A couple of unique things on Princess you should mention are; the buffet does not close during the day. Unlike other cruise lines that close the buffet for hours between regular meal times, Princess leaves it open all day long. That is especially appreciated when coming back in the afternoon from an excursion. Next is the International Cafe, the 24-hour eatery with amazing light dishes and desserts. All cruise lines are good but Princess overall has some great features.
All excellent points! Many of which I am including in my forthcoming full trip report from the Discovery Princess. Do you have a favorite Princess ship?
No. I always hope my favorite will be my upcoming cruise. I think I like the Grand Class the best. Small enough to feel more intimate and easy to navigate but big enough to have enough amenities.
We are avid Princess cruisers, Alaska, Mexico and Hawaii coming up. We love everything about the line but especially the amazing crews that take such wonderful care of us.
We just finished our first cruise ever on discovery to Alaska we loved it. Food was great, service absolutely great, clean and bed super comfortable. We got home booked a 16 hawaii for early next year.on princess.
Discovery Princess is a newer ship but don’t write off the older ships. I’m currently on a 32 day South Pacific cruise on the Sapphire Princess. Though an older ship by decades this ship continues to maintain top notch, cleanliness and is continually updated and refreshed. I will be cruising again on the sapphire in February to Antarctica.
Couldn't agree more. I have been on the Ruby several times and it is a delight. Several features I enjoy that Discovery doesn't even attempt. I like how these generations of ships have their own identity.
Thanks for your always great reviews and yes it’s a totally different experience Princess versus Carnival and not to mention the cruisers which is 1000% much better on Princess!
We cruised to the Mexican Riviera New Years Eve, had a wonderful time. For a more all inclusive cruise we chose Princess Premier Package, so all food and drinks were pretty much covered, along with internet, gratuities, photo package, specialty deserts, 2 specialty restaurants, unlimited fitness classes, room service and more. We just loved the ship and the staff was awesome, not one complaint. My husband is a smoker and now they replaced the cigar/smokers lounge with an arcade. Only one smoking area on the ship now. The medallion works great, you can order anything and it will be brought to you wherever you are on the ship. Planning another trip soon.
Thanks for all the info! I go on my first ever cruise in less than a week. I used to want to go on NCL, as they seem to be one of the better options for solos, but i prefer a calmer and quieter atmosphere. I think i made the right choice going with princess, hopefully.
Thanks, I enjoyed your point of view! I've been on enough Princess cruises to earn an Elite status! I enjoy those perks. I'm brand new to the Solo cruise (husband died 6 yrs ago). I do not like the Solo double cost - as I'm an antique & truthfully can't afford much. Most of my friends have past away, no splitting the cost. But I Do LOVE the Princess Line!!!
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your husband but I’m glad you’ve decided to try solo cruising. It can be a joy. The double cost is hard to swallow sometimes but thankfully Princess rewards you with double the loyalty points as a small token to make up for it. I do enjoy that and it has made me Platinum level fast. Thank you for watching and taking time to comment. I hope you’ll stop by again. Happy cruising to you.
Sounds so nice and calming, We normally go with Celibrity but unfortunately they are now getting so expensive , nickel & diming, and daming down the menu in the mdr. The trouble is making the leap to change cruise lines because when you get comfortable you tend to stay instead of trying new experiences.
We loved the Discovery, we went last year for our first cruise. I picked Princess because of the all inclusive cost compared to other cruise lines and also my parents enjoyed their Alaska experience with Princess. We did the Coastal California and I would most definintely book another Princess cruise in a heart beat. The Discovery was so clean, crew friendly, entertainment so fun, and the food.. ah the food was so so good and the portion sizes a perfect portion! My only regret is that I had to leave. 😄
Leaving is the worst part, agreed! Haha thanks for watching. I feel the exact same way about Discovery Princess, glad you had such a wonderful experience.
