Anyone Back from Sea Princess?

[bobpatj]

There been several nice reviews of the alternate itinerary, but not of the one just finished. We sail on the Sea in 2 weeks, and would love to hear about the itinerary, the ship, the staff, the food, etc. This is our first cruise on Princess, so "inquiring minds want to know!":cool:

[bobpatj]

Nobody from Cruise Critic was on this cruise?:confused:

[Toto2Kansas]

I just checked the roll call for those that boarded when we disembarked on the 23rd and not a one of them has come back to post since they returned home. And I saw no live posts from them while on the ship either. This might be one of those cruises where there were CC members onboard, but they only post up until they leave and never report back after returning home. I have seen this happen many times before. Sorry! Hopefully one of them will wander by and answer your questions.

[ssantow]

I just checked the roll call for those that boarded when we disembarked on the 23rd and not a one of them has come back to post since they returned home. And I saw no live posts from them while on the ship either. This might be one of those cruises where there were CC members onboard, but they only post up until they leave and never report back after returning home. I have seen this happen many times before. Sorry! Hopefully one of them will wander by and answer your questions.

 

Some CC groups come close to greatness and some surpass it...LOL:eek:

[Cruisin' Chick]

We were considering taking that cruise (12/23 on the Sea P) so I'm interested in hearing about it and seeing what we missed out on.

[Sheltiecruiser]

My opinion folks - if I offend you then stop reading. I am trying to give those who are making choices about their vacation a bit of insite so they will have a good time.

I will try to be brief but there is so much to say. This was our first cruise with Princess but my 8th cruise. The travel day (12/22) was filled with problems due to the blizzard in Denver. Our luggage was not transfered in Dallas so we had nothing but carry-ons when we got to FLL. The princess rep was a GEM - she helped me (and about 40 other people) go through the lost baggage paperwork, then commandered a huge bus just for the 4 of us for our trip to the Marriott North. And the hotel folk coughed up whatever they could to get us through until the luggage showed up. The transfer to the ship on 12/23 was crowded but not a hassle, and check-in was MAYBE 15 minutes. Our cabins were ready and the room steward was on the spot to greet us (Wilson) and proved to be extremely capable and efficient. We took off to eat and explore the ship - more on that later.

 

First day's stop is Princess Cays - a bit slow in the tendering at first (about 20 minutes to wait for the next tender call) but it speeded up after about 1&1/2 hours. We had booked a banana boat ride - only one other person besides us 4 so I told the boat operator to "turn it on" and he did. My son and I were flung off and as he came back around to pick us up I could tell he was worried I was mad. Actually I was laughing so hard I couldnt climb back on and had to be hauled up by my son. So the boat driver proceeded to fling us all off on his next high speed turn. The wait for the BBQ was a bit long but the food was adequate and plenty of it. The tender line was not long to go back so high marks to the island.

 

Next day was at sea, and we slept in and still found deck chairs - just not right by the pool. Beautiful weather, and very relaxing.

 

Tortola was next port, and we had booked a ships tour to Virgin Gorda and the baths. We normally dont do tours but almost got stranded in St Thomas once as the ferry almost broke down returning from St John's and we barely made the ship. So if I want to go off island, I let the responsibility rest on the cruise line to get me back. We loved the Baths, took the rather extreme trip to devil's bay which involves clambering about on rocks, up and down ladders, and bending double to get through a spot or two. High marks to Virgin Gorda. We ate at a little bar in town and shopped.

 

I had booked a private tour for Antigua - the Extreme Circumnav tour with Eli (based on reccomendations from this board). We did wait a bit for them to pick us up but once they showed the fun was on. We snorkled with stingrays, stopped at a beach for lunch, snorkled a reef which had much nicer fish than I had hoped for, stopped for a rum punch break and swimming, and circled the entire island. Eli and his assistants were pleasant and informative and helpful without hovering. We sat in the back so got a bit wet and ended up a bit sunburnt but it was fun. Shopped a bit in town.

