I Was A Sea Princess
Written: Apr 17 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: worry-free, beautiful ports of call, friendly staff, lots of activities
Cons: the food was not the best, rooms are small, caters to an older crowd
The Bottom Line: I recommend sailing with Princess to anyone looking for a worry-free vacation. Everything is beautiful and everyone is there to make sure you enjoy your trip.
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| snowhite76's Full Review: Sea Princess |
My boyfriend and I both love to travel, and since neither of us had ever been on a cruise, or to the Caribbean, we started doing some research on which cruise line would give us the most bang for our buck. We soon decided on Princess cruise line and an itinerary that would take us throughout the Western Caribbean. For seven days our home away from home would be the Sea Princess, a floating luxury hotel. And our days in port would be filled with fun activities arranged by the cruise line. The whole idea of cruising seemed effortless, complete with someone to do the cooking, the cleaning, and worry about getting to the next destination. Here's a run down of what it was like being on the the high seas with Princess.
Embarkation
For those who arrive at the airport on the day of the cruise, Princess will pick you and your baggage up at the airport and shuttle you to the ship. We chose to arrive in Fort Lauderdale the day before the cruise so we wouldn't have to worry about delayed flights the day of. The next day we took a cab to the port where we were met by a friendly Princess employee who took our bags (which had tags with our name and stateroom number). We then went through a very quick process of checking in which probably took no more than fifteen minutes, and we were able to board the ship. At check in we were presented with our 'cruise cards', which I'll tell more about later. Our bags were delivered to our stateroom later in the afternoon.
Our Room
As I said, I had never been on a cruise before, so I wasn't prepared for the size of the ship. We spent the first couple of days lost in a maze of hallways and stairways, and trying to remember what was on each of the fourteen levels of the ship, but once we got the hang of it, finding our way was no problem.
There are rooms of all sorts on the Sea Princess. You can get an inside room which has no windows at all, or an outside room with a window, or even your own private balcony. Of course, you'll pay considerably more for a room with a view. Our room was on the eighth level (called the Dolphin Deck). We opted for a room with a window so that we would at least know when the sun had come up and could look outside whenever we pleased. Our room was the equivalent of a very small hotel room. There was nothing fancy, but it had everything we needed. (Except for a clock, so be sure to bring your own.) The bathroom was also quite small and had only a shower, no tub, which made the daily chore of leg shaving quite a challenge.
There is a room steward who is assigned to several rooms in the same area. The steward is responsible for cleaning your room, providing clean towels, taking care of any laundry you choose to send to the cleaner while on board, and just about anything else you could need while in your room. On the day we arrived, all of our bags had been delivered, except the one that held my shoes. I mentioned this to our steward, and the bag was in our room within ten minutes.
Who Cruises?
For the most part older retired people, and middle-aged people with their kids. There were more of the former than the latter. We're 24 and 27, so there weren't many people in our age range on the ship. One person I talked to mentioned that there are not usually so many families on the boat, but because we went during Spring Break (April 7-14) there were a lot of kids.
On Board the Ship
The only thing I can compare life on board to is a trip to Las Vegas. The ship has a couple of medium-sized pools (one of which is for adults only), as well as several smaller pools that are perfect for dipping your feet into on a hot day of laying in the sun. No matter which pool you choose to lie beside, there will always be someone to take your drink order and deliver a slushy drink to your deck chair. There are several bars on board, each with a different theme. The Wheelhouse Bar caters to the older crowd, while Rocky's is a disco and sometime karaoke bar. The bars don't carry a very wide range of liquors, so be prepared to stick with the basics.
There is also a casino, which is only open when the ship is at sea. Mostly, it has slots, and poker machines, but there are a few tables for face to face gambling, like black jack and craps. If you decide to go to the casino, remember that no one under 21 is allowed, and I hope you have better luck than we did!
And, in true Vegas style, there are shows. The ship has two lounges, or theaters, for entertainment. We went to one comedy show while on board. It was so unfunny that we left after about 15 minutes. However, there are other shows with Vegas style singing and dancing, but we skipped those. There are also movies in the lounges (which are also broadcast on the TV in your stateroom). We didn't go to the theaters for these either, but did watch a couple from our room.
Additionally, there is always something to do on the boat. From line dancing lessons, to wine tastings. The problem was that most of the options didn't interest us. They were definitely catered to an older crowd. We did plan to go to the wine tasting, but were so hung over from a night at Rocky's that we didn't make it.