Glad you enjoyed your cruise ! Princess is our favorite cruise line and after 35 cruises on a variety of lines, we love our Princess best ! Ole world class ! Without the stuffiness ! ❤ love your cruising experience 💞
Totally agree. Just home from Enchanted and it was my favourite ship ever. Beautiful decor, eleganant , fun, great atmosphere, friendly, comfortable, plentiful lounge chairs, excellent beds, attentive cabin steward, mediallion worked flawlessly, wonderful room service, and the best layed out , divided, spacious, and immaculate, delicious varied buffet. The entertainment was tops, and shows spectacular. And the staff and service exemplary. only complaint is you have to remember what elevator goes where.
Hi! Sailed on the Majestic in 2022 on this same itinerary. It was my first Princess cruise. I have been a loyal RCCL cruiser in past. However, I am sold on Princess and I am sailing the British/Irish Isles in August aboard the Regal...can't wait!
I took that same cruise on the Discovery and loved it for the same reasons as you; but I must say that I have a soft spot for the quirky, kind of gawdy, Carnival Miracle, especially the dramatic dining room up in the Whale Tail.
I didn't find it 'snooty' but I did find the onboard entertainment to be a little stale. The average age was somewhere between retired and deceased, but I did spend a wonderful week with a bunch of Navy veterans who were there for their annual meet up.
Yep! Just got off one where I did a solo studio cabin. But the bulk of the industry still hits us with that double occupancy rate. All good though. Just happy to be cruising.
Our first Princess Cruise is this coming June 2024 on the Royal Princess for 14 days to Alaska. Mini Suite Mid Ship with Premier Package. Our first time to Alaska so no excursions planned other than visiting the towns for our first time. We have been on Carnival and Disney so far and looking forward to something new.
We’ve been on board the Discovery Princess three times. Our favorite cruise was in a penthouse suite which offered ample room. We tend to sail the most with Princess because of their itineraries. We are not fans of sailing out of Florida, we prefer the West Coast. Unfortunately, we’ve noted that Princess does have the smallest staterooms and balconies. Other ships that we’ve sailed have a bed and a couch. On Princess however, in order to have a couch is considered an upgrade, and you pay for it. The Discovery is a lovely ship. The Sapphire and the Ruby have good layouts and are both easy to navigate. I love the indoor/covered pool area on both of those ships. The Grand needs to be retired, we wouldn’t recommend cruising on her. Happy travels.
@@dwalker6868 outstanding! I recently released the first half of my Discovery Princess cruise elsewhere on the channel if you’re interested in checking it out.
If you haven’t Cruise with them before you wouldn’t notice the difference. A few years ago there was many more things included with your basic fare . There’s a lot less included now and to get those items. You have to pay the plus fare or the premium fare .
I ended my cruise on the Emerald Princess, and I did love the cruise, the food was amazing, and the desserts to die for. My sister and her husband celebrated their 50th anniversary on the cruise and invited the family. Wasn’t crazy about Halifax, but loved Prince Edward Island, and except for the 16 feet of snow annually would cheerfully live there. As mentioned in the video the beds are amazing. All of us commented on how wonderful they were and I would love to have the bed and the pillows. The only drawback was that 2 days after the cruise my sister, her husband and myself all came down with Covid, bummer. I’ve traveled on Cunard and both have pros and cons, but I would do a Princess cruise anytime
The last time I was on Princess Cruise Line was 1998 the Crown Princess Tahiti Hawaii OMG I'm like you I was floored and I was shocked. It was a solo cruise, and my first cruise, no snooty people on board, had a fabulous time. Everyone was oh so friendly and nice. I can't find those prices. I paid for Tahiti Hawaii 12 days $3500, and it was a discount it would have been $4,000. That was the first time 1998. The second time I cruised was Carnival OMG, a hot mess. After that, it's been Royal Caribbean and one NCL due to my travel agent because I was working as an artist coordinator. we brought our own onboard entertainment. I can't wait to try Princess again. Happy cruising🎉
Our First Princess Cruise is in June 2024 on the Royal Princess. 14 days Alaska from Vancouver. Premier Package. Prior cruises were Disney and Carnival to the Caribbean. So we're excited for a new experience.
