I would suggest signing up to the Princess mailing list for any special promotions they may have. We were offered a free cruise earlier this year and jumped at the offer. The latest offer we took was £1 deposit per person and half price on the Princess Plus Package
One of my favorite benefits of sailing with princess is being a member of the Casino Players Club. Spend some time in the casino, yes you need to gamble to qualify, and you will automatically receive offers for discounts on cruises and maybe onboard credits. On my latest booking, we sail on Nov.25, i received 35% off my cabin fare and I received $200 to use in the casino. It’s a really valuable benefit.
Have done 22 Princesses cruises,20 day Caribbean next week and then 2nd World Cruise January 2025 on the Island Princess. Generally VERY well looked after,staff,food,accommodation etc as well as our Cruise Planner keep us very satisfied and cared for. 20:33 .
@@silviaeastonborges5204 The Island was probably my least favorite ship. I didn't mind that it was small but was missing the International Cafe and a few other odd things about it. I would go on it again for a really good price/itinerary but it would be my last choice.
Just wanted to mention that once a movie is shown on "the big screen" on deck, it can be viewed in your cabin on the TV for free. Silly but useful tip.
Love their outdoor Movies. We did an Alaskan cruise, so it got cold but was was fun for us. You sold me on the upgrades when we go on the our next cruise with them.
Hi Ilana, just love to watch your videos. Thank you for the info re Princess. I have sailed with Princess 5 times and will again next May. Love seeing the recent pictures since I last cruised with them in 2018. Looking forward to your next video. :-)
You should work for Princess, I just used the online chat to ask about stars under the sky, and the Sanctuary. I was told you have to book for the cruise and I have no idea about the price, you had more info on the Sanctuary than the chat person. Also I never did get an answer about the star thing, if it is every night, if there is a cost.
We have travelled with the Princess Lines several times now. We are about to embark on our third cruise around New Zealand and earlier this year we sailed from Brisbane to Tasmania. On our first cruise we were told that as you accrue sailing nights with the Cruise Line you were entitled to extra benefits. So far I do not think this has happened. I will be asking for advice as we board for our trip in the next three weeks. We have sailed with Carnival - but never again, the kids were allowed to do as they pleased; and with P & O to Cairns. We had our hand in our pockets for most of the trip and did not have the opportunity to attend free performances each evening. I hope this next trip will be a memorable one.
We hadn't heard about the Catch by Rudi. Looks like a welcome addition to the Princess's Specialty Dining offerings. We'll have to try the Catch on our next Princess Cruise if our ship has this restaurant. Thank you Life Well Cruised for all this information!
$60 US every day is still EXPENSIVE if people don't use the internet or drink or need the other perks much. If it is a 7 to 12 or 100 day cruise, this really adds up to lots of $$$. If only people can buy on specific days only. Buying by the day would have really been appealing!!!
I don't drink alcohol or eat or drink sugar so the extra packages are a waste for me. I miss the coffee card and what was once complimentary like Alfredo's. As elites, value for loyalty has gone, except the laundry. I'm grateful for that especially on the longer cruises, but they've dropped the free wifi which I now have to add to the cost. There is a lot of 'nickel and diming' on most cruises these days.
We’ve been on many Princess cruises especially in Europe. Looking forward to sailing on the Enchanted again. Is Gigi’s still included? Where is this Juice bar I heard about? Thanks for all you do for us cruisers.
I am going on my first cruise ever on Princess in a month to Canada. Travelling solo in an interior room. Don't like crowds. Want to find the quiet parts of the ship. Three questions: Should I buy an unlimited Sanctuary pass as soon as I board? Cost? 2) Is an unlimited thermal room pass for the spa worth the cost? 3) Which bars are low key? Piano bar? Jazz combo?
You’ll find a lot of places that are quiet, especially at certain times of the day. People love Sanctuary, so that’s always good. There’s a promenade deck that’s usually quiet. You’ll find lounges that are quiet. It does depend on the time of day though. Even the piazza can be quiet and relaxing. I’ve sat & read with a coffee there at times. Enjoy!
I'm looking forward to our cruise! Thanks so much for your advice! I need new luggage and packing cubes that are not very expensive, any suggestions anyone?
