Princess Crash Course

[JamieLogical]

I will be sailing on Princess for the first time in December. A 15-day Panama Canal transit on the Emerald Princess over the Holidays. I have sailed many times on NCL and Celebrity, but I am hoping you folks can give me the scoop on what is the same. what is different, best specialty dining, best bars, best drinks to order, best activities, best areas to hang out, etc. We are in a balcony cabin on deck 15 forward and we have the Princess Plus package, which I believe includes the basic drinks and wifi.

 

Any info you think is relevant is appreciated!

[Dar & Bob]

Can't believe you haven't been on Princess - your posts are always so helpful.  We haven't sailed on the Emerald but were on the Grand in July.  We enjoyed trying different cocktails at Good Spirits at Sea and we enjoy Crooners with the piano players for before dinner cocktail and after the shows.  The plus package has a limit of $12 per drink but like X you only pay the difference in the price.  Vines is very nice to try some different wines and some of the best will be over the $$ limit.  For lunch try Alfredo's for something different from the buffet or dining room and the International cafe is good for a quick breakfast sanwich especially on sea days.  Also with the Plus package the coffees there are included.  

That's about all the generic Princess info I can give you.  I know you will have a great report of your experience and look forward to it.  Our experience on the Grand was our worst experience on Princess and I hope the Emerald is in better condition.  

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, Dar & Bob said:

Can't believe you haven't been on Princess - your posts are always so helpful.  We haven't sailed on the Emerald but were on the Grand in July.  We enjoyed trying different cocktails at Good Spirits at Sea and we enjoy Crooners with the piano players for before dinner cocktail and after the shows.  The plus package has a limit of $12 per drink but like X you only pay the difference in the price.  Vines is very nice to try some different wines and some of the best will be over the $$ limit.  For lunch try Alfredo's for something different from the buffet or dining room and the International cafe is good for a quick breakfast sanwich especially on sea days.  Also with the Plus package the coffees there are included.  

That's about all the generic Princess info I can give you.  I know you will have a great report of your experience and look forward to it.  Our experience on the Grand was our worst experience on Princess and I hope the Emerald is in better condition.  

 

Thanks for the info. Alfredo's is the pizza place or is that something different? Is it included or is there an upcharge?

 

I should have mentioned in my original post that my husband and I don't drink wine really. We tend to stick to cocktails on cruises. So if anyone has tips for the best cocktails on Princess, let us know!

[Dar & Bob]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Thanks for the info. Alfredo's is the pizza place or is that something different? Is it included or is there an upcharge?

 

I should have mentioned in my original post that my husband and I don't drink wine really. We tend to stick to cocktails on cruises. So if anyone has tips for the best cocktails on Princess, let us know!

Yes Alfredo's is the pizza place.  On the Regal they had an awesome shrimp salad but it wasn't offered on the Grand.  Not surets  if it was a positional thing or Royal vs Grand thing.  

The Good Spirits at Sea had a full menu of different drinks to try.  I really liked the Sandia en Fuego which was a spicy fruity drink. https://www.facebook.com/PrincessCruises/videos/252979523421463/

[Cruzinnana47]

We found the International Cafe is a great place for specialty and regular brewed coffee, also teas.  They have sandwiches, pastries, cookies, salads.  When we sailed on the Emerald a few years back, we had a light lunch there on embarkation day, instead of dealing with the buffet crowds.  The piazza area (decks 5, 6, and 7) is a hub of activity day and night.  Next to the International Cafe is Good Spirits at Sea where you can get a good cocktail.  Agree with Dar & Bob about the Sandia en Fuego at Good Spirits at Sea.  We had them on our Alaska cruise on the Ruby (sister to the Emerald) in May, and it is now my DH's favorite Princess cocktail!

 

Other favs of ours: Promenade Deck, Club Fusion, Movies Under the Stars, Skywalkers Lounge and the Horizon Terrace/Outriggers Bar area aft (deck 15).