Just got off a seven day Alaskan cruise on the Ruby Princess and my mom and I thought it was a great time for first time cruisers. Loved every minute of it except the first two nights we discovered they don't hold reservations in the main dining rooms for you if all your party doesn't show up. We did kick up a bit of a fuss about this the second night, we did apologize later but after that they went to great lengths to accommodate us and make us comfortable. Gave a great review when the trip was over.
Hey Wade - I'm Wade too. My friend Cole is the Cruise Director on that ship. We did the World Cruise together last year and multiple others. Loved the vid!
Hey Wade! I have had the pleasure of having Cole as Cruise Director on both the Ruby and the Discovery. He is hands down my favorite of all of the CD's on Princess, truly, brings so much personality and brilliant humor to the table. I was onboard when we Cole had his birthday earlier this year. Please pass him my sincere compliments. He is fantastic. Thank you for your kind feedback and for watching. Means a lot.
Hey Wade, I'm so happy that you had the pleasure of sailing with Cole on multiple occasions. I did a transatlantic on Sky when he was promoted to CD. I also sailed with him on Ruby and Island for the World Cruise. Also met his family when we were in New Zealand on the World Cruise. He's FAB - will pass on your hellos. Keep the FAB content coming. Love to follow you on FaceBook if you have a page. Take care!!! @@SoloCruiseTravel
Thanks so much for your feedback and for watching. Go straight to the Sanctuary itself on the very top deck forward. Their front desk will greet you, walk you through their availability and show you what inventory they have to choose from.
Just got back from an Alaskan cruise 3 weeks ago and while the medallion is awesome the sewage smell that was in the same area as those two spiral staircases was terrible and lasted most of the trip. They finally got it fixed in that area but then deck 16 & 17 where the pool and outside areas are for checking out the views of the glaciers then had the wonderful odor! Funny the sushi bar is right in the middle of the ship where all that smell was and as you can imagine very poorly attended. Their staff was excellent if you go take note of their names and if their position (waiter, room stewart, etc). At the end of the cruise you will get a survey email from Princess be sure to mention them as this is how they get promoted.
Sailed Grand Princess years ago. Main dining service was bad, the rest of the cruise was ok..recently sailed the New Carnival Jubilee, beautiful, but a huge ship. Prefer the Breeze or Valor we're Platinum, don't need all the extras. Just enjoy the fun atmosphere. Have sailed HAL and NCL, still prefer Carnival. And remind your listeners Princess is owned by Carnival Corp
TFS, I will be a 1st time Princess cruiser in Nov we are on the Ruby Princess.. Looking foward to trying another cruise line, we've mostly cruised Royal as we are on ICON in May.
Congrats on trying Princess! I have a full trip experience on the Ruby Princess here on the channel. She is a great ship with a lot of charm. Where will the Ruby be taking you?
I've found Princess beds too soft. We like really firm mattresses. I love the loungers on the pool deck. (no, I don't) Try Oceania for soft "day bed" like comfort. Basically, ALL loungers on Oceania are like what you see in the Sanctuary. Princess has great caring staff & among the best excursion itineraries.
I've gone on 25+ Princess cruises and got really tired of them taking away the special things that I used to get: free limited internet is now 1/2 price for unlimited, loyalty OBC is gone, free shipping of medallions is now $10 unless you buy an overpriced Premium package. There's more, but I am now looking at Viking. All the things that Princess used to include are still included on Viking and a lot more. I did a price comparison for a balcony on Princess vs. Viking and the price was very comparable.
@@jerryferren9018 yeah no doubt the changes are definitely impacting the vibe. So Viking is comparable to Princess? I’m not used to hearing that. Is it during a particular off season or special circumstance or in general?