 

On to Dominica, which is such a pretty island. We found a cab for just the 4 of us and took off for a tour. We had been there before so he took us to some of the off the beaten path stuff. He then let us know that there is now a wooden boardwalk to champagne Reef, so it is not such a hazardous walk. It is not finished yet so you still have to scramble on some rocks, and the entry to the water is downright scary as the rocks are like very slippery. The snorkling is super so it is worth it. I love the warm water and the bubble jets. I have always loved Dominica, but you do have to look past some of the poverty and see the justifiable pride in the island's beauty. High marks again.

 

Next stop - Martinique. Wow, I have to say that I would gladly never return. Our first visit years ago was the worst ship's tour I have ever been on. It could be summed up by this - we were supposed to see the Paul Gaugan museum, so the tour guide said "look there is the museum as we drove past it". They didn't lie, we did see it and it didnt say we would go inside. So following that (and I am not mentioning being trapped on a bus for 7 hours with such tight accommodations that at 5'3'' I could barely fit my knees into the seat or that the tour guide appeared to be on crack) we decided to do a self guided tour of town. It was dirty, crowded, the prices in the shops made California look like a super sale at Costco, and there was little of interest to do or see. In desperation, we ducked into a bar and found that one round of drinks (3) put us back nearly $80. I cant see the point and wont willingly go back. That night the ship had an awesome island night party with streamers and dancing and much fun

 

On to Barbados, where about 1/3 of the ship passengers disembark. Not to worry, it doesn't reallt impact the passengers remaining on the ship. We did another ship tour - the yacht racing challenge. Not as much fun as the America's Cup yacht race in St Maarten but still fun. We won by the way =). We took a taxi to the Hilton to hit the beach. The waves were crazy dangerous but the beach was nice. That night we took a taxi to town to a local bar and had a great time. We returned with 2 of us seriously buzzed and one barely upright and all that drinking only put me back about $100 - compare that to Martinique! Barbados was also fun.

 

NYE found us on Grenada, a first time visit. We again booked a taxi after getting off the ship and proceeded to be enchanted. This place smells soooo good, and we bought lots of spices to bring home. Like Dominica, there is poverty, drugs, and the sellers were a bit pushy here. We were dropped off in town by the spice market but were hassled a bit by vendors. So we ended spending much of our money on the dock as the prices were as good and the pushyness was not so overwhelming. But I liked Grenada. Note - take those strings of spices out of any plastic bags and let them dry or they will mildew.

 

NYE was great fun on the ship - quite the party and the captain sailed about very valiantly avoiding the rain squalls so we didnt get our finery wet. This surpassed the Millenium NYE on the Jubilee (CCL)

 

I had very little expectations for Isla Margarita, but I was wrong. The pearls are very nice, and fun to shop for. Plus, there is a nice cafe, beach and bar just to the right of the pearl and craft market. We hadn't worn swimming suits so just sat in the open-air bar on the beach. Next time I will know better. Still it was fun to bargain for the jewelry, they will usually modify it for you on the spot (I wanted an anklet so the seller broke up a necklace to make one for me, and another sold me one of an earring set to make a pendant instead). Would gladly go back here too.

 

Curacao is another favorite island, but we PO'd the taxis by going to the beach first instead of booking a tour. The place we ended up had nice snorkling and I was sad to go back to the ship to clean up so we could go on a short tour. We got a nice taxi anyway and hit some of the out of the way stuff including a cave on the North (? by the airport anyway) side and of course the liquour (?) factory. We ended up with no time to go into town and shop but had fun anyway.

 

Second day at sea and formal night #3, we had learned to make a reservation so bypassed the long line. Plenty of deck chairs, plenty of time to relax and enjoy the warm weather.

 

Montego Bay. I hated Jamaica when we had visited before and seriously thought about not getting off the boat. But the ship offered "a day at rose hall", a huge fancy resort with a beach and water park of sorts so we chose that as a way to amuse ourselves without the hassles. Rose Hall was very nice, and we had a great time on the water slide and the lazy river. There were a few vendors who obviously were carefully screened and offered some nice stuff. The traffic in Mo Bay is horrible, so again I was glad I didnt have to worry about not getting back in time. Word to the wise. They are SERIOUS about catching drugs in the port, so you will be searched and frisked VERY thoroughly by port security and again when you get on the ship. We saw one teenaged boy (I think he was on RCL) get caught and it was hard to feel any sympathy. How stupid can you be? Jamaica moved up a notch or two in my opinion although the trick is apparently to isolate yourself from the locals. I know that sounds horrible but I dont see any reason to put up with hostility and hassling on my vacation. So choose your tours carefully.

