Interested in Opinions for Pacific Princess

[Rick&Jeannie]

We are taking our first cruise on a "small" ship next week on the Pacific Princess.  We have sailed the Regal, Royal and Crown so have a fairly good idea on the larger ships.  Was hoping to hear from someone who can give a real comparison between Pacific and the larger ships.  What will we find better?  Worse?

[memoak]

The PP is my favorite ship.  Small ship excellent crew. If you need a bunch of bells and whistles and can’t live without an IC , Vines and Alfredos then this is not your ship. But for sheer comfort and relaxation it cannot be beat.  Always reminds me of my early days cruising when 1,200 passengers was considered a large ship

[Loritd]

We sailed on the pacific a year ago October.  It’s a great ship for a cruise with a lot of ports but for a cruise with a lot of sea days it might be a little boring.  Tiny casino and no muts.  The food was good and the ship never felt crowded.  a true old school style cruise ship. 

[vjmatty]

My longest cruise was on the PP.... it was an 18-day repositioning from Rome to Ft Lauderdale in December 2010, and I loved it.  While there are fewer venues and activities,  I was neve bored and found plenty to do.  Between trivia, lectures and fitness walks I found the time went by. Unfortunately there were some who complained about being bored and flew home from Bermuda....I guess they couldn't handle three more days of someone else cooking for them and cleaning their rooms.  Others learned to be careful what they wished for, since we hit some rough seas in the Atlantic and things got interesting 😉

[paul929207]

We love the Pacific. You get to know the other passengers and crew.

 

Shorter walks when going some where.

 

Not crowed. 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

We loved the Pacific Princess too although it's the only cruise that I've gained weight on-not enough walking and stair climbing since everything was so convenient. And we loved the outdoor, covered seating at the stern outside the buffet. The library is a beautiful room and all the woodwork is fantastic. 

[DougH]

My favorite ship. No lines, no crowds, no waiting. Short walk anywhere. Love the outdoor seating are aft of the buffet. Beautiful forward lounge for reading and views. Sail on her again in May for Alaska and can't wait

[CruiseVA]

Thanks for the replies - booked her for a short May cruise from LA to Vancouver, and, then, again for a Med Cruise from Venice. Looking forward to the smaller ship experience.

 

[donaldsc]

7 hours ago, Loritd said:

We sailed on the pacific a year ago October.  It’s a great ship for a cruise with a lot of ports but for a cruise with a lot of sea days it might be a little boring.  Tiny casino and no muts.  The food was good and the ship never felt crowded.  a true old school style cruise ship. 

 

Small casino and no MUTS.  Just perfect!

 

DON

[GUT2407]

Love her, but if you need activities 24/7 she may not be for you.

[flamomo]

She's my absolute favorite ship in the entire fleet!! I have sailed on almost all of the ships in the Princess fleet, but she is definitely at the top of my list.

I just disembarked from her 10 days ago after a wonderful 29 day cruise from Venice, visiting a number of ports in the Med, a stop at Gibraltar, and a stop in the Canary Islands, followed by an 8 day Atlantic crossing to FLL.

The ship itself is rather reminiscent of the "old days" of cruising. A few less conveniences, such as no International Café or Vines, than on the larger ships, but nothing drastic. The cabins have been updated and are quite comfortable. The crew is wonderfully attentive without overdoing it.

There is no actual theater, so production shows and some entertainer's shows are held in The Cabaret Lounge. If you want to have good sight lines of the shows in there, try to arrive at least a half hour early and bring a book or something else to amuse yourself while you wait. The stage is small, and much of the action takes place on what is actually the dance floor. The seating floor is only slightly sloped, so a seat in the first 2-3 rows will give you better views.

I hope  you enjoy cruising on her as much as I do. I tend to book cruises JUST BECAUSE they are on her!!

[mtnesterz]

I was on the same cruise with Flamoro, previous post.  Internet was out on the TA portion. Not complaining, except it additionally limited things to do.  The Royal class ships are too impersonal and huge, but offer much more to do.  Posters here have covered the points well.  I'll add the library is the best of the Princess ships.  Port talks should be good for your Trans-Panama. Bring a tablet with games, books etc... Experience cruising as it used to be. 

[Coral]

15 hours ago, vjmatty said:

My longest cruise was on the PP.... it was an 18-day repositioning from Rome to Ft Lauderdale in December 2010, and I loved it.  While there are fewer venues and activities,  I was neve bored and found plenty to do.  Between trivia, lectures and fitness walks I found the time went by. Unfortunately there were some who complained about being bored and flew home from Bermuda....I guess they couldn't handle three more days of someone else cooking for them and cleaning their rooms.  Others learned to be careful what they wished for, since we hit some rough seas in the Atlantic and things got interesting 😉

I had friends on that cruise and didn't know that it was a small ship. They didn't fly home from Bermuda but probably wanted to.

[BigGuy25]

We’ve sailed twice on the small ships several years ago (once in the Mediterranean and another South Pacific to Hawaii) and loved the boutique ship feel.  Enjoyed reading these comments since we’ve booked the Pacific Princess for a September Vancouver to Hawaii voyage this year.

Edited January 1, 2020 by BigGuy25

[vjmatty]

1 hour ago, flamomo said:

She's my absolute favorite ship in the entire fleet!! I have sailed on almost all of the ships in the Princess fleet, but she is definitely at the top of my list.