We have done many Princess cruises. The last time we paid for the $60/day/person upgrade. We had most days on excursions and didn’t feel we had the value. We also book Viking, with smaller ships and high end Buffet, dinners. We recently booked a Princess with the Premier package, which was less than Viking for total fees. Princess seems to be trying to give a lower sticker price, with upcharges. You need to need to check total price for what you are looking for.
On Princess ships is there an adults only area with lounge chairs and pool that does not have an extra charge like the sanctuary in your video? Celebrity has a solarium adults only area that is included without an extra charge.
Hello, I'm curious is Princess considered a family cruise line or a couples adult line primarily? We have never cruised Princess but have cruised NCL , Carnival and most recently Celebrity as we have a cruise to Panama and the southern Caribbean for 11 nights in a Aqua class sky suite booked for March 2026. Thank you for your presentation.
Hi there, the vibe is much more adult but there were definitely families present. Since the ships don't have recreational things like rockwalls and go karts like NCL does, you could make the case they are not exactly geared towards families, but I think of Princess as more of a line where the ocean is the star.
I’m currently on board the Discovery on the Alaskan inside passage cruise. Definitely plenty of families with children. It’s more of a low key cruise though. Very relaxing. He’s right about the beds! No problem getting a good nights rest on these beds!
Hi one thing I noticed is Princess is quite generous with port stops. Many other up market cruise lines keep the number of stops down and bypass many interesting places. Port fees are high so it’s an economic strategy.
Great, informative video! I have a 14 day sailing on the Enchanted Princess scheduled for June 2025 and am trying to learn the ins and outs of Princess. I'm a seasoned cruiser but it will be my first time on Princess. Any other "must knows"? Also, how strict is the dress code in the evening? Thanks!
Thanks for taking time to watch. I have another video on the channel about my 14 day cruise on the Discovery Princess which is VERY similar to the Enchanted Princess. Same class and design of ship down to most details. It might help you with your planning, if you are interested. While I have seen people in shorts in the dining room at breakfast or tea, most dress more conservative for dinner. Pants and a polo fits right in for me. Where is the Enchanted taking you?
My husband and I took our first Princess cruise for our 25th anniversary. We did the Grand Mediterranean on the Ruby Princess in 2015. We took annual cruises with Royal Caribbean with our children when they were minors but hands down we prefer Princess above all of the lines we've cruised. Here's why: Loyalty Program: The Captain's Circle offers some of the best perks. We're one cruise away from Elite. The Medallion: While the tracking may be off-putting to some, I love knowing where to find my cruise mates and the wait staff having the ability to find me. The medallion itself can be worn in a bracelet or necklace. You can order the accessory from the large e commerce store. It's the same size as and air tag. The best thing about the medallions the ability to enter your stateroom hands free. I only wish that they'd recycle the medallions for reuse somehow. Not many children on board: We took our granddaughter because the 3rd person was free. She was only 8 but she actually enjoyed their children's program. They were able to give her attention because there weren't many others. They kept her busy with activities so she didn't miss the huge slide, rock climbing walls and other amusement park type attractions on the big ships. The beds" The beds are the best Specialty Dining: Enjoyable but it is a cruise restaurant. Main Dining: It is typical cruise food Buffet; Better than most cruise lines. Spacious and well planned out. The International cafe is always open Entertainment: Again, I can't compare to a Broadway show but they have some of the best productions, bands and comedians. Excursions: I've only had one bad one. That was during a California Coastal cruise. The tour guide in San Francisco was quite haughty and full of herself. Otherwise again, some the best from Alaska to Istanbul!
@GeeBee212 Thank you for YOUR review too! I just booked Ruby for a cruise for my 75yo mom for her birthday to Alaska. It's a bucket list item for her... me, too! Cheers!
This is very informative. But is this technology really better? The food looks great and Wifi is a great idea for no charge while on the cruise. People all love a variety of foods instead of same stuff every night. What about Disney cruise have they notified you yet to do a cometetive report? That would be an interesting cruise maybe.? With all they have to offer as well!.
