Pacific Princess

[Lorelle]

I am thinking of taking the Pacific Princess cruise from FortLauderdale to South Africa next year. I would like to hear from anyone that has done this cruise it's 28 days long and it sounds great.:) Thanks Lorelle

[bdjam]

[font=Bookman Old Style]The itinerary you mention sounds new for Pacific Princess…so I’ve not done it before, but I did do 10 days on board round trip out of [/font][font=Bookman Old Style]San Francisco[/font][font=Bookman Old Style] for [/font][font=Bookman Old Style]Alaska[/font][font=Bookman Old Style] in July 2003. Here’s the review – might give you some idea of the ship. I enjoyed her and I think I could handle 28 days on board quite well… :o [/font]


[i]On board, the crew calls her “Terrific” Pacific Princess. I must say that I agree with that assessment. The new Pacific Princess is a little jewel in the Princess fleet and although she’s small compared to her running mates, she shines in her own way without having to shout about it.[/i]

[i]I boarded Pacific Princess on July 23rd in San Francisco. I arrived at the pier about 12:30 and was quickly on board. The only “line” (of about eight people) was to get through the security check. Once past there, I went to the Platinum Check In line and was on board by 12:45.[/i]

[i]While there was no one to direct me (or escort me) to my cabin, I quickly found it – due to my studies of deck plans – on Deck 8, number 8019, a category AA mini-suite. The cabin was comparable in size to the mini-suites on the Grand Class ships, maybe a little smaller. The layout is basically the same, with the sleeping area first, then the sitting area, then the balcony. The sitting area included a couch (which folded out to a double bed) and two chairs and a table. Only one TV (really, quite enough) and a balcony which was at least double the width of the standard balconies, but the same measurement in depth. The bathroom included a bathtub. There was so much storage space that I couldn’t even begin to fill it all. My room steward, Jose, was efficient and often times anticipated my needs before I even asked – the service he delivered was excellent.[/i]

[i]There have been some comments regarding the hard mattresses. I didn’t notice a problem with mine, however one couple at our table at dinner did complain theirs was very uncomfortable. When we disembarked in San Francisco, they were switching out mattresses. So, either they already did mine, or it just wasn’t uncomfortable for me. [/i]

[i]Another area of concern has been the motion experienced on board. Well folks, this is a ship – not a floating hotel – and yes, she does move. We were told we did not go through the infamous Potato Patch (apparently it is not in the normal sea-lanes) and we had relatively smooth sailing out of San Francisco. At about 3:00 the next morning we entered an area of low pressure which whipped up the winds and the sea was “rough with average moderate swells.” While I thought Pacific rode it out pretty well, barf bags were strategically placed around the ship and many didn’t make it to meals (I think some didn’t make it to the bags). Crewmembers said that going north was usually somewhat rough, but this was probably the worst they’d been through (and of course it was perfectly smooth when we came back). I didn’t notice a great deal of roll, but there was a pronounced pitch and yaw. When the bow was down and she was trying to right herself, there was a pronounced side to side shaking – enough to knock stuff off the bathroom shelf. For us Californians, a moderate earthquake. I’m thankful that the motion didn’t bother me (I was starved at mealtime) as it continued for about a day and a half, although lessening in intensity. Many were thankful when the seas calmed down – I kind of had fun with it all![/i]

[i]I spent a lot of time in the Nightclub (too much according to my bar bill) and found it to be a very pleasant room. An observation lounge in the day time, it could be a nice quiet place to enjoy a book and the scenery. At night the theme parties happened here and late it became the dance club on board. [/i]

[i]Princess has refurbished the Nightclub so it looks more like a Princess room than the rest of the ship. I know – a lot don’t particularly care for the Princess “beige” décor, but I happen to like it and would have preferred the ship be totally gutted and redone. While I thought her beautiful, the interiors of Pacific have a Victorian look with heavy carpet patterns, dark woods, narrow stairwells and heavy furniture…not necessarily to my taste, but well executed. [/i]