Not to “generalize”… I’m a Platinum with Princess, and not until I was in their Island Princess did I meet a ship that I abhorred! The atrium is 2/3 of an immense staircase, leaving no room for anything else. All other Princess ships are gorgeous…
We've been cruising with Princess since 2013 and I can say they went down hill very fast. They seemed an exclusive cruise line at one time, but those days are past. The buffet was the worst food and service I've experienced at sea. The crew in many of the outlets just didn't seem to care as they use to; poor customer service. We will probably pick another cruise line next time we cruise. I hope they bring back those days when the crew actually cared and the food is elevated like it use to be. I may be critical in this comment but I was in the hospitality industry for about 45 years and Princess is not quite hitting the mark.
Have just been on princess with Princess plus. Australians do not get gratuities included in princess plus, much to my disgust. Although had a wonderful cruise.
Did you ever try the ocean now food delivery? from my experience and those of fellow cruise friends it doesn't work well at all - waiting over 1.5 hrs for delivery or not having anything delivered at all? I am hoping that with this new change for the upgrade that they have at the very least improved this 'perk'!
Very thorough and appreciated! We will be looking at Princess for our next cruise. Do you know if you can earn Carnival awards if you sail on Princess?
Do you know if the plugs on the emerald princess are us 2 pin or 3 pin....i am travelling from the uk and need to get an adapter and want to be sure i get the right one..thanks
I have been on Princess few times already, and will be on Princess coming Nov.9. Is there any way to find out if they have Karaoke on board and can I bring my own songs in a USB ? If so, would it be in MP4 format? Would really appreciate if you can let me know, thanks 🙏🙏
Virgin is a different approach and their base fare is all inclusive and more expensive form the start. After all the hocus pocus, no such thing as a free lunch
We just did out first Princess cruise and were not impressed. We are in out early 40’s. Seems like Royal Princess is for seniors mainly? We had bad weather. Not sure why they cruise in Alaska in Sept when the weather is so capricious. Kind of disappointed. No stop in Juneau, rain in Ketchikan but none gave us tips about the fact that it wasn’t raining everywhere in the city, cloudy and rainy on Glaciar Bay. Only 3-4h in Victoria at night and then the ship stayed in the bay as Seattle is only about 3h away. We got off in Seattle. The activities were not interesting or engaging.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy as much as you expected. Alaska cruises attract an older demographic, especially outside of the summer & school breaks. Weather is unpredictable, but sept is typically a rainy month (more than earlier in the season)
I didn’t find out about this stupid Medallion until I paid for my Dec 2023 cruise. I only used my phone for calls because I couldn’t get a regular phone any more. I never liked so call text or dumb apps and I couldn’t see the small text any way. I had hard time to find some one to help me with this crap and Princess customer service never answered my calls. It was not fair for us senior citizens. I will not choose Princess again on future cruise because of this stupid Medallion.
I'm going on my 6th cruise with princess in January. My husband and I are both prior military. Do I need to bring my DD214 to prove my military service for a discount on every cruise we take?
I have the military discount also and am bringing my DD214 just in case. Now a days you never know what documentation is expected, so better to be prepared than sorry.
Here's my problem with auto gratuities: 1. The information (per Princess) says they are paid over multiple ships and time periods including in the forms of bonuses which goes well beyond of who and what I want to tip. 2. The industry saw a little over a decade ago that a lot of money was passing hands that they were missing out on and came up with auto gratuities to get their grubby hands on it. 3. I want my tips to go to someone that provided to me personally superior service above and beyond expected...not some behind the scene players, like dishwashers, cooks ect. 4. The info states that gratuities are paidout across the crew--this includes non-service personnel and some of the officers and crewmembers that are already handsomely paid taking away from those crewmembers that really could use the money. 5. Auto-gratuities need to be done away with for good. The cruiselines just need to pay the crew a fair living wage and have this cost reflected in the real final cruise price. They need to quit hiding those final price shockers such as taxes, port & booking service fees ect that often end up much higher than the real cost to the line. 6. Bottom line is that I want to determine to who and where my gratuities go. I don't want my money going to the ship officers and such in the form of bonuses. Also Bonuses are set per individual, so not all goes across to the crewmembers equally or after each indiviual cruise. - Trust me your monies are not all going to the crewmembers that you think they are. I personally want to ensure where my money goes! - The cruise industry reminds me so much like going shopping for a new car based on promising advertisments only to findout with the added hidden costs the whole thing is like 33% more to get it out the door. They use words like transfer fees while cruise lines use auto-gratuity, taxes, port fees, service fees. Either way, both industries do not employ what I would call reputable business practices. Carpe Diem "Buyer beware" when shopping for what appears to be the best deal.
