Ocean Princess June 2015 "Report"

[Harley0711]

I just came home from a 16 day "Land of the Midnight Sun" cruise aboard the Ocean Princess. Before I left I had ask here about the current condition of the Ocean and now here is my report card.

 

First off - Overall, I enjoyed the ship and service was very good.

 

With that said. This ship is what I would call 'Old school elegance' - If a passenger is under 30 - they may feel like they are visiting Grandma's house - This is not a bad thing, just that all the décor is dated. Also, if your under 30 - you are going to feel Very young aboard this ship - Now this may be because this cruise was very pricey - 16 days to the very north and very popular - the average cost for 2 in a balcony was right at 10K - unless you were one of the very few that were lucky enough to book at the last min and get a deal - we were not, lol

 

I liked the smallness of the ship - got to know most everyone on board - this is both good and not so good - depending on the people. Getting on and off was super easy - we were Elite but about a 1/3 were, lol. Food was very good, Service was also very good,

 

Condition of the ship is showing its age but Princess is keeping up - this time next year, she will be gone.

 

Do NOT expect this ship to rank up there with the new ships, it is Not that style - Buffett can get crowed very easy but workable.

 

Sailing was good and she handles the seas good and we cruise the North Sea twice. no real issues.

 

The wife and I have double booked the Pacific (sister to the Ocean) and the Emerald for July 0f 2016 - at this moment, we are leaning towards the Emerald and NOT the Pacific - the small ship is nice but they are just old enough and we really enjoyed the Ruby (sister to the Emerald) = we are going to the Baltic and both large ships and small ships dock in all ports so no real advantage to the small ship. We choose the Ocean because we were cruising in the Norwegian Fjords

 

We went as far north to Longyearbyn, Norway.

 

Cabin size with the balcony was actually very nice - had a small love seat which the other Princess ships do Not have without getting a Mini Suite. The closet door and the bathroom door and exit cabin door often have fights with each other, lol.. just a bad design.

 

any question, you can email me below

[AE_Collector]

We did that cruise on Ocean Princess last year and loved it. We stayed on for the Baltic cruise as well which Ocean Princess is doing right now. She is transiting the Kiel Canal today, an experience only available on the smaller ships.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2225108#

 

We did 6 cruises on Ocean & Pacific last year. B2B2B Tahiti to Vancouver on Pacific, then a B2B Norway & Baltic on Ocean and finally Vancouver to Hawaii on Pacific. We thoroughly enjoyed the small ships and will miss them when they are gone.

 

Terry

[piper28]

The wife and I have double booked the Pacific (sister to the Ocean) and the Emerald for July 0f 2016 - at this moment, we are leaning towards the Emerald and NOT the Pacific - the small ship is nice but they are just old enough and we really enjoyed the Ruby (sister to the Emerald) = we are going to the Baltic and both large ships and small ships dock in all ports so no real advantage to the small ship. We choose the Ocean because we were cruising in the Norwegian Fjords

 

Actually, I would pick the Pacific over the large ship for the Baltics. For some of the ports, you end up docking closer in to town than you would with the large ship (although Copenhagen that might not be true). Not sure if that Baltic cruise includes Helsinki (I know they've not always had it on there), but Helsinki we docked right in town instead of the western docks, and for St Petersburg, we docked on the River Neva within site of the winter palace. Made for a real interesting sail-away. Disembarking in St Pete for a private tour was also incredibly easy. And the Kiel canal transit was interesting. That cruise has so few sea days, having the larger ship really doesn't necessarily gain much in my opinion.

[Harley0711]

Piper28, good points and we have looked at it,,, interesting that the Pacific 14 day is $850 More (each person) than the 14 day Emerald and no matter how you slice it,,, $1700 is $1700

Edited June 23, 2015 by Harley0711

[Seattlecasey]

Thanks for this update! Some family members are on this ship now for the Iceland/Norway cruise, and I appreciate hearing that the ship is still on good, if not slightly dated, shape. we were pleased to hear from Princess there were a couple kids in each of the age ranges aboard that my family had. The longer, more expensive ships tend to be so less children-filled. Good for some! Not good if you are a bored 11 year old girl like my niece, or 17 year old nephew! haha

[partybarbie]

Your feelings regarding the Ocean Princess are similar to mine regarding the Pacific. We did a 32-day Trans-Atlantic on the Crown and then a 30-day Trans-Atlantic on the Pacific. DH and I really preferred the Crown. We're doing another Trans-Atlantic in October and have opted to go on the Emerald. If your ports are the same and the pricing cheaper, then I would go with the Emerald.

 

I've actually spent a total of eight weeks on the small ships, but we only cruise on them when they visit ports that the big ships don't. We enjoy the multiple fresh water pools and the MUTS on the bigger ships.

[UpcountryTravelers]

We cruised the Caribbean on the Ocean Princess last December, and LOVED it! I wouldn't call it "dated" (except for one point below) but more "traditional". She is beautiful, in a "country club" way. She is for relaxing and enjoying the cruise, not going 90 MPH all the time aboard. The service is way above others, for the simple reason that the crew gets to know you, and vice versa. Same with other passengers.

 

The only thing I didn't like was the old-fashioned buffet. It's the only Princess ship we have been on with a "line" buffet, rather than going directly to what you want. Also, it closes quite early. But the outdoor eating area next to the buffet is wonderful!

 

The staterooms are very nice and roomy, and it is nice to never have to stand in long lines like others. After next month's cruise, we will really miss her. >sigh<