What is pacific princess really like??

[winncruiser]

We have only cruised aboard the "big sisters"....emerald, ruby, crown, star, golden, grand, caribbean and dawn....so we are accustomed to anytime dining, lots of pools, bars, etc. We are late 40s, early 50s...will we be bored at night and with 4 "at sea" days on a January Caribbean sailing onboard the Pacific Princess?

[PescadoAmarillo]

I can't answer your question but I can say that if we were able to make it work, we'd be on that cruise in a heartbeat. 4 sea days. How bad can they be? I'm just dying to try one of those ships, but I'm not anxious to do the itineraries they usually do.

 

In fact, just last week I was wishing that Princess would take one of those small ships and do a few cruises with really unique itineraries in the Caribbean. Like Statia, or Marie Galante, or Iles des Saints. I'm not certain that's even possible (could the ports handle 670 cruise ship passengers?) but I think people would pay a lot of money for those.

 

I was surprised to see that they're doing a bit of that (w St. Bart's) before the world cruise this winter.

[SoBaycruiser]

We have been on this class ship 3 times- Pacific Princess to Alaska, the same ship when it was the R4 (Rennaissance) and with Azamara. We love this size ship because it is more intimate and we get to know people better. In fact tomorrow we are expecting a visit from friends in New Zealand that we met on the Alaskan cruise.

 

That being said, I think the Pacific and Ocean Princess are more sedate than the big ships. Rennaissance cruises were bargain cruises and attracted a lot of young people. Our Azamara cruise was to Antarctica so the passengers were of a more adventuresome sort. Our Pacific Princess cruise was 14 days. It was

longer and more expensive than most Alaskan cruises so it attracted an older crowd. We'd go up to the lounge to dance after the show and there might be 6 couples there. It was low energy. The traditional only dining also makes it a more formal trip. That being said, we are now in our early to mid sixties and we have booked a B2B on the Ocean Princess. We like getting to know a lot of the passengers. On our most recent trip on the Golden we met some really nice people but never saw them again.

 

I hope that gives you a better feel for the ship.

[winncruiser]

thank you both so much for your prompt replies. I really want to try the Pacific...may not tell my husband that I knew it was a smaller ship when I booked it!! JK!

[Pam in CA]

We have only cruised aboard the "big sisters"....emerald, ruby, crown, star, golden, grand, caribbean and dawn....so we are accustomed to anytime dining, lots of pools, bars, etc. We are late 40s, early 50s...will we be bored at night and with 4 "at sea" days on a January Caribbean sailing onboard the Pacific Princess?

This is now a somewhat old blog but it'll give you a good idea of the Pacific Princess. The passengers tend to be older because families and younger people prefer the large ships. I think of the Pacific/Ocean Princess like going to local grocery store as opposed to a supermarket or going to a small college vs. a university. Many of the same things, just not as many of them or as much variety. You'll find the service is better as it's less impersonal, and it's easier to meet people and make friends since you'll often see the same people. It takes at most five minutes to walk from one end of the ship to the other as opposed to at least ten minutes at a fast clip. Even though the passengers are older, they are less likely to be on scooters or in wheelchairs. IMHO, they tend to have an active lifestyle and sense of adventure regardless of age.

 

http://johnhealdsblog.com/2008/06/25/pacific-princessa-day-onboard-a-5-star-country-inn/

[Times Prince]

We have only cruised aboard the "big sisters"....emerald, ruby, crown, star, golden, grand, caribbean and dawn....so we are accustomed to anytime dining, lots of pools, bars, etc. We are late 40s, early 50s...will we be bored at night and with 4 "at sea" days on a January Caribbean sailing onboard the Pacific Princess?

We sailed on the Pacific Princess II from Tahiti to Hawaii - 12 days, and thought it was one of our top cruises. The ship has a more initimate feel with less people, and if you liked the Dawn Princess you will probably like the Pacific Princess. The entertainment venues are smaller, but it is like seeing a Broadway show up close. In one case they used the lounge and it was like being at a really good nightclub. We saw the same show later on one of the Grand class ships, and it really suffered in comparison.

 

The buffet is smaller, but this is offset by the outdoor buffet seating on the stern of the ship - just a fantastic setting for a lunch.

 

We met some people who have become lifelong friends while onboard Pacific Princess, and got to know the Cruise Director (Sammi Baker) personally, learning a lot about her and how things are done aboard ship.

 

We would sail aboard this ship in a heartbeat if the itinerary allowed.

[pamwinn]

I worried about the size of the ship and the lack of anytime dining before I cruised on one of the small ships. I was on the Tahitian and then the Pacific. I love the small ships....no crowds....get to the ship anytime you want to the first day...no crowds. I was very pleasantly surprised except for the pizza and I shouldn't be eating that anyway:)

[Aussie Gal]

We do love these smaller ships. We have been on the Ocean Princess/Tahitian Princess 4 times, the Pacific Princess once, the Royal Princess once, Azamara's Quest once and Oceania's Nautica once. We are booked on the Ocean Princess for next June and March of 2014 and we would have been on her in March this year except for my DH's sudden illness. We have done a lot of different cruises on these ships ranging from 10 days around Tahiti to 35 days from Hong Kong to Athens and we have never been bored.

 

We find we make friends so much easier than when on a big ship as you do see the same people around the ship. The Cruise Director and the Dancers are all very involved in the various activities and you do get to know them quite well. As previous posters have mentioned, if you are on a warm weather cruise, the area at the back of the Buffet is a great place to have breakfast and lunch. The library is another great room to relax in with its beautiful wood cabinets and lovely ceiling together with the fireplace. The dining room is another delightful room.