Two things to stress that makes Princess stand out. They don't make you "check out" towels. Just take them, you don't need to sign or give them your name, room number or even wait in line and waste all that time. Also the buffet is open between meals. It is not just a "snack" you can get a full hot meal anytime from early morning to late at night.
My first cruise launches in 2 weeks! Already received my medallion and friends have gifted me Princess gift cards. Bags are packed. Housesitters engaged. I can hardly wait!
FYI, unless it has changed since July, nobody mentions that at the International Cafe are cakes that are part of the Premium Desserts. They are the ones that are right by the checkout counter and never cut into. And they never cut them because any time you order a slice, they send someone off running to a kitchen somewhere to bring you back a slice. And IMO, they are way better than the sundaes because the sundaes are filled with gummies and stuff, that don't really go with a sundae. Plus, unlike the sundaes, you can get these 24/7. :)
Tip..take a screen shot of any Princess excursions you purchase and any specialty dining you buy before your cruise. The packages are not worth it for us…we do not drink and we don’t need WiFi on the ship. They are really pushing these packages…don’t feel like you have to book this. Really look into it. We always pick up our medallion at the port…it is not a big deal.
Ok... We didn't care about the booze or the WiFi either. Would it be more cost effective to pay separately for room service or specialty dining? I can't imagine using it very much.
we agree ...we have cruised princess 4 times...the only thing we missed was our drpepper so we brought the 12 package u can bring on board the next 3 times...we kept them in the room fridge n it worked great. we learned ...well, this tip may just be for our family ...but the night dinning takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours n my husband has ADHD he just can not sit that long n be happy 😂 so we go to the dinning room for breakfast OR lunch because i LOVE the dinning room n those two meals take about 45min. i just get a snack for dinner... he enjoys the buffet... i LOVE the shows ...again he can not sit still for 1 1/2 or 2 hours so we sit in the back n leave very quietly when he is overwhelmed...compromise❤❤ oh we have never eaten in the special dinning areas or bought anything extra ...we do not feel like we miss out on anything... we have had happy happy memories ❤❤❤❤❤
My tip for Princess is to let them book your air. When we did our British Isles cruise, the Emerald Princess broke down in Cobh, Ireland. We were 8 hours late in leaving port for Dublin, where we were to fly home. Princess took care of everything--they kept us well informed and put us up in the Dublin Hilton for the night, then gave us a food allowance and transported us to the airport the next morning.
We also booked the air through Princess. The rate was very competitive. We weren't able to find a better flight or rate on our own. It gave us peace of mind knowing that they would help us if there were delays or cancellations.
@@chloel728I just checked into this. If we book our air travel with Princess, it’s almost $200 more expensive and it doesn’t seem like we get to choose our seats either. Did you do it through the app or a customer service agent?
@@Elley86753 We booked the trip through a travel agent. Princess Ez Air recommends that you choose the economy rate that allows ticket changes which is what we picked. We were able to choose our seats too. Many airlines don't allow you to choose seats when you get the basic economy rate. I'd suggest getting help from the customer service agent so they tell you what the options are. The app doesn't always define it clearly. Good luck.
im 14. ive been on like 4 princess cruises since i was 9, and have another one booked in december. i like the simplicity and quality of the ship, because i find a lot of those ships with so many random activities to be a little bit tacky. i think that if you go on 1-2 princess cruises youll figure out what you enjoy. fyi if anyone going on the first cruise ever is my age, make friends on the first to second day. you get those memories early and create everlasting memories.
This is great advice. I went on a tour to Italy with my parents when I was your age. There was one other girl my age but we were both too shy to talk to each other until a few days from the end. We got along great and wished we had met earlier. We stayed friends for years.
I enjoyed the room service, just have to be very specific, we ordered french fries which were very good but we forgot to order ketchup, lesson learned.