 

Last day at sea, packing, and preparing for disembarcation. Princess does this whole process quite well and I give them very high marks. We had Princess transfers and got to the airport with no problems other than waiting a long time on the bus to leave.

 

But, you knew there had to be some downsides. And I don't intend to hold back. Problem #1 was anytime dining, which translated into big problems. First night was a breeze and we foolishly thought things would go well. The second night we had to wait for quite a bit but figured we would adjust our dining time to fit. But Christmas night, things went way south. It was the captain's welcome gala and we showed up early during the speeches and cocktail party intending to slip in ahead of the crowd. So did about 300 other people. We called too late for reservations and so ended up waiting for over an hour. There were empty tables but the maitre d was not seating people quickly at all. He seemed confused by the entire process and after several more nights of long lines and confusion, the maitre d from upstairs (trad dining) started coming down and offering people tables in the traditional dining room or just expediting the seating process. There were always empty tables and an entire section by the door that was not used, but we just could not get seated without waiting. But the maitre d issues didnt end there. We went to the dining room for lunch on Christmas. DH wasn't ready to go so we went on without him and said we'd save a seat. The maitre d seemed very put out that we wanted a table for 4 although only 3 of us were there(he acted like I was lying). We gave our orders, got our 1st and second courses, and then he showed up with an unknown elderly man and put him at our table. Naturally, DH showed up right after he got his 1st course and then stomped out thinking I hadnt saved a seat as promised. My issues were 2 - that empty seat could have been left empty (dining room wasn't even half full) and having a stranger put at a family table halfway through our meal was a bit awkward. DH got what he deserved showing up so late but still. And tea time was the same. We wanted to sit by ourselves and this same maitre d seemed very put out by this. So we ended up not eating in the dining room for bfst or lunch and not ever going to tea again. If I wanted to eat with strangers, there are plenty of cruise lines to choose from. Princess markets this concept so they should learn to make it work.

 

Problem #2. I didnt know this cruise was marketed so much for the British crowd. And I didnt think it would be a problem as I love London and have never missed an opportunity to visit. And I thought those reviewers who had such anti-British views were provencial and ugly-american types. But there were some problems. The cuisine was definitely slanted toward their tastes. I mean - veal oscar with brown gravy underneath? And the fish was rarely grilled and never with some of the smashing presentations I expect on a cruise. And I see much trumpeting of opinions on this board about dressing appropriately on formal nights and resort casual as well. And I had heard that the Brits were very big on dressing to the nines, so I laid down the law to the family, and we all turned out in accordance with the rules every night. But (again sorry to anyone offended) while the # of beautiful gowns and tuxes on formal nites exceeded anything I had ever seen, the young women then proceeded to push the limits of decency as well as good taste. I was shocked by the satin hot pants(VERY short shorts) coupled with high heels on Christmas eve - I dont care that they ARE satin because they are still shorts in the dining room. But the black hot pants, tiny black halter, wide red belt with enough skin showing for a rather brief bikini, and red satin heels just stunned me on formal night. Next to it was the pink chiffon see through skirt with a pink bikini top worn to the steak house. (They made her put on a sweater) And I know skirts are rather short these days but I still never saw so many thongs (undies) in my life. But the worst was how downright unfriendly the British crowd was in general. I usually try to smile or make some remark if sharing an elevator or passing in a tight corridor, but usually was snubbed. They would linger over tea or coffee or whatever even when the horizon court was over capacity and refuse to give up their table though people were carrying full plates and had no where to sit. And the same happened in the bars and lounges - much grouping of couches and chairs and a refusal to share with those in need of a seat. Sorry to those Brits on the ship who were not like this but I never thought I'd have an issue and by the end I did a bit.