Edited October 17, 2022 by Cruzinnana47

[Essiesmom]

1.  Find the International Cafe, off the piazza…for salads, snacks nearly 24 hours, food is free.  Nearby is the place for specialty coffee and tea, not free.  
2.  I see you will be coming eastbound through the canal.  You will be using the New Locks.  Entering the Cocoli Locks on the Pacific, the lock workings will be on the starboard side.  If your cabin is that side, you will have a great view.  If you are port side, you might want to get out and roam around the ship,  particularly the promenade deck, 8 and up to 9 forward.  If you go topside on starboard after you are through the first locks, you may be able to see the Pedro Miguel locks.  
When you get to the end of the canal, the Agua Clara locks, the works will be on the port side of the ship.

There will be two other cruise ships in the canal that day (Dec 29).  Viking Neptune will pass you going westbound.  NCL Pearl will be doing a partial transit of the Gatun Locks, so will likely be already gone by the time you get to the Agua Clara locks.  Just depends on how early you get started.  EM

[sonomaphil]

Fyi. The Emerald does not have an Alfredo's pizza restaurant. 

[PacnGoNow]

52 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I will be sailing on Princess for the first time in December. A 15-day Panama Canal transit on the Emerald Princess over the Holidays. I have sailed many times on NCL and Celebrity, but I am hoping you folks can give me the scoop on what is the same. what is different, best specialty dining, best bars, best drinks to order, best activities, best areas to hang out, etc. We are in a balcony cabin on deck 15 forward and we have the Princess Plus package, which I believe includes the basic drinks and wifi.

 

Any info you think is relevant is appreciated!

Also includes the crew appreciation/gratuities. 
A lot of PCL folks love the different bars, you have to try them all to find your fave!

SD…we really like Crown Grill.  Has always been excellent.

 

We also love IC, International Cafe for light snacks, lunch and specialty coffees.

 

The Princess vibe has always been different than NCL/RCCL/CCL and that’s what we like better.  Hard to describe, and post pause, all the cruiselines seem to struggle to get back to normal. But, I think it’s coming.  No one can beat the crews of PCL.  They are fabulous!

 

Activities?  That’s so subjective. You will have to see what interests you, IDK. 

The Panama Canal is great and PCL has some of the best destination specialist’s  that I have had.  

Have a great cruise.
 

Edited October 17, 2022 by PacnGoNow

[JamieLogical]

4 minutes ago, sonomaphil said:

Fyi. The Emerald does not have an Alfredo's pizza restaurant. 

 

Darn! Does it have something else in its place?

[HBCcruiser]

Princess VS NCL: If you don’t drink wine then the regular beverage package is similar to NCL’s. You should be able to order most mixed drinks. Nothing beats the NCL Premium Plus package IMO (bottles of wine at meals). The specialty dining is very similar to NCL - Crown Grill is like Cagneys and Sabatini’s is like La Cucina. There are not as many venues, both dining and bars, on Emerald Princess. You may find on the older Princess ships evenings are more subdued than NCL with fewer options for entertainment. The food in the main dining room is comparable IMO.

 

There seem to be more pools and hot tubs on Princess ships with a nice aft adult-only pool on your ship. I compare the older Princess ships with the older NCL ships like the Sky. There are no slides, climbing walls or the like on Princess ships. 
 

I enjoy Princess especially if I want a relaxing cruise at a good price. Enjoy your cruise! 

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, HBCcruiser said:

Princess VS NCL: If you don’t drink wine then the regular beverage package is similar to NCL’s. You should be able to order most mixed drinks. Nothing beats the NCL Premium Plus package IMO (bottles of wine at meals). The specialty dining is very similar to NCL - Crown Grill is like Cagneys and Sabatini’s is like La Cucina. There are not as many venues, both dining and bars, on Emerald Princess. You may find on the older Princess ships evenings are more subdued than NCL with fewer options for entertainment. The food in the main dining room is comparable IMO.

 

There seem to be more pools and hot tubs on Princess ships with a nice aft adult-only pool on your ship. I compare the older Princess ships with the older NCL ships like the Sky. There are no slides, climbing walls or the like on Princess ships. 
 

I enjoy Princess especially if I want a relaxing cruise at a good price. Enjoy your cruise! 