Love Princess. Have been on 8 Princess cruises and have a trans Atlantic cruise on the Regal Princess booked in October of 2024. My wife and I are seniors so all the bells and whistles of other cruise lines are not important to us. The itineraries are the most important thing to us. Would recommend Princess to anyone who loves a beautiful ship and tremendous service
We just booked our first Princess cruise for this December. Now we are mining your past videos about Princess. Thanks so much for all the work you put in to benefit cruisers. Your input is so valuable.
Ilana - LOVE your videos yet this one is one of the best - so very informative, especially with the recent “continuous” updates/changes to the Standard/Princess Plus/Premiere pkgs. Excellent shared information - THANK YOU‼️@LifeWellCruised🙌🏻
Hi Ilana, I so enjoy your videos and they really get me psyched for an upcoming cruise. I'm leaving on my 12th Princess cruise on Saturday. Princess has my loyalty because of their wonderful food and service. My best tip is to order bottled water before you go if you will be needing it. A dozen bottles was around $7. If you wait, they are (I think) $3 each on board. They are waiting in your cabin when you arrive. It's very good to have them for bringing ashore at ports. The cruise I'm going on is a repositioning cruise from NYC to FL. It will be my 5th time on this repo and there are lots of other repeaters. Our Facebook group has hundreds of members. It's wonderful with lots of sea days which I love. Have you ever done a video on repositioning cruises? They are awesome!
Excellent explanation of Princess--we prefer cruising with them. Love the Princess Plus for the 2 of us. Food is great and frankly we prefer not to have slides and zip lines but the new ships may go with them which may be a disaster for those of us who prefer and more mature adult experience without the ship being totally full of kiddos making alot of noise because they have a perfect balance for all ages the way they have it!! Go with princess Air as if you run into issues--Princess handles it for you and you will get to the ship or back home thanks to their great care....
Just did NCL. Looking at these three premium lines ( Princess/HAL/Celebrity), for better food, better enrichment talks ( not just a sales pitch for businesses at the port) and less kids. Cost/ perceived value and itkennery are my top priorities.
Princess does a really good job with their food. The MDR on Norwegian was a big disappointment for me, but I *really* enjoyed their buffet. My opinion is that Princess also does a better job with their specialty restaurants. Crown Grill is head and shoulders above Cagney’s. Haven’t done HAL yet, but have plans to try them out soon! I adore children on land, but pretty much hate them on a cruise ship.
I recommend to choose a medeum size ship for quietness, as for food, consider Oceania Cruises has the best food😊 I've been on Oceania, food is excellent 👍
My wife and I have done two Princess cruises, both on Regal. First one was 2019. Second was this past February. Love that ship. Number 3 is scheduled for February on Caribbean Princess, the fourth is next fall on Enchanted Princess for New England. We've also done two on Royal, but definitely favor Princess. Very much enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
So happy that formal nights is relaxed up a bit. We will dress but no gowns or ties for us. Our celebrity cruise this last spring relaxed it a bit now and we thoroughly enjoyed it and were much more comfortable.
Going on my first Princess cruise in July on the Sun Princess. I have sailed with many other mainstream cruise lines before so looking forward to trying out Princess. We got a great deal on our cabin including princess premium to make the most out of the experience, can't wait!
I did Discovery Princess Alaska in May and it was fantastic. I loved every second. The food was glorious, the medalion was so handy, the guest speakers were so informative and entertaining. I loved the upscale feel. The change in the packages made premere the way we are going to go in the future because of gow we eat and drink and enjoy the ship. I also highly recommend going to the lotus spa thermal suite its amazing, book this early along with your specialty dining. The crew was spectacular and went above and beyond. Cant say wnoigh good things about Princes. Have 2024 Caribbean and 2025 Norway booked. Will probably do a few short ones in-between those dates
Thanks Ilana. We’ve sailed with Princess for the past ten years and were not aware of the ‘refer a friend’ or ‘referral program’ that you mentioned. Always love tuning in to your channel because you are such a reliable provider of worthwhile information. Happy cruising.😊
Princess Cruises has what they call “The Big 4” game shows: Yes Or No; The Liars Club; The Marriage Match; and Hollywood Hiccups. They are the most well-attended events so you have to find a seat way in advance.