There is still a charge for wifi, it’s just all Inclusive of one price. The medallion technology makes a Princess cruise much better than any cruise still having you handle cards for things.
@@llwil2003 room service remains complimentary with the door hanger. No charge. If you have Plus or Premier wifi is included. A change Princess made this Summer: MedallionNet Classic costs $24.99 per day for a single device and $44.99 per day for a multi-device plan.
Have taken two cruises on Princess. Both were to New England and Canada. The food was good on Princess. They used to have a lot of included restaurants on the ships. Now they charge for almost everything. The Specialty Coffee's are good and cost a little extra. Like the Gelato place. Have gone to the buffett for lunch and it was pretty good. Last Princess cruise used a medallion and it was pretty good. Nothing on a cruise is "free". It is either included or you pay extra for it. The Buffett is pretty well spaced out. Not packed in like a sardine can. Most days like to eat at the MDR, but, if get back late from a shore excursion good to know the buffett is there.
My first ever cruise was solo last Oct on the Emerald Princess to Canada/NE. I absolutely loved it and have a booking on The Sapphire to Alaska in May. I understand that The Emerald is older than The Discovery but I found everything you liked on The Discovery to apply to The Emerald as well. Having had such a good experience for the price, and with Princess offering so many interesting itineraries, I see no reason to consider other lines. Of course I can imagine some changes that would increase my enjoyment even more, but they would increase the price unrealistically. Unless something goes way wrong with Alaska, I look forward to many more Princess cruises in the future and have a long wish list of trips.
I love Princess Cruises. Their entertainment options are a good middle of the road variety than are entertaining and fun. The food has never disappointed me as a whole but there are some days where what was on the menu didn’t meet the quality of the other days. The access to services via the medallion is fantastic! Love that feature! The ships have been clean - even the older ones but the older ones do look a little dated in style. Boarding is a great experience compared with other ship lines - smooth, quick, and painless. The rooms and the beds are really comfortable which has definitely left me renewed, rested, rejuvenated. I’ve also found their recent shipboard internet access on some of their ships to be very good and lived up to their high speed promise. I’ve sailed with Princess 16 times as well as been on other cruise lines 5 times and as you can see, my preference has been for Princess considering the amount of times I’ve been with them.
@@abrahamclott5604 good for you. I’ve come to really appreciate Princess and feel very well taken care of on their ships. Glad you’ve experienced the Emerald and will experience Sapphire. The older ships have a lot to appreciate as well that these newer and bigger ships can’t compete with. Please stop by again and happy cruising to you!
@@MelissaHerzog-px9cn ha! Small world. Yep it’s in there as I talk about the luxury bedding. When is your cruise? I’ll be releasing a full room tour in the next week or so.
@@SoloCruiseTravel My cruise is April 13th. I did get to see the ship a few weeks ago on a Ship Tour but we werent able to see any cabins. That cabins obstruction isnt that bad at all. Now Im happy that I got to see it. I didnt want that big white thing in my view and I havent been able to move out of the cabin because the sailing is completely sold out.
Had a dismal experience with Princess in Australia. Yes, it’s better than Carnival. But a row boat is better than Carnival. We chose Princess for the itinerary. We’ve done several cruises with Viking and Crystal, so we’ve been spoiled. The food was terrible by comparison, and the ship was overall rather dark. We’ve decided that Princess has probably seen its best days. So back to Viking and Crystal. I’m glad you enjoyed this experience, however.
@@SoloCruiseTravel 200+ cruises here...princess theeeee worst since 2020. Read the "which" report. Princess ranks dead last of all cruise options. Lower than Costa and MSc.
@@froodogga7053 that’s a UK publication and Princess is still highly regarded in the states where they serve the majority of their customers. Sorry to hear you’re no longer a fan of them.
@@froodogga7053I can’t imagine anything worse than MSc. They were so so disorganised leaving the NYC port. Everyone was frustrated it took two hours to be let out and then hours more to be allowed back on ship. Horrible.
