dress code at dinner time in the main dining rooms. I saw more people wearing shorts and tee shirts
for dinner. My opinion is that the guidelines should be followed without exception except for the first
night if your luggage did not make it to the room in time. (I expect a few posts for this comment. This
seems to stir the pot.)
My opinion is that Celebrity is a little better than Princess. Please take that opinion with a lot of salt. I
highly recommend that you try both and form your own opinion. No matter what cruise line you
choose, you will have fun as long as you remember you are on a cruise and not at work and just go
with the flow. Don't let the little things get to you.
I hope this was helpful. I tried to keep an unbiased attitude. If you have questions or would like me to
e-mail you pictures, copies of the Princess Patter daily letter, or island guides, you can e-mail me at
pamsims@in-motion.net. I will try and send them too you as promptly as I can.
Happy sailing
John and Pam
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