What do you like best about Princess?

[Paul Motter]

As the editor of this site I see a lot of people reading but not many people posting - so I want to get people to leave their opinions.

How would you describe Princess as a cruise line compared to other lines - their strengths and weaknesses?

I personally think the line has classic, beautiful ships, NOT tacky or goofy (no singing waiters, etc.) and that their itineraries and tours are top notch. They also price their cruises very competitively.

By the way - the best way to buy a Princess cruise is when they have a sale on - they really do drop their prices, and raise them again when the sale is over. Do NOT pass up a Princess sale - they only come every few months.

[busterboy]

Princess is the best cruise line I have been on. I always enjoy the friendly staff from the cabin stewards to the dining halls. The ships are always clean..unlike some I have been on.
I enjoy the food a lot...the dining room's food is excellent as are the specialty restaurants.
It is always relaxing on board Princess Line Ships. I rate it a big 10!!!

[Paul Motter]

There are "clean" and "classy" ships, for sure. Not a lot of other specifics here yet.

[Dave Beers]

I like Princess. Really, I do. But I've never left a Princess cruise with a strong opinion one way or another, or with an indelible memory from the cruise. They do everything well, but nothing stands out to me. Perhaps I am looking too hard and not simply enjoying the cruise. The crew is nice and efficient. The food is good. The cabins are comfortable. The entertainment is perhaps the weakest point since it usually follows the staid old line of cruise revues and so forth.

Princess ships seem to be too cookie-cutter with no innovation. Of course the new Royal Princess looks to be interesting. I'll have to book it and see.

[seadog2]

Did Princess once and will never do it again. They showed too much indifference. Our service to say the least was poor to none. The whole cruise we had trouble getting service all over the ship. We are experienced cruisers and not picky. We cruise for enjoyment. We cruised the Sapphire Princess in 2005. I know some people love Princess but it's not for us.

[johnthed0g]

I heard Princess had a new loyalty level..''Premier Elite'' or something...I did a thread on Princess but had little response..anyone know about it?

[aspengal]

I find Princess ships abit big and boring. Same with food. But They have excellent longer itineraries.

[Donna]

It is true, Princess isn't as exciting as Carnival or Royal Caribbean for sure and their entertainment is average. They do, however have a great buffet, some really good crew and staff. I was pleasantly surprised I did enjoy my last Princess cruise...I also love that their pools are fresh water, but Royal Caribbean uses fresh water in their pools on Oasis and Allure of the Seas too.

I would cruise Princess again, no problem, especially in Alaska..

[Paul Motter]

Royal Princess is not a boring ship - they have some kind of entertainment happening in the atrium all the time, and then free OnDemand movies in your stateroom.

The staterooms are very comfortable, the food is good.
I think the thing that makes them unique is that they are really mainstream, pretty big ships, but they have great itineraries and tours. Their Med cruises are great, for example.

But the ships are not as exciting as Royal Caribbean, and not quite as posh as Celebrity, and more crowded than Holland America. Royal Princess is a beautiful ship.

And in fact they have a VERY loyal following, I think largely because they have a very consistent product, rarely do I see anyone say 'we went on Princess and never again!"

[RichC]

Originally Posted by johnthed0g

I heard Princess had a new loyalty level..''Premier Elite'' or something...I did a thread on Princess but had little response..anyone know about it?

I'm hoping for the same thing. Someday perhaps.

Royal Princess is not a boring ship - they have some kind of entertainment happening in the atrium all the time, and then free OnDemand movies in your stateroom.

Paul, Did you notice the HDMI inputs on the side of the wall mounted TV?
By any chance di you hear of anyone utilizing them for a DVD input? They might not be activated.

Originally Posted by seadog2

Did Princess once and will never do it again. They showed too much indifference. Our service to say the least was poor to none. The whole cruise we had trouble getting service all over the ship. We are experienced cruisers and not picky. We cruise for enjoyment. We cruised the Sapphire Princess in 2005. I know some people love Princess but it's not for us.

Funny you should have that opinion. I don't know what more they could possibly do for us each time we sail. Everyone from the head waiters/waiters to the cabin stewards were alway as helpful as they could possibly be - even approaching us to ask if there was anything more they could do.

[ksmithcci]

We've only been on a couple Princess cruises and they felt about the same to us as most other lines. One thing that did stand out for us is their night life. We like to stay out late and do some dancing and the ships we were on had decent venues with nice dance floors and decent live music.

[Paul Motter]

Paul, Did you notice the HDMI inputs on the side of the wall mounted TV?
By any chance di you hear of anyone utilizing them for a DVD input? They might not be activated.

This is something I also regularly check for, and no, there were no HDMI inputs available to the passenger. They very rarely are any more.

But with the movies on demand being FREE you really don't need a portable DVD player (unless it is for your kids or something).

Dancers are usually very picky about the dance facilities, (the right kind of wood floor, for example) so it is nice to know you approve. Do you plan to try a Holland America Dancing with the Stars cruise?

[RichC]

Originally Posted by Paul Motter

This is something I also regularly check for, and no, there were no HDMI inputs available to the passenger. They very rarely are any more.

But with the movies on demand being FREE you really don't need a portable DVD player (unless it is for your kids or something).

Dancers are usually very picky about the dance facilities, (the right kind of wood floor, for example) so it is nice to know you approve. Do you plan to try a Holland America Dancing with the Stars cruise?

When you say that HDMI inputs are rarely available any more, you must be referring to ships other than Princess's. HDMI inputs were available on Crown, Ruby, Grand, Island and Star Princess. The Emerald only had component inputs on their sets but it still worked fairly well.

[Paul Motter]

Yes - you are correct - I was thinking about ships other than Princess. I usually check on most ships because my laptop has an HDMI output. I was able to jack in on Norwegian Epic - but that's the last time.

I am pretty sure I checked on Royal Princess and did not see one available, not easily accessible and any case. The TV does not move much because it is already situated in a good viewing area.

[RichC]

Originally Posted by Paul Motter

Yes - you are correct - I was thinking about ships other than Princess. I usually check on most ships because my laptop has an HDMI output. I was able to jack in on Norwegian Epic - but that's the last time.

I am pretty sure I checked on Royal Princess and did not see one available, not easily accessible and any case. The TV does not move much because it is already situated in a good viewing area.

It would really be a shame if I couldn't connect to it since I keep a large collection of my own movies that I like available during a cruise - Most of which Princess would never offer since they would probably think them unacceptable for the general audience.

[Paul Motter]

Watch them on your laptop?

[RichC]

Originally Posted by Paul Motter

Watch them on your laptop?

That's an option although not a very good one, especially when they have large flat screen TV's in the cabin on the Royal.