Sea Princess Ship Inspection - 24 May 2015

Hi guys, I was lucky enough to visit Sea Princess as part of a TA ship inspection luncheon.

Sea Princess has just started on a 104 night world voyage. In Jan 2016 Sea Princess will be sailing an 84 night South America round trip cruise from Sydney which looks like a great voyage.

Sea Princess looked to be in great condition, however I personally prefer the more modern look on Celebrity cruise ships as opposed to Princess' more traditional wooden ship interiors.

The spa area and saunas area felt quite closed in. The atrium was beautiful and open, however for me I felt the lounges and bars did feel more closed.

Lunch was fantastic in the main dining room, great quality of food.

Loved the look of the sanctuary available for a charge of $40 per day for a day pass. Discounted passes for cruise duration pass. Adults only with bar and light meal service for a small per item charge. Complimentary flavoured waters and MP3 players available for use.

With regards to kids and Princess cruises, we were lucky enough to be able to inspect the kids club as there were no kids in there at the time. I wouldn't rule out Princess for families however it really depends on the kids.

If the kids are happy to spend most their time by the pool and maybe the odd kids club activity here and there, Princess would be do able. However if kids do prefer having more kids to play with, mini golf, waterslides etc, then I would definitely recommend either Carnival or Royal.

For my own personal cruises I prefer larger ships with a more modern feel and more onboard dining variety. However overall a fantastic cruise ship for the right market.

Have attached some photos, feel free to ask if you have any questions! :)

Sanctuary just seems so expensive... So you have to pay extra for food.... Or did I miss read it

Correct. Sanctuary has a pass charge for entry. You can order light meals at a cost. It all depends on the guests, some are happy to pay for the premium lounges, quieter sitting pool, quick bar service on hand. To be honest for sea days I would definitely pay the pass to have a bit of a quieter space to relax in. The regular pool lounges on princess seemed very average.

And ofcourse with the poolside large screen on the main pool deck, if it's anything like royal Caribbean during the day with music videos playing, it can get quite loud if you just want to relax on a deck chair to have a read or a nap. Sanctuary looks to be a much quieter option.

Sanctuary just seems so expensive... So you have to pay extra for food.... Or did I miss read it

You pay a service charge which was $3pp when we were on Sun last Christmas.

The selection of food wasn't great though.

And ofcourse with the poolside large screen on the main pool deck, if it's anything like royal Caribbean during the day with music videos playing, it can get quite loud if you just want to relax on a deck chair to have a read or a nap. Sanctuary looks to be a much quieter option.

It is, very quiet except when the noise carries over from the main pool.

If I'm going to be on a ship for 104 days I want more than the Sea, Sun or Dawn have to offer. Hopefully when I'm in a position to consider a world or a half-world cruise Princess will have deployed some of their Grand class ships.

cheers

Stu

And ofcourse with the poolside large screen on the main pool deck, if it's anything like royal Caribbean during the day with music videos playing, it can get quite loud if you just want to relax on a deck chair to have a read or a nap. Sanctuary looks to be a much quieter option.

During the day it's fairly quiet in the main area with just images playing.

However, in the evening when they run movies or for other purposes (e.g. sport, activities) there's more noise.

I am in the minority I suspect.

However i wsh I'd done a WC while Princess were using the Ocean and Pacific gor these, don't need entertaning, I want a ship where I can get to meet most, if not all my fellow passengers and where I can feel the ocean.

My DH calls the Sea Princess the rust bucket. He won't be doing any more Princess cruises.:rolleyes:

When we went there were NO children.

My 19 year olds were the youngest pax on the ship. I was a close third.:eek:

There were no activities. No night life.

Lots of people reading and playing cards.

But the food was great. :)

Just my opinion.

My DH calls the Sea Princess the rust bucket. He won't be doing any more Princess cruises.:rolleyes:

When we went there were NO children.

My 19 year olds were the youngest pax on the ship. I was a close third.:eek:

There were no activities. No night life.

Lots of people reading and playing cards.

But the food was great. :)

Just my opinion.

Mmmmmmmmm heaven.

If I'm going to be on a ship for 104 days I want more than the Sea, Sun or Dawn have to offer. Hopefully when I'm in a position to consider a world or a half-world cruise Princess will have deployed some of their Grand class ships.

 

cheers

 

Stu

That's how I feel, so disappointed when I researched Sea Princess - that sanctuary I'm sorry to say is a joke & they expect you to pay for the privilege. Image the cost of using often during a 104 day cruise!

It is, very quiet except when the noise carries over from the main pool.

We did our 1st cruise on Sea Princess last January. With nothing to compare it to we really liked it. I thought the Solarium was only $20 per day, we didn't use it.