 

Problem #3 Holy cr#p, I have no motion sickness and really enjoyed the wild motion of NCL Wind when we hit a tropical depression returning from Fanning Island. But this ship seemed barely seaworthy at times. The seas were a bit rough, but the Sea Princess wallows like an overweight hippo. As we sat down to lunch one day, only a quick grab kept my plate on the table and several others ended up with food in their laps. My son's camera was pitched right off the bedside table. The worst was the abrupt shudders and sounds of groaning metal as if things wanted to come apart at the seams. Several times it felt and sounded like we had hit an iceberg or a whale. It was hard to sleep at night as the rolling mwould wake you up with the feeling that you were about to fall off the edge of the bed.

 

Problem #4 Just my personal preference but I didnt care for parts of the ship's layout and design. We were on dolphin deck and often had to tramp through the italian/pizza restaurant and the casino to get to our cabin. It was just weird to traipse through the pizza place and I hated going through the casino when it was smokey and crowded. And I don't care for the lido eatery being up front. Plus, it was difficult to get a place where you could look right down into the ocean except on the promenade deck. Everywhere else had slanted glass screens so you couldn't look straight down. And MUTS was kind of a bust as the line of sight was obscured by "stuff" from many seats and the sound was way too soft to hear some of the dialogue. Too bad 'cause I loved MUTS on the Liberty and went more nights than not.

 

OK thats it. Sorry for the non-pc opinions but that is the way it shook down for us.

 

Sheltiecruiser

[CaribbeanCrazy]

Thanks for the very through review!

I sure hope the anytime dining situation gets better before our cruise in March. I can't believe the maitre d sat some stranger at your table when he knew you were waiting for your husband! I hope we have a different one...because DH and I like to sit alone most of the time.

Sounds like you had a good time off the ship anyway.:)

 

CaribbeanCrazy

[redhathubby]

.

 

But, you knew there had to be some downsides. And I don't intend to hold back. Problem #1 was anytime dining, which translated into big problems. First night was a breeze and we foolishly thought things would go well. The second night we had to wait for quite a bit but figured we would adjust our dining time to fit. But Christmas night, things went way south. It was the captain's welcome gala and we showed up early during the speeches and cocktail party intending to slip in ahead of the crowd. So did about 300 other people. We called too late for reservations and so ended up waiting for over an hour. There were empty tables but the maitre d was not seating people quickly at all. He seemed confused by the entire process and after several more nights of long lines and confusion, the maitre d from upstairs (trad dining) started coming down and offering people tables in the traditional dining room or just expediting the seating process. There were always empty tables and an entire section by the door that was not used, but we just could not get seated without waiting. But the maitre d issues didnt end there. We went to the dining room for lunch on Christmas. DH wasn't ready to go so we went on without him and said we'd save a seat. The maitre d seemed very put out that we wanted a table for 4 although only 3 of us were there(he acted like I was lying). We gave our orders, got our 1st and second courses, and then he showed up with an unknown elderly man and put him at our table. Naturally, DH showed up right after he got his 1st course and then stomped out thinking I hadnt saved a seat as promised. My issues were 2 - that empty seat could have been left empty (dining room wasn't even half full) and having a stranger put at a family table halfway through our meal was a bit awkward. DH got what he deserved showing up so late but still. And tea time was the same. We wanted to sit by ourselves and this same maitre d seemed very put out by this. So we ended up not eating in the dining room for bfst or lunch and not ever going to tea again. If I wanted to eat with strangers, there are plenty of cruise lines to choose from. Princess markets this concept so they should learn to make it work.

 

 

Sheltiecruiser

 

Sheltiecruiser - You are ABSOLUTLELY correct. Anytime dining was a complete mess. I also saw areas of the dining room that were not being used however passengers were given those vibrators and told that it would vibrate when a table opened up. On the day of our anniversary we tried to get a table for two using the reservation line (which was nearly impossible to get because the line was always busy). They told me that I couldn't make a reservation for two and that I would have to show up at the dining room and request it. When we arrived at the dining room the head waiter (who I feel was a complete JERK during the entire cruise) acted like we were inferior guests and was hesitant to honor our request until I gave him that form letter from the Captain that came with our Anniversary card saying to give this message to the head waiter to ensure a table for two for a special evening.

 

If I am ever told again that anytime dining is the only dining option available on a cruise I'm booking I'll cancel the cruise.

[Toto2Kansas]

Very good review of the good, the bad and the really ugly.