 

We love the itineraries that are offered with the smaller ships as they can get into unusual ports where the bigger ships cannot go. We also love the mini suites on these ex "R" ships. They are very comfortable and well worth the money.

 

We are cruising on the Emerald next month and Celebrity's Solstice in March so we are going to find it very strange being on a much larger ship and not knowing our way around. I am sure we will have the map in our hands for days!

 

Jennie

[sunluva7]

Please disregard that mad frowny face below my avatar. It's a mistake and I can't seem to edit it out. Weird.

 

Anyway, my husband and I had a difference of opinion on the Ocean Princess. He likes the variety of entertainment options on the larger ships and was bored on the 2 sea days we had. I don't need all that distraction and was perfectly happy reading or writing in a quiet corner somewhere. In our case, it didn't help that the casino was closed during most of the cruise due to British maritime law or that it was too chilly to hang out by the pool. Sailing this ship actually forced us to try things we hadn't done yet. It was our first time with traditional dining, and we loved it. To fill the time we would normally be spending in a chair by the pool in a warmer climate, we tried afternoon tea for the first time, also nice.

 

The big advantages to this size ship are the fact that nothing is far away, and you get to know your fellow passengers and crew very quickly, as you run into the same people all the time. Several crew members addressed us by name - that's how small the ship is.:)

 

We are in our late 50's and this was the oldest crowd we've encountered on a cruise. Not a bad thing, but just an observation. It just set the tone, basically, for the both day activity and nightlife on the ship - everyone pretty much turned in by 11:00 pm, and there was basically nothing that would draw a younger audience, like karaoke, game shows or night club. Not that the entertainment wasn't good - it was - just geared more toward an older crowd.

 

What I did love was the small size of the ship and would definitely cruise it again if the opportunity came along, especially in a warmer climate when I could really enjoy the pool and he cabin balcony. My husband would definitely not.

 

Check out my blog and photos for more.

[caribill]

The Pacific Princess is 98% identical to the Tahitian/Ocean Princess.

 

For pictures of the Ocean Princess (when it was the Tahitian), go to http://fp.caribill.com/

 

Both ships look the same now as when those pictures were taken.

[dorisis]

We have only cruised aboard the "big sisters"....emerald, ruby, crown, star, golden, grand, caribbean and dawn....so we are accustomed to anytime dining, lots of pools, bars, etc. We are late 40s, early 50s...will we be bored at night and with 4 "at sea" days on a January Caribbean sailing onboard the Pacific Princess?[/Q

 

We have just booked that cruise. The small ships,are very different than the other Princess ships. They do not hl;d the same appeal for most folks. Not nearly as many attractions. You might want to check out what these ships do provide at the Princess sight. We like the size of the cabins and the friendliness of the crew.

 

~Doris~>Who usually finds an older group on the small ships

[winncruiser]

Thank you all very much for taking the time to post your thoughts and photographs of Pacific Princess. Hopefully I'll be onboard come January!

[dorisis]

Thank you all very much for taking the time to post your thoughts and photographs of Pacific Princess. Hopefully I'll be onboard come January!

 

We'll see you onboard. We are booked as of Sept.3rd. I think there is a roll call started. you might want to join.

 

Doris

[CdMAgFox]

Sunday's edition of the Cruiseman Newsletter made mention of this one-time cruise which instantly grabbed my attention for a couple of reasons: I dearly LOVE the Pacific Princess (Alaska Gulf Connoisseur Cruise May 2009) and the Tahitian Princess - now the Ocean Princess (French Polynesia May 2003). The libraries on these small ships are absolutely beautiful! Both ships are elegant in a traditional sense and are very intimate with less than 700 passengers. The dark cherry wood used throughout the ship is really a nice touch.

 

My second reason was the itinerary. This will be my 41st cruise so I am running out of places to which I have never been, so I was thrilled to discover that NONE of the five ports of call have I visited before; it will be a new, exciting experience!

 

The rates are quite reasonable and I decided to splurge on a Mini-Suite (category AC guarantee); since there are only 4 of these cabins, I will most probably be upgraded to category AB. Although different from the mini-suites on the Grand-class Princess ships, their square footage is the same: 322. Very spacious!

 

~Ron

[avalon1025]

has Princess ever updated these ships?

[Aloha 1]

We just got off Pacific last week. What a great ship! We are veterans of over 14 cruises and This was our first "small ship" experience. My DW absolutely fell in love with the experience. Never a wait, easy to get around, and you really do get to know the crew and fellow passengers. We didn't miss all the glitz you get with the bigger boats. Had a great dining experience ( smaller crowd means better prepared meals), enjoyed the casino, etc. I would book it again in a heartbeat. To the person who asked about whether the ship had been "upgraded", it's only 10 years old, has had several drydocks to keep it fresh, has Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse, and the only fault I could find was the slow internet speed.

[Aussie Gal]

The Ocean Princess was given a thorough dry dock back in November, 2009 when her name was changed from the Tahitian Princess.

 

She did get new carpets, the furniture was reupholstered and of course was painted and I think the mini suites got new beds as when we cruised on her in May, 2010, our bed was very comfortable.

 

Other than that, the ship remains the same as the other 8 Renaissance ships inside with the pretty Tromp l'oeil on the walls and ceiling of the dining room, the beautiful library, the fireplace in the Casino lounge etc. It is like being in an English Country home and being a smallish ship, it is quite intimate.

 

Jennie