 

I have been sailing Celebrity more recently and not sailing NCL much since the restart (once last Sept/Oct) and I have another NCL sailing scheduled for 10/30. I definitely expect Princess to have more of the same vibe as Celebrity rather than NCL. As long as I can eat decent food, relax, drink some drinks, and listen to some live music, I will be very content. I am hoping that despite being a Holiday cruise, there won't be *too* many kids onboard with it being Princess and a 15-day sailing.

[mtnesterz]

We have done a trans-Panama on both Princess and X. A thousand things make up a cruise. So what we say we like, may not be things you like. One pleasant change from X, in the past, seemed like disembarkation was disorganized. Princess is a well oiled machine. Perhaps Celebrity has improved this though.

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Darn! Does it have something else in its place?

There is a pizzaria poolside on deck. They offer a rotating selection of pizzas daily and I think its pretty good.

Edited October 17, 2022 by mtnesterz

[HBCcruiser]

3 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I have been sailing Celebrity more recently and not sailing NCL much since the restart (once last Sept/Oct) and I have another NCL sailing scheduled for 10/30. I definitely expect Princess to have more of the same vibe as Celebrity rather than NCL. As long as I can eat decent food, relax, drink some drinks, and listen to some live music, I will be very content. I am hoping that despite being a Holiday cruise, there won't be *too* many kids onboard with it being Princess and a 15-day sailing.

Princess will provide what you are looking for. They often have great jazz bands and piano/vocalists onboard. I do not think there will be a lot of children onboard. They will be on NCL and RCCL. 

[Cruzinnana47]

Forgot to mention.  As far as specialty restaurants go, the Crown Gill (steakhouse) and Sabatini's (Italian) are good and very popular.  Also for lounges...Explorers, Crooner's and the Wheelhouse (believe all on deck 7) have their own vibe.

 

Sure you will enjoy your cruise.  We love Princess as it's more sedate, but not boring.  No bells & whistles--rock climbing walls, flowriders, water slides, etc., as they have on the newer RCI and NCL ships.  

 

If you would enjoy a fantastic dining experience, the Chef's Table is wonderful (you need to call to get on the list as soon as you board).  Not cheap, but so worth it.   Also, the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast or Ultimate Balcony Dinner are great as well--so much food!

Edited October 17, 2022 by Cruzinnana47

[Dar & Bob]

8 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I have been sailing Celebrity more recently and not sailing NCL much since the restart (once last Sept/Oct) and I have another NCL sailing scheduled for 10/30. I definitely expect Princess to have more of the same vibe as Celebrity rather than NCL. As long as I can eat decent food, relax, drink some drinks, and listen to some live music, I will be very content. I am hoping that despite being a Holiday cruise, there won't be *too* many kids onboard with it being Princess and a 15-day sailing.

We recently cruised on the Edge with X - we just became platinum on Princess.  We loved the Edge since it is so different.  We have booked two more cruises on Celebrity and have one on Sky Princess coming up.  To us Princess is a little more laid back than Celebrity which we weren't expecting.  

As far as the Holiday situation, we have been on two NYE cruises with Princess.  The last one was a 10 day cruise and there were many  passengers with in our book too many kids.  They were up late in the evening - running through the ballroom dancers in the Piazza and around the piano bar.  We noticed many of them were Europeans so not sure if the longer length of the cruise made it more appealing.  It was just our observation and we have opted not to go at NYE again for that reason.  

BTW we have no problem with the kids, but it was the parents who didn't supervise them, 

 

[KKB]

Lots of great info here.

I put Princess in between Celebrity & NCL, leaning a bit more toward Celebrity.

I find MDR & buffet food to be a bit better than NCL (and I ❤️International Cafe), but NCL specialty restaurants r better.One area Princess typically excels at is trivia @ game shows.

Production shoes r hit & miss imo.

Im confident u will have a great time as u always do!