 

I have to say, we never tried anytime dining in December for the dining room, most of our meals were at the Buffet or Sterlings Steakhouse. I guess now I am glad that we decided to do it that way as it seemed, from your review, it was not worth the effort envolved.

 

As for the British passengers onboard, this is one area where I have to say I didn't find the same problems. We booked this cruise again, because of the high British population onboard. We have always found them far less pushy and hurried comparied to Americans. Amazing that you had no idea that this cruise was being marketed so highly in the UK, as it has been talked about here on CC for the last couple of years. We knew, even before last years cruise on the Sea that we, as Americans, would be the minority onboard these sailings.

 

As for the ship. Well, it is riding very rough. Not sure why as it didn't last year. I know that we had severe engine problems on our cruise in December. So bad we eneded up stuck not far from the pier in Trinadad for many hours while they tried to repair them. When the captain makes and annoucement that our engine has gone down and we are stuck, and that they have contacted Santa Clarita and the engine manufacturer for tips on how to repair them, you know there is a severe problem somewhere. Also, there are some major thruster problems onboard.

 

Although we enjoyed this sailing, the passengers, the food and the itineary, it was far below the standards of last years cruise for the same ship and same itineary. Sorry to say. :(

[Sheltiecruiser]

Toto - you are absolutely right - I SHOULD have known about the marketing and I am usually so careful about checking every last detail before booking. But when I decided to try to find a holiday cruise last spring, we all had so many scheduling conflicts and criteria that my head was almost spinning. Then when I found this cruise which met most of what we wanted, I checked on availability and found only 3 outside (view obstructed) cabins left. At that point, I didnt really dare wait as cabins can get booked so quickly and we needed 2. It was after booking that I read the reviews but I really did dismiss most of the complaints as "ugly americanitis" or just people prone to complain about anything. I love cruising and travel and know that problems do happen. But I was actually looking forward to the "international" flavor rather than seeing it as a problem. There was a large group of Russians on the Liberty last September, and I didn't feel like a fish out of water around them so to speak. But they would at least smile in the elevators. And part of the problem with the food was that Princess consistently scores high marks on reviews - way above Carnival. And I happen to like Carnival food in general so I was expecting it to be kicked up a notch. But it wasn't. There were some standout dishes and of course the souffles were almost uniformly great, but lots of stuff was simply cafeteria quality or else gravied to the max (and I like gravy but not on everything). The steakhouse had outstanding food by contrast so it's not as if the kitchen couldn't turn out the good stuff. Oh well, live and learn. We all came back with very mixed feelings but I want to try Princess again to see if the problems were unique to this ship or if it's a Princess thing. They did do some things so well that I was very impressed - embarcation and disembarcation, the greeter at the airport, some of the staff (we still laugh remembering one bar waiter with his "martini dance") that it would be dumb not to try again.

 

Sheltiecruiser

[bobpatj]

Sheltiecruiser,

 

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! this is exactly what I've been waiting for and happy to read it before we fly to FLL, on Friday. I'll even print it and take it with us.:)

[CaribbeanCrazy]

What time is a good time to get to the port for embarkation? I would like to avoid the long lines if possible. Normally getting there early is a good thing. But the reviews I have read lately seem to say otherwise.

 

Thanks:)

 

CaribbeanCrazy

[Toto2Kansas]

In 2005, we arrived at about 11:00 and had almost no wait time. This past December, we did the same thing but they did not begin embarkation until after 1:00 PM, just as they are advising no the website. If you don't want to stand in line, I would suggest arriving after 3:00, otherwise, bring something to read and a drink as you will have a long wait if it is anything like we found last month.

[CaribbeanCrazy]

Thanks Toto:) I was hoping your late embarkation was an isolated incident:(

I guess we will show up around 1:00 and see what happens. If we have to wait than so be it. It won't be the first time.

We will be staying in the Melbourne area the night before the cruise which is a 2-2.5 hour drive. I thought we would have to rush in the morning to get to the ship by 11:00. So I guess if I look at the bright side it will give us two more hours to sleep.:) Yeah right...like I'm going to sleep in! I'll be lucky if I can sleep a wink:D

CaribbeanCrazy