[i]Also up on Deck 10 is the Library, a room with a beautifully painted ceiling that is sorely underused. Sterling Steakhouse and Sabitini’s are also on this deck. These alternative restaurants were not open on the same nights – Sterling was open 7 nights and Sabitini’s 3. We ate at Sterling one night and had a fabulous dinner – the food, service and ambiance well worth the $8 per person.[/i]

[i]The Lotus Spa was wonderful…I spent a lot of time there too. I was surprised to see they offered the same menu of treatments as on the Grand Class ships, although in a much smaller venue…only three treatment rooms! There was a steam room, fog shower (?), multiple head shower, and the extreme forward deck was private for those getting treatments that day – this area was sheltered from wind by glass, had teak loungers and a whirlpool spa.[/i]

[i]Aft on Deck 9 was the Panorama Buffet. The food here was quite good, and some of the offerings at the themed luncheons were excellent. I visited the omelet guy every morning. There was a problem with lines here, even though the number of passengers is small. This is where you realize the free-floating arrangement in the various Horizon Courts is actually a plus. You couldn’t just move around to get what you wanted here, you sort of had to stand in line and wait until you got to the food item you wanted – or be accused of not waiting your turn. The Panorama Buffet had a Bistro menu each night from 11:00 to 4:00 a.m.[/i]

[i]The rest of the main rooms were down on Deck 5. The Cabaret is forward and is the main show lounge. While this again is a much smaller room than the Princess Theaters on the Grand Class ships, the production shows were still done – of course they were scaled down, four singers (two being singer/dancers) and four dancers – and done well given the space limitations. Some of the shows I’ve seen at the big theaters, and again, I didn’t feel there was anything missing from these performances (except space and scenery). The production shows were executed very well – of the five, two of them lacked in their composition, but the performances were still extraordinary.[/i]

[i]The Cabaret was also used for Bingo, Real Live Wooden Horse Racing, etc. Of special note in the Cabaret were the lectures of Brent Nixon, the naturalist. Thanks to postings on these boards, I knew to visit his presentations and all were excellent. He also gave wonderfully inspiring commentary during the Tracy Arm sailing, the arrival in Vancouver and when looking for wildlife – all of which could be heard out on deck (or by dialing channel 35 on your stateroom TV!). [/i]

[i]M[/i][i]oving aft on Deck 5 is the Casino – if you have problems with cigarette smoke, watch out for this area…it actually drifted up into the stairwell so you could smell it halfway down the stairs from Deck 6. The Casino is an open area that, except for the starboard corridor, takes up the whole deck…there doesn’t seem to be an effective smoke removal system there – and as a smoker, if I noticed it, you know it was apparent.[/i]

[i]Outside on Deck 5 was the Promenade Deck – this deck does not circle the ship and was very isolated when I was out there. There are the teak loungers to use and I got a great viewpoint from that deck when docking in Juneau. [/i]

[i]All the way aft is the Club Restaurant. I had most of my dinners here and I thought all were very good to excellent. There wasn’t one meal that I didn’t enjoy or felt was poorly prepared. It was standard Princess fare, but again, the Princess experience keeps me coming back, so I must like it. I did have an excellent Rack of Lamb, Chicken Kiev and Beef Wellington. King Crab Legs were offered as well as the usual Lobster Tails. The service was somewhat uneven, but the wait staff at our table seemed to be overpowered by another table of six which every night had special appetizer orders (how do you do that?) and were somewhat inebriated…it didn’t diminish the experience for me. Missing were the Head Waiters preparing pasta or Cherries Jubilee (rats!). Using this room for the two dinner seatings means there’s a good number of people in it at once. I think a remodel if this room to remove the heavy furniture (keep the ceiling, please) would help to make it more efficient.[/i]

[i]Dress in the dining room – one of our favorite subjects – was a mixed bag. Smart Casual nights were in some cases attended in jeans, t-shirts and shorts – my comment to Princess is that they should enforce the guidelines, or change them so we know what to expect. Everyone seemed to be at least dressed to the minimum guideline for formal night, with tuxedos being in the minority…the men had at least a jacket and tie, however. The past passengers at the Captain’s Circle Party seemed on the whole better dressed than those who were not there – some being beautifully dressed and a pleasure to watch. One of the gentlemen at my table came dressed to dinner in a suit every night and his wife was always in a dress and heels – this was very nice to see. [/i]