I just disembarked from her 10 days ago after a wonderful 29 day cruise from Venice, visiting a number of ports in the Med, a stop at Gibraltar, and a stop in the Canary Islands, followed by an 8 day Atlantic crossing to FLL.

The ship itself is rather reminiscent of the "old days" of cruising. A few less conveniences, such as no International Café or Vines, than on the larger ships, but nothing drastic. The cabins have been updated and are quite comfortable. The crew is wonderfully attentive without overdoing it.

There is no actual theater, so production shows and some entertainer's shows are held in The Cabaret Lounge. If you want to have good sight lines of the shows in there, try to arrive at least a half hour early and bring a book or something else to amuse yourself while you wait. The stage is small, and much of the action takes place on what is actually the dance floor. The seating floor is only slightly sloped, so a seat in the first 2-3 rows will give you better views.

I hope  you enjoy cruising on her as much as I do. I tend to book cruises JUST BECAUSE they are on her!!

 

In some ways I think of PP as the closest thing to luxury cruising without the luxury price tag.... especially now with the sales that include beverage packages and unlimited internet.  Smaller ship, much fewer passengers, not as many of the bells and whistles that go with the usual mainstream and mega ship cruising.  It's one of the best kept secrets of Princess.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Thanks for all of the great responses!  Sounds like it will be a very nice cruise on a "new ship" (for us, anyway).  I just had a thought...does the PP have normal "send out" style laundry like on the bigger ships?  I know it would be extra cost...not looking forward to standing around a "laundromat"!

[GUT2407]

56 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Thanks for all of the great responses!  Sounds like it will be a very nice cruise on a "new ship" (for us, anyway).  I just had a thought...does the PP have normal "send out" style laundry like on the bigger ships?  I know it would be extra cost...not looking forward to standing around a "laundromat"!

Yes.

[Ron the Rev]

4 hours ago, flamomo said:

She's my absolute favorite ship in the entire fleet!! I have sailed on almost all of the ships in the Princess fleet, but she is definitely at the top of my list.

I just disembarked from her 10 days ago after a wonderful 29 day cruise from Venice, visiting a number of ports in the Med, a stop at Gibraltar, and a stop in the Canary Islands, followed by an 8 day Atlantic crossing to FLL.

The ship itself is rather reminiscent of the "old days" of cruising. A few less conveniences, such as no International Café or Vines, than on the larger ships, but nothing drastic. The cabins have been updated and are quite comfortable. The crew is wonderfully attentive without overdoing it.

There is no actual theater, so production shows and some entertainer's shows are held in The Cabaret Lounge. If you want to have good sight lines of the shows in there, try to arrive at least a half hour early and bring a book or something else to amuse yourself while you wait. The stage is small, and much of the action takes place on what is actually the dance floor. The seating floor is only slightly sloped, so a seat in the first 2-3 rows will give you better views.

I hope  you enjoy cruising on her as much as I do. I tend to book cruises JUST BECAUSE they are on her!!

In total agreement. Size counts, small is best.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Thanks for all of the great responses!  Sounds like it will be a very nice cruise on a "new ship" (for us, anyway).  I just had a thought...does the PP have normal "send out" style laundry like on the bigger ships?  I know it would be extra cost...not looking forward to standing around a "laundromat"!

 

If you like the Pacific Princess, try doing a cruise on one of the Azamara ships.  Same R class ships but more upscale.

 

DON

[Colo Cruiser]

For me she would be tied for least favorable with the Island/Grand.

[Ken the cruiser]

11 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

If you like the Pacific Princess, try doing a cruise on one of the Azamara ships.  Same R class ships but more upscale.

 

DON

Oceania also bought 4 of the original Renaissance Cruises R-class ships and renamed them to Insignia, Regatta, Nautica and Sirena (formerly known as the Ocean Princess when Princess owned her). 

Edited January 1, 2020 by Ken the cruiser

[jonesbk]

We have our first cruise on the Pacific scheduled for later this year. Will be interested in reading the OP’s thoughts once they return.

[memoak]

1 reminder there is no anytime dining on the PP.   Fixed seatings only

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

1 reminder there is no anytime dining on the PP.   Fixed seatings only

 

Yes, that one caught us somewhat by surprise as we generally do Anytime Dining.  We're just approaching it as a chance to meet some new friends!

[cflutist]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Oceania also bought 4 of the original Renaissance Cruises R-class ships and renamed them to Insignia, Regatta, Nautica and Sirena (formerly known as the Ocean Princess when Princess owned her). 

 

We have sailed 4 times on the Tahitian, Ocean, and Pacific Princess. We really like the size of the old R ships and have also sailed on the Oceania Nautica and will sail on the Regatta in 2021. Oceania cuisine blows Princess away (USDA Prime grade 28-day dry aged beef) and is equivalent to the cuisine on Silversea. 

All the lobster and filet mignon you want available at the grill everyday of the cruise.

 

We also like the fact that the Owner's and Vista suites of the old R ships have two bathrooms and real dining tables with 4 chairs. Been told that balcony cabins and insides have sofas.

 

After sailing twice on the Majestic Princess (Penthouse and Premium suites) we are turned off by the crowds.

We also don't like the fact that there is no dining table, but rather only a small coffee table.

 

There is more intimacy on the Pacific and while others may be bored we are fine with books loaded to our tablets.