We did use the Adults only area in the front of the ship, small pool, two spas, the seaside bar and lots of lounges, best place for sailaways we found.

We are looking forward to sailing on Solstice in November.

I have to admit we are a bit put off by RCI as we feel it is too big, but who knows Legend is sailing from Brisbane. problems with cruises from Brisbane is they have a lot of families (and from heresay, though plenty of it, drunks) on board but that is P & O. On Sun Princess it was very geriatric, we were in the younger 20% and we are in our 60s - hmmm. Make of that what you will lololol.

Roll on November and Solstice.

I am in the minority I suspect.

 

However i wsh I'd done a WC while Princess were using the Ocean and Pacific gor these, don't need entertaning, I want a ship where I can get to meet most, if not all my fellow passengers and where I can feel the ocean.

I agree with your comments.

I loved the Ocean Princess. Would be perfect for a world cruise for those who enjoy being on a real ship.

We did our 1st cruise on Sea Princess last January. With nothing to compare it to we really liked it. I thought the Solarium was only $20 per day, we didn't use it.

 

We did use the Adults only area in the front of the ship, small pool, two spas, the seaside bar and lots of lounges, best place for sailaways we found.

 

We are looking forward to sailing on Solstice in November.

 

I have to admit we are a bit put off by RCI as we feel it is too big, but who knows Legend is sailing from Brisbane. problems with cruises from Brisbane is they have a lot of families (and from heresay, though plenty of it, drunks) on board but that is P & O. On Sun Princess it was very geriatric, we were in the younger 20% and we are in our 60s - hmmm. Make of that what you will lololol.

 

Roll on November and Solstice.

Solstice will blow you away - she is a lovely ship. But keep in mind she is close to twice the size of Sea Princess.

Royal being too big? Not sure how you mean, but their Vision class of ships (Rhapsody, Legend) are about the same size as the Sea Princess.

They do carry slightly more passengers but they also offer a lot more in the way of activities & places to eat etc, so I have never felt crowded on them.

Solstice is a large ship about the size of Royals Voyager class & Celebrity along with Azamara (small luxury ships) are all owned by Royal anyway.

A lovely Royal ship in the middle size wise is Radiance Of The Seas, she is one of the all time favourite Royal ships across the globe, very stylish inside especially the Colony Club area which is very old world passenger liner in style with wood panelling & mahogany furniture etc.

But she has the lovely covered in Solarium (free to use) which has a proper swimming pool with a free café inside the area. Solstice also has a lovely solarium with lots of different seating styles, even a massive double hammock.

P&O and Carnival in general are known for families, younger & sometimes more bogan crowds, Royal is known for mostly mixed crowds, good for families but also good for everyone else. Celebrity is considered to be a middle aged demographic without loads of kids.

Some cruise lines would be considered mostly attracting an older demographic like HAL & Princess.

Each cruise though has it's individual vibe & can often be affected by the itinerary. New Zealand cruises for example seem to attract the elderly more than South Pacific cruises.

Enjoy your Solstice cruise & if you like fine dining try the speciality restaurant Murano - it's lovely.:)

I agree with your comments.

 

I loved the Ocean Princess. Would be perfect for a world cruise for those who enjoy being on a real ship.

A real ship? Hmm, what makes a 30000 tonne ship any more real than a larger one I would ask?

Was Titanic a 'real' ship or is she too large at 43 328 tonnes?

If size is the criteria we should get really real & I would suggest that sailing ships are the only real ships.:D Motorised vessels are just not authentic enough.

How real would you like - hammock beds, mess room, scrubbing the decks maybe? Anyone for a spot of walk the plank - such an exciting activity - don't know why they have done away with it on these modern day ships.

Personally though, I'm not a fan of hard core reality - I'll stick with sailing the modern way, having pools on board, a variety of dining options, comfortable cabins, air conditioning, nightly shows etc - you know, just like on Ocean Princess. ;):p

A real ship? Hmm, what makes a 30000 tonne ship any more real than a larger one I would ask?

 

Was Titanic a 'real' ship or is she too large at 43 328 tonnes?

 

If size is the criteria we should get really real & I would suggest that sailing ships are the only real ships.:D Motorised vessels are just not authentic enough.

 

How real would you like - hammock beds, mess room, scrubbing the decks maybe? Anyone for a spot of walk the plank - such an exciting activity - don't know why they have done away with it on these modern day ships.

 

Personally though, I'm not a fan of hard core reality - I'll stick with sailing the modern way, having pools on board, a variety of dining options, comfortable cabins, air conditioning, nightly shows etc - you know, just like on Ocean Princess. ;):p

I understand your views.

My view is a "real ship" is one where I know I'm on the ocean, that I can walk right around the Promenade Deck, that I can stand on the front deck and smell the ocean, whilst I view the wildlife, and relax over breakfast on the back deck.

