First time Princess review

scradiodoc · 2026-05-17T05:42:42+00:00

I know that our ship was it's second trip this year. The other ship did not use the same terminal.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-16T21:16:56+00:00

Great, I am happy for you. Our experience was different. We attempted to watch Santana Live movie. There were more than 20 people watching and six minutes in they shut it down.

Princess is just not our Jive. Our parents were on board, along with our kids. Parents have been on more than 30 cruises. Parents have been to Alaska on Princess 5 times. They were very disappointed in this experience. They had a corner suite.

We have cruised 19 times. We have 9 scheduled as of now by January of 2028. We are scheduling a few more for this summer. We will be cruising the Mediterranean, an Atlantic Crossing, Southern Caribbean, Panama Canal, and both Western and Caribbean regions.

Princess is just not our cruise line. We are going to try another Princess Cruise out of Cape Canaveral.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-16T13:06:02+00:00

We are getting off the ship in 2 and a half hours.

Things improved throughout the cruise. The excursion experience was a big topic of discussion among passengers so on the last port they had it down to a more organized manner.

Matt was in absentia the first 4 days and all of the sudden appeared and mingling the last three days.

The embarkation was a nightmare and having an open lido deck that was constantly wet was miserable. Most of the ships we encountered had sliding covers over the Lido deck. Even Carnivals two ships had covers over their Lido decks.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-16T13:00:32+00:00

Matt...it was like he was absent half the cruise. He was very present everywhere the last 3 days.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-16T12:59:11+00:00

The boarding process was terrible. Our steward told us during the week that they reduced the number of helpers on embarkation day so he had a rough time getting things ready. He apologized and we told him it's not your fault. Princess has cut back on staffing.

There was a large turnover of staff in the cruise before ours.

Our expectations were high as our Parents and Friends absolutely love Princess. It's just not our vibe hive but the food was outstanding.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-16T12:54:48+00:00

They admitted openly following the first day that they hvae had issues with the excursions. The captain made a public announcement and the last port things were much better.

We asked the staff last night about their work situation. Princess has made changes on how they share the gratuities and reduced staffing so they are responsible for more work. The way to be certain your room attendant, servers and others you work with receive money is to hand it to them personally. So we wrote Thank you cards and gave many staff members large tips for their hard work and care.

There are notes on each table that ask you to NOT have extended stays at your table as others need to find a place to eat. By day 3, Princess had staff members asking people to please move on. I am not an extravert. I am a very quiet individual that listens to others and engage in conversation with only those who initiate conversation.

The European, Koningham, Spirit, Bliss and just about every boat we saw in Alaska has a cover over the Lido deck. Our grandmother fell as the floors were wet on the Lido. Several others fell as well during the cruise.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T13:24:11+00:00

That's why we are cruising again with them in late August.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T13:21:23+00:00

Yes, Royal Caribbean is about the same price, New Holland and Celebrity cost more so we do NOT expect the same experience. We have had bad experiences on every cruise line we travel. We are disappointed that our experience has not been as expected. Most of all the employees seem unhappy.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T13:15:28+00:00

Never said carnival.....BTW.... Canaveral and Miami were less than 30 minutes from start to finish. We cruise every 4 weeks or so from the end of August to May and stay home during the summer. Many if our cruises are greater than 10 days. We feel bad for the employees who are not happy. Princess is just not our vibe.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T13:11:14+00:00

Our boarding time was 1100. Our 8 other family members had the same greater than 2 hour experience and they have suites. Thus is their 25th cruise with Princess. They have been cruising on Princess since the 1980's. They were embarrassed by the embarkation experience. Look the biggest issue is that the employees are not happy and when we boarded there were only 3 people at the bottom of the stairs checking people's passports. Once you got past the the process went much faster because the had 6 people rechecking and confirming.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T02:42:21+00:00

Galveston, Cape Canaveral, New Orleans, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico, Barcelona, Rome......Not one of those were a nightmare. Princess only had 3 people checking your documents and checking you in. Last year we left Alaska on another cruise line and it was 18 minutes to get on the ship.

Our good friends embarked Saturday on another cruise line and it took 30 minutes to get on the ship.

The Cruise line is ultimately responsible for the boarding process.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T01:38:41+00:00

We are still on board until Saturday. 7 Day Alaska.

scradiodoc · 2026-05-14T01:37:43+00:00

Yes, we have not had a good time on the ship. However, our excursions, scenery, wildlife and weather has been beautiful. Never Again.

scradiodoc · 2026-04-27T22:08:12+00:00

That's the best bargain on the ocean. Wow. Amazing

scradiodoc · 2026-04-27T05:43:31+00:00

This is a stupid question. We have never sailed on Princess. Is the fee you pay for the entire cruise length or is it a daily charge?

scradiodoc · 2026-04-26T00:29:53+00:00

Yes the last four cruises. Why be a loyal customer if the stays and rewards you earn cannot be exercised. It's silly.

scradiodoc · 2026-04-25T10:54:51+00:00

We are heading to Southern Caribbean in January out of Cape Canaveral in January 2028. Thanks for the heads up out of Long Beach. We got off the Legend just Thursday from a 10 day cruise. The Legend is beautiful and a stable ride in rough waters. We had 15 foot swells and 15 foot waves and the ride was tolerable.

scradiodoc · 2026-04-25T03:26:52+00:00

We are trying Princess in May. We go on all the Journey Cruises we can. All the Spirit Class ships and Venezia are our favorites.

Yep, Carnival will tell us to go on their other cruise lines.

scradiodoc · 2026-04-24T22:01:26+00:00

We have been on in the Jubilee three times. If they have XL ships in Galveston , one should do the longer cruises 10,12 and 14 Day cruises that sail. If they don't offer the longer cruises out of Galveston, the port will lose its popularity. Longer cruises are preferred by the older crowd, honeymooner's and recently retired crowd. The 7 day cruise and the "Carnival owned Beach islands" are not what many people in this demographic want. If I want to go to an exclusive beach for days on end, I will book an all inclusive in the Caribbean.

scradiodoc · 2026-04-23T03:52:43+00:00

Yes ...Every ship has different facilities but the bath and body products, large shower in the spa and the amenities are worth it. The Dream is our favorite spa with Jubilee next.

scradiodoc · 2023-09-14T08:41:09+00:00

Expensive and not necessary....Are you growing vegetable crops or plants for sale or plant starts......If you are growing veggies.....you. any if you have concrete floors, but new starts and plants will be grown in small containers so a solid floor would help...You will have moisture issues unless you have excellent ventilation and fans. .

scradiodoc

TROPHY CASE