This is a very informative video. Thanks. The very first cruise we took was on Princess. I remember doing some laundry as packing skills were limited. If we were to go back, we would use the plus or premium plan
Love your blogs. Can you briefly describe your thoughts on Oasis class ships staying in Sky suites versus Princess ships. We've not sailed on Princess but we're Diamond plus Diamond plus on Royal.
I really enjoyed the Oasis class ships, but very different. So much to do on those ships! I haven’t sailed in suites so unfortunately can’t give details
@LifeWellCruised thank you for your reply. If you have the opportunity to sail in a sky suite I think you would enjoy it, especially the suite lounge and Coastal Kitchen.
Just got back from a 14 day Panama Canal cruise on Island Princess. It’s a smaller ship that fits through the old original canal and we loved it. The food was very good. We found out around day 10 that there is a vegan menu in the dining rooms and I wished I had known that sooner. We had a balcony cabin on deck 7. Loved the large closet next to the bathroom, and made use of the drawers. We loved the Medallion and wore it on the lanyard. It’s much more convenient than a cruise card. The ship’s “house band” is Asian Soul and they are outstanding. I would take a cruise just because they are on it. They are getting off the ship in about a month to take a break and I’ll be waiting to see which ship they are on next. The Italian specialty restaurant, Sabatini is outstanding and you get a lot of food for $35 per person. On MSC last year we thought the specialty restaurants were too expensive so we skipped them. We are 60 and 71 years old. Most passengers looked to be 60 and up. The cruise was continuing on its world tour for 100+ days. We found that the Horizon Court buffet food was excellent with a wide variety. Silverware is on the tables. You can get your own soft drinks and waiters come around frequently to ask if you want any beverages. They are quick about cleaning the tables. We look forward to cruising on Princess again.
Thank you so much for posting this very informative video. This will be our third princess Cruz this month and you really helped clarify a lot of things. One question I had though is regarding the sushi restaurant. We currently have princess plus I just wanted to confirm, does this include the restaurant once a day?
Appreciate your videos so much! I booked Princess to Alaska in June 2024. I have listened to everything you say & recommend, you’re incredible. Thank you for sharing your insights.
Im booked in to cruise with princess in March '24 i am so excited and been watching a ton of you tube (including all your content) to get tips and hints on what to expect as it will be my first ever cruise
My first cruise is coming up in August '24. We are cruising on Discovery Princess. I have been watching lots of RU-vid as well. You have really helped me with all you great information. I can't wait. I feel like a child waiting to go to Disney.
Hi, I am in Sydney Australia. I am going solo on royal princess, flying to New Zealand joining ship in Auckland cruising back to Australia. Leaving NZ on 22 October 2024. Your informative presentation on what to expect and do is outstanding. Thanks Ilana
Changes: no more free tote bag, no more chocolates on the pillow, and Princess Patter is now on one piece of paper instead of several. And, one towel animal added.
Hi, I'm a cruiser fan but it's my first time with Princess Cruises. Talking about housekeeping services. Other cruises have the DND button with a light next to the door to let them know. Is it the same in Princess Cruises? I don't want a cleaning service every day just twice a week. Thanks
A informative presentation however I noticed that you failed to WARN PROSPECTIVE PRINCESS CRUISERS that any and all of the amenities you mentioned could be removed at the whims of Princess management. When I booked my Princess cruise the fare that I paid included such amenities as free room service, eating at Alfredos or Gigi’s at no additional cost, and use of the Princess Medallion Ocean Ready feature. In fact these items were touted by Princess as a selling point as to why I should chose Princess. Then after I had paid in full and was under cancellation penalty Princess arbitrarily decided to remove these amenities from the fare I booked and paid for requiring me to pay additional funds if I wanted them. What are the next dinning options that Princess will decide to charge for after passengers are sold on the idea that they are included in the cruise fare? Will it be “The International Cafe” or maybe the “MDR”, leaving the buffet as the only dining option unless you come across with more cash. When a cruise line waits till passengers are under cancellation penalty to change what is included in the fare can you rely on anything they have promised ?