[EllieinNJ]

Hi Jamie.  I met you last year on NCL Breakaway to Bermuda.  We, too, usually do NCL but will do our 4th Princess cruise in November on the Enchanted Princess.  This will be our first Royal type ship but on the others (Golden, Grand and Crown) which is a ship like yours, we loved that you don't have to make reservations for the shows.  We love the shows and back then they had two different ones per night, one in the main theater and one in the Bliss nightclub so we were running back and forth to the various shows.  We also loved the Crooners bar.  They always had great singers there.  We are big coffee drinkers so we purchase the coffee card for "fresh" coffee and specialty coffee.  Have a great trip.

[JamieLogical]

58 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

We are big coffee drinkers so we purchase the coffee card for "fresh" coffee and specialty coffee.  Have a great trip.

 

It's my understanding that the Princess Plus package includes specialty coffee? Maybe I am mistaken.

[sonomaphil]

16 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

It's my understanding that the Princess Plus package includes specialty coffee? Maybe I am mistaken.

Yes it does!

[HBCcruiser]

18 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

It's my understanding that the Princess Plus package includes specialty coffee? Maybe I am mistaken.

Yes. 
https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/

[travelin.sisters]

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

It's my understanding that the Princess Plus package includes specialty coffee? Maybe I am mistaken.

yes, it does include the specialty coffees (also if you are a coffee person the regular coffee there is apperently much better than in the dining rooms & buffet (brewed v. syrup?)...I don't personally know because I am not a coffee drinker)

 

my best suggestions are:

• take a bit of time & wander through the ship on embarkation day so you get an idea of what is where
• try all the different free eating venues (MDR, buffet, outdoor by pool (grill & pizza), international cafe) early in the cruise to see what you like (each Princess ship (& even each cruise on the same ship) has had some things that I really love & others that aren't as good as I have experienced on other ships...I don't drink but I would try the various bars/venues to see which place or server is your favorite (it is sad at the end of a 15 day cruise to find the perfect place/drink/dish that you then wish you had been enjoying for the whole time)...if they resume having pub lunch on some days, it is a nice experience...embarkation day lunch in the MDR is a nice way to start a cruise (IMHO, I almost never eat lunch there again because it takes so very long...afternoon tea is fun once or twice a cruise
• on our Panama they had a couple sessions of learning to play the steel drums which was fun...I always listen to the Wake Show (the CDs intro to the day) the night before to see what looks good for the next day as well as reviewing the Patter
• the enrichment lectures are usually really good, we had a lot of info about the Canal before we got there & then more as we were transiting (we did the old locks so it may be different)...now the enrichment & port lectures can be seen later on the cabin TV
• not Princess, but I felt that reading (audiobooking) the Path Between the Seas by David McCullough before hand (its a loooong book) really enhanced the experience 

ok sorry it that's way more info than you wanted...have a wonderful cruise

[JamieLogical]

46 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

• not Princess, but I felt that reading (audiobooking) the Path Between the Seas by David McCullough before hand (its a loooong book) really enhanced the experience 

ok sorry it that's way more info than you wanted...have a wonderful cruise

 

Funny you mentioned that book. We are going on this cruise with another couple we met on our NCL sailing last Sept/Oct and and the wife just sent me a screenshot of her audio app on her phone where she had started listening to that book. It's 31 hours and 39 minutes long!

[neverbeenhere]

The book is mentioned for every Panama Canal traveler. Watch a video on You Tube and get the bulk of the info needed. Also, attend the "talks" while on the ship.

 

Your life to too short.

[CruisinCouple2010]

Two cocktails that I recommend  are Mud Slide and Dirty Banana. Both are delicious.

Enjoy your cruise. 

[MJC]

One of the MDRs is always open for lunch on embarkation day, which we much prefer to the buffet crowds. The staff tries to steer you to the buffet, but we always check for ourselves and have never been wrong. Usually by the time we're done our luggage has arrived.

 

We love Skywalkers for dancing at night. During the day we like the bar at the Terrace Pool with the wake view. There have been really good bands in the Explorers Lounge on a few of our cruises. 

 

Also if you go all the way forward, through the cabin section on the Lido deck, there is a heavy door that takes you to the deck above the bridge. That's a great spot for photography or stargazing.

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by MJC