I guess, at heart, I'm really a ferry type of cruiser, where I enjoy meeting the most interesting fellow passengers, from all walks of life. It is all about the excitement of the next destination (whether new or repeat), rather than the ship. I am obviously not the modern target market. We are lucky that there are currently still ships available which meet all desires.

When we went there were NO children.

EXACTLY the cruises we book.

Now, if only some airlines could offer this service.:D

I understand your views.

 

My view is a "real ship" is one where I know I'm on the ocean, that I can walk right around the Promenade Deck, that I can stand on the front deck and smell the ocean, whilst I view the wildlife, and relax over breakfast on the back deck.

 

I guess, at heart, I'm really a ferry type of cruiser, where I enjoy meeting the most interesting fellow passengers, from all walks of life. It is all about the excitement of the next destination (whether new or repeat), rather than the ship. I am obviously not the modern target market. We are lucky that there are currently still ships available which meet all desires.

You would find Radiance Of The Seas then much to your liking I would suspect. She is a beautiful ship with has views of the ocean even from inside the ship due to the large amount of floor to ceiling glass, where other ships have solid walls or just smaller windows. She even gives you a view of the ocean when you use the all glass outer lifts & has glass lift doors, so even from inside the lobby you can see the ocean through the lifts.

You can stand out the front on the helipad area & watch the wildlife/glaciers as we did in Alaska, walk around a promenade deck, sit out back of the buffet in the deck area & have your breakfast watching the ship's wake, or relax inside from the Colonial style wood panelled Colony Club during cold weather, where you have unspoilt views across the entire back of the ship. :)

She even has a bar area called the schooner bar with rigging & sails to remind you of seafaring's history with a whole wall of glass to see the ocean.

Even the gym has oceans views on 3 sides!

Beauty of that ship is she has what you value & also offers more options if you decide to try something a little different.

Don't judge a ship by it's size is my suggestion, not all of them are mega liners that take away the association with the sea, some are designed to bring you closer to it in multiple ways.

Meeting people is just as easy on larger ships, more space but more people to meet - it's all relative. We choose My Time Dining so that each evening we can ask to sit on a large table to meet as many people as possible.

I recall watching dolphins play alongside the ship early one evening as we dined whilst travelling the inside passage to Vancouver.

Meeting people is more about the sort of person you are, wether you are willing to strike up a conversation or not, than the type of ship you are on.

Positive flip side of the larger ships is that you can get away from people if you happen to meet the passengers from hell! :D

I encourage you to give a ship like Radiance a try - I think you may well find her 'real' enough for you & she may offer a few surprises as well.:)

Variety is the spice of life as they say!

Happy cruising.

You would find Radiance Of The Seas then much to your liking I would suspect. She is a beautiful ship with has views of the ocean even from inside the ship due to the large amount of floor to ceiling glass, where other ships have solid walls or just smaller windows. She even gives you a view of the ocean when you use the all glass outer lifts & has glass lift doors, so even from inside the lobby you can see the ocean through the lifts.

 

You can stand out the front on the helipad area & watch the wildlife/glaciers as we did in Alaska, walk around a promenade deck, sit out back of the buffet in the deck area & have your breakfast watching the ship's wake, or relax inside from the Colonial style wood panelled Colony Club during cold weather, where you have unspoilt views across the entire back of the ship. :)

 

She even has a bar area called the schooner bar with rigging & sails to remind you of seafaring's history with a whole wall of glass to see the ocean.

 

Even the gym has oceans views on 3 sides!

 

Beauty of that ship is she has what you value & also offers more options if you decide to try something a little different.

 

Don't judge a ship by it's size is my suggestion, not all of them are mega liners that take away the association with the sea, some are designed to bring you closer to it in multiple ways.

 

Meeting people is just as easy on larger ships, more space but more people to meet - it's all relative. We choose My Time Dining so that each evening we can ask to sit on a large table to meet as many people as possible.

 

I recall watching dolphins play alongside the ship early one evening as we dined whilst travelling the inside passage to Vancouver.

 

Meeting people is more about the sort of person you are, wether you are willing to strike up a conversation or not, than the type of ship you are on.

 

Positive flip side of the larger ships is that you can get away from people if you happen to meet the passengers from hell! :D

 

I encourage you to give a ship like Radiance a try - I think you may well find her 'real' enough for you & she may offer a few surprises as well.:)

Variety is the spice of life as they say!

 

Happy cruising.

Thanks. I'm sure I would enjoy the Radiance, as I've admired her at the OPT. I enjoyed Rhapsody's inaugural cruise from Hawaii to Sydney on a ship full of Aussies, which was an memorable experience.