I’m glad the video was informative. I know it’s disappointing, but this video was meant to share what is now included & what can be expected. I hope there won’t be more changes
I love your presentations and you are very informative Wr have a brother n law that wants to be a Debbie downer what can we do to keep him happy im sorry we are going on a cruise on vision of the seas in August 2024
Was that an Alaska sailing? Curious about your opinion of Discovery.....was there anyway to enjoy the pools or hot tubs? We love the design of the ship and the shows but RC ones have an indoor swimming area it seemed. Ofc, we may be busy with excursions anyway😄
MJ, swimming in Alaska is not usually something most people are doing when cruising in Alaska. It is often chilly and there is so much to see and do, even with the indoor covered pools, I hardly ever see anyone using them. Very different than a Mexican Riviera or Caribbean cruise.
@@mimijulene6307 I guess we aren't the majority. Swimming is life for us, only thing that helps with arthritis symptoms! Plus, we'd rather the kids swim of possible too. We have found HA, RC & Carnival for sure have indoor family pools.
On our last Princess cruise we spoke to one of the crew about the differences between the Events List (printed copy) and the list of events on the app. Be careful because we were told that the printed version is the most accurate because they print it up on board the night before. Why they cannot update the app in real time was explained to us. The changes need to be transmitted to headquarters in the US, then reviewed and then changed and sent back to the ship. WI FI being what it is on board makes for very slow responses.
I have been on 50+ NCL cruises but never on any other so I am so "scared" going on the Enchanted Princess in few months. I am worried that I am so use to NCL that I will not be as happy as I would like to be.....
This will be my 3rd Princess cruise as a solo passenger. I feel Princess cruises are the best. The itinerary, people and crew just are so awesome. I have never felt like a stranger on these cruises. Everyone, including the crew are really upbeat, helpful and fun. Next sailing is December 8th on the Enchanted, looking forward to it. Great video and informative tips. Thank you Ilana!!!
Ok....what would you say is the common age demographic? We don't want to deal w Carnival bc of all the fights & drunkenness. We don't necessarily need the extreme sports RCI offers. And NCL just wasn't beating the others for price. Just curious TY
@@MJ-gj6mjI have some friends who are travel agents and when I told them I wanted to take a cruise for my 60th (solo) they immediately recommended Princess. I didn't want something 'too old,' but I also dont want/need roller coasters, bumper cars or a party at sea. I'm booked Brisbane to New Zealand in Feb and truthfully everything I've seen makes me think this will be the best cruise for me.
@@MJ-gj6mjOne of the reasons I love Princess is that it is a more mature crowd. I have rarely seen any kind of drunken foolishness on a Princess cruise. The food is amazing as well as the crew.
@@juliegold9607 TY for the info. We were now looking at Princess & Celebrity. It would be a mixed group of ages and interests so all the feedback helps!
@@MJ-gj6mjCheck the schedule carefully for the next day. There are all sorts of activities and meet-ups for people with different interests. Last year there was a classic car lovers meet-up which was really fun.
We sailed on Princess in August and we got the paper daily planner. It was not called the Princess Patter but interestingly they still referred to it verbally as the "Princess Patter".
Re: Princess Patter versus Events list - Pre-Medallion, the paper copy was called the Princess Patter simply because it contained more than the daily events list. It contained information on the port ( if it was a port day), some short snippets of world news, and sometimes a short bio of a ship's officer. Other misc. articles might be included as well. However, since Medallion, they only provide a one sheet "Events list" for most passengers, generally because some are used to carrying the list of activities around with them. It is probably a generational thing, but it is convenient for those who don't want to use their phone for that. Hence, the name change form "Princess Patter" to Events list.
I've cruised a few times thanks to work conferences, but my girlfriend has never gone on one before and I just wanted to say thanks as your videos helped convince us to go Princess to Alaska for her birthday this year.
Taking our first ever cruise July 25 to Canada and Greenland....we have the Plus package, my question is: when we order drinks, how does the system know whose 15 per day allowance the drink comes out of?....its my wife and I, so do we need to order individually from separate apps on separate phones, or can we order for both of us from just one app?....I'm curious as to how that works....
I have so many questions! Majestic to Alaska in June. We were assigned E707, which is above the theatre(I think). Is it noisy? Engine noise? Are the pools heated since it’s an Alaska cruise?