[bdjam]

[i]The Champagne Waterfall was SQUEEEZED into the area beside the atrium staircase between decks four and five. As is tradition, it was built to ten layers to represent the ten decks. Because of the smaller area, the party entertainment was the piano player on board rather than rollicking dancing waiters, but the champagne was free flowing (I could have had three or four glasses) and there were plenty of the little dessert items. [/i]

[i]Pacific Princess offered an abbreviated version of Scholarship at Sea on board, the Patter identifying which of the day’s events qualified for these “contemporary enrichment” courses. [/i]

[i]A highlight was the arrival in Vancouver – while the hours were somewhat odd, and many hoped for more time there, we arrived mid-day and so everyone was able to be up and out on deck to enjoy the sailing into this spectacular port. The weather was perfect (one of the few days it was) and so the arrival was excellent. [/i]

[i]All in all, I didn’t feel that anything I wanted from a big ship was missing on Terrific Pacific Princess. There was a reduction in scale for sure, but there wasn’t anything missing. The service levels were above that on the bigger ships and I felt the food quality and presentation better as well. And I did enjoy those six days at sea when I could relax and do nothing (even though the Patter was chock full of activities) – a great respite from my day to day life. There are definite differences between this ship and what one would expect on a Grand Class vessel. I found those differences to be positive, and wouldn’t hesitate to sail Terrific Pacific Princess again. [/i]

[i]Inquiries? I’d be happy to help![/i]

[mii]

[b]I was also on the Pacific Princess last Sept to Alaska and I ditto just what Bdjam said. Fantastic ship and would take her again.[/b]

[b]Marilyn[/b]

[amyr]

Hi Lorelle,

I (and 22 other Cruise Critics) just got off the Pacific in Ft. Lauderdale coming from Papeete. I would agree completely with the above review. I think the feelings on board were mixed about the size of the ship, but I loved it. I didn't feel that anything was missing at all, just smaller scale. The size enabled us to go places the big ships just cant, so we were able to go to Easter Island, San Blas, and visit with the Pitcairn Islanders.

Another benefit of the size on a long cruise is that you get to know so many people. It felt like a small town, and when you saw someone you had never seen before, it was a surprise. The best thing I did was get involved in a very active roll call. We were all friends before we embarked, and continued to have lunches, go on tours, and generally visit throughout the cruise. It was the first time I'd been on a cruise and received voice mail!

Two of our Cruise Critics stayed on board for the Ft. Lauderdale/Cape Town leg (along with several other passengers) and have promised to check in with us on our roll call thread.

So, if you're really thinking of going, start a roll call thread and bump it up until you get a bite. That cruise critic group on board was the best thing that ever happened.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, just ask.

Amy

[Druke I]

We were on the (new) Pacific Princess last Nov, Papeete to Sydney, and enjoyed it very much.

Nice small ship, good crew, good times.

[arlenemilt]

[quote name='Lorelle']I am thinking of taking the Pacific Princess cruise from FortLauderdale to South Africa next year. I would like to hear from anyone that has done this cruise it's 28 days long and it sounds great.:) Thanks Lorelle[/QUOTE]

Is the ship going to South Africa from Ft. Lauderdale next year? We just got off the Pacific (loved every minute of it) after 36 days from Honolulu to Ft. Lauderdale. We (3 other couples with us) also booked the Pacific for next summer Beijing to Bangkok and Bangkok to Capetown. This one is 46 days. We get to Capetown Sept. 10th, then the ship goes to Sydney. I wasn't aware it was turning around to go back to Florida.

These two cruises were #42 and 43 for us, and #18 and 19 with Princess. I didn't know whether I'd like such a small ship, but we loved it instantaneously. Enough of course to book almost 7 weeks on her next year. Can't wait.

Go ahead and do your booking. You'll love it. I don't know what kind of cabin you have in mind, but if you can handle it, go for the mini. They're worth it and sell out very quickly.

Arlene