One of my favorite amenities was the full service salon. You can get anything from a new haircut, to a facial, to a full body massage with seaweed wrap. The hour I spent there getting a massage was likely the best time I spent on the boat.
There are also shops for duty free shopping which are only open when the ship is at sea. Here you can get a variety of things from cruise clothes to perfumes to that toothbrush you forgot to pack. You can definitely score some good deals in the duty free shops.
The Food
In a nut shell, it certainly could have been better. There are lots of places to eat on the ship, and for the most part meals, but not drinks, are included in your cruise fare, so eat all you want, but you really might not want that much of the mediocre cuisine.
You will be assigned a dining room, table, and time for your dinners. Because we were assigned the early dinner time, 6pm, we rarely ate in the dining room, although it turned out to have the best food on the boat. There is also a pizzeria, which is not bad, but also not great. For some reason, the pizzeria closes during dinner and opens again at 9pm. There is a steakhouse on board, which charges an $8 cover charge (I don't understand that either). Save your $8 and eat in the dining room. The food in the steakhouse was truly sub-par. Your other options include a 24 hour buffet which should be avoided unless you need a quick breakfast, and a grill which serves burgers, fries, and the like which was good for lunch on the days at sea. When you want a snack, head to Sundaes, the ice cream shop. The ice cream is not included in your fare, so you'll have to pay extra, but it's worth it.
Onshore Excursions
Well before you cruise, Princess will send you a packet of documents that includes a list of onshore excursions they offer. You can choose to go ahead and sign up then, or wait until you're on the boat. My advice is to sign up when you get the information. Most of the tours were full by cruise time. Of course, you don't have to go on any of the tours, you can stay on the boat (although I have no idea why you would want to), or you can explore the ports on your own. If you do choose to take the tours, know that they will make up a large part of your cruising expenses. The ones that we chose ranged from $25 to $84 per person. Some are far more expensive than that. Each tour that we took was well worth the price that we paid, from horseback riding on the beach in Jamaica to snorkeling with sting rays in Grand Cayman. The fact that the weather was perfect each day, about 85 degrees everyday with no rain, went a long way toward making out excursions successful.
The Staff
Everyone on board was very helpful. Our waitstaff in the dining room, comprised of a head waiter, waiter, and assistant waiter, were all very attentive and friendly. After our first meal there, the assistant waiter knew what I wanted to drink with my dessert, and the head waiter remembered that we were from San Francisco.
It seems that the staff is not allowed to say the word 'no' to passengers. Just ask for anything you want or need and you'll get it. After a long day in port we got back on the boat and wanted ice cream. When we got to Sundaes, it was closed but the girl working there was still inside cleaning up. She opened back up just to serve us (and the line of people that assembled behind us).
I have only one minor complaint about the staff. When we arrived on the ship we received a notice that one of our tours would be an hour longer than we had originally been told. For us that meant that we would not be able to make the tour that we had scheduled to go on the same afternoon. When we went to the excursions desk to see what could be done, the woman working there cancelled our reservations for the second tour easily enough, but didn't offer any assistance in finding something that would fit into our schedules. In fact, she didn't even offer an apology for the inconvenience .
Paying Up
The cruise itself cost us about $2500 for the two of us combined. This didn't include shore excursions, drinks, salon services, or anything else other than our room and our food. We ended up spending about another $2000 while on board. But you don't have to worry about carrying cash or traveler's checks to pay for every little thing on the ship. When you book your cruise, your provide Princess with a credit card that you want to have all of your on board purchases billed to. Then, at check-in, you present that card and are in turn given your cruise card. This card works as the key to your room, your cruise ID, and your credit card. When you buy something on board, you simply present this card and sign a receipt. A running tally is kept of all charges, and at the end of the cruise, they are all charged to your credit card. You can also list others who are authorized to charge to your card. For instance, we used my boyfriend's credit card for all of our purchases, so when we boarded, I also got a cruise card that has my name on it, but was linked to his account. Very handy!
Overall
If it were possible, I would give the Sea Princess four and a half stars. Compared to other cruise lines, it is reasonably priced for the value of the cruise. I would cruise with Princess again anytime. It truly is a worry-free vacation where all you have to do is have fun. Sailing on the Sea Princess made me feel like a Sea Princess. Next year, a cruise to the Mediterranean!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
snowhite76
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Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 7 members
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