Sea Princess compared to Royal/Celebrity?

I have been looking at some of the longer cruises in & out of Australia & it seems that the Sea Princess is one of the few ships offering these varied itineraries - especially the circle South America & China/Japan etc.

I have looked at the Sea Princess pages on the Princess Site & wanted to get some opinions from those who have sailed on that ship specifically & also sailed on any of these ships:

Royal - Rhapsody, Radiance, Voyager

Celebrity - Solstice

I'm a little concerned that being on the ship for 6 -12 weeks on one of these longer cruises would find us a little bored at times, as she seems to offer less entertainment options & eating venues?

It seems from initial research Sea Princess does not offer My Time Dining or equivalent on cruises from Australia, so you would potentially be stuck with the same dinner guests at the same time every night for a very long time? That's fine if you click with them, but not so much if you don't. Anyone know why they offer MTD on their non Australian cruises but not ours?

What would the general age demographic on Sea Princess be?

It appears she has an adults only area - is this similar to the Solariums on Royal/Celebrity? It looked a little small pool wise with what appears to be a kiddies type shallow pool only?

Does she have a good gym?

What is the ship like for maintenance, I see she is getting on & her last refurb was 2009? Signs of wear & tear or well maintained?

What is the food like? Does the buffet offer a similar variety as the other lines & is the MDR food varied or does the menu repeat weekly on these long cruises?

Thanks for any comparisons, don't want to book a long trip only to find we don't like the ship that much.

Some of the things I have mentioned & read give me the feeling she is geared for an older demographic? We are middle aged (45-50) would we feel at home on Princess?

Lastly, not relevant to a first cruise with Princess but I looked at the Princess loyalty program & it seems very dismal compared to Royal/Celebrity? We are Diamond on Royal & it seems the even the highest level on Princess doesn't give you free drinks once (mini bar), or did I miss something?

They offer quaint little things like a 'Princess Passport' & little stamps you can collect to place in said passport? The 'chance' to win a cruise, access to club hostess, 10% discount on a cruise DVD. Dedicated help desk phone line, quarterly magazine & newsletter? That sort of stuff should be par for the course not considered a 'bonus'.

I have been looking at some of the longer cruises in & out of Australia & it seems that the Sea Princess is one of the few ships offering these varied itineraries - especially the circle South America & China/Japan etc.

If you want that sort of itinerary your options are very limited, and certainly don't include RCCL or X. It is that simple.

I have looked at the Sea Princess pages on the Princess Site & wanted to get some opinions from those who have sailed on that ship specifically & also sailed on any of these ships:

 

Royal - Rhapsody, Radiance, Voyager

Celebrity - Solstice

 

I'm a little concerned that being on the ship for 6 -12 weeks on one of these longer cruises would find us a little bored at times, as she seems to offer less entertainment options & eating venues?

Your not going to the bells and whistles of climbing walls and skating rinks and flow riders and water slides, you are gong to have a cruise ship. You will have entertainers, and lectures and trivia and art. If boredom is likely to be an issue you may have a problem, but also as said f you want those itineraries????

It seems from initial research Sea Princess does not offer My Time Dining or equivalent on cruises from Australia, so you would potentially be stuck with the same dinner guests at the same time every night for a very long time? That's fine if you click with them, but not so much if you don't. Anyone know why they offer MTD on their non Australian cruises but not ours?

 

What would the general age demographic on Sea Princess be?

On a cruise like that the age demographics have to be older. You are mainly gong to have people who are retired, it is logic how else can people get 12-15 weeks off work.

Does she have a good gym?

Wife s happy with the gym, so am I 'cause I don't go near it.

What is the ship like for maintenance, I see she is getting on & her last refurb was 2009? Signs of wear & tear or well maintained?

Seems OK for the age.

What is the food like? Does the buffet offer a similar variety as the other lines & is the MDR food varied or does the menu repeat weekly on these long cruises?

Pretty similar in the buffet to any other line.

Clearly in 75 nights, some dishes are going to be repeated but not the entire menu.

Thanks for any comparisons, don't want to book a long trip only to find we don't like the ship that much.

Well why not try a shorter local cruise first?

Some of the things I have mentioned & read give me the feeling she is geared for an older demographic? We are middle aged (45-50) would we feel at home on Princess?

Yes these cruises are aimed at an older demographic, will you feel at home is I am afraid about you, our 1st Princess Cruise we were 40-43 there were only about 3 PAX younger than us, most 60+ we felt at home, but that's us, others may not feel the same way.

Lastly, not relevant to a first cruise with Princess but I looked at the Princess loyalty program & it seems very dismal compared to Royal/Celebrity? We are Diamond on Royal & it seems the even the highest level on Princess doesn't give you free drinks once (mini bar), or did I miss something?

 

They offer quaint little things like a 'Princess Passport' & little stamps you can collect to place in said passport? The 'chance' to win a cruise, access to club hostess, 10% discount on a cruise DVD. Dedicated help desk phone line, quarterly magazine & newsletter? That sort of stuff should be par for the course not considered a 'bonus'.

To be honest I have no idea, I don't care about status bonus, couldn't tell you what any line gives me but again if you want that type of itinerary your choices are limited.

I think Princess might give some internet minutes at some level, but again I don't care, we cruise to get away from work not to sit on the 'net all day.

Longer cruises and age demographics.

Generally speaking the longer cruises will attract the active mature age group that are not dependant on Medical visits. You need to be fairly fit and active to cope with being away for that length of time, or have a very deep pocket to pay the ships doctor.:eek:

The elderly go for the shorter cruises that don't venture too far from home shores.

Other longer cruises you could check out are the repositioning cruises and the sectors of World Cruises.

We have done many sectors that have finished here or joined a ship and then flown home.Each year the regular ships cruising here for the season have to come on down and you can join them from either Asia or America. If you want an even longer cruise, check out the cruise before they reposition and book that as well.

The beauty with the Princess Australia longer cruises is that no , or very little flying is involved.

Thanks for your reply GUT.

Yes, I'm aware there is little choice if you want longer itineraries unfortunately.

We have considered doing a shorter cruise on Princess to see if we like it, but really don't want to spend the money on doing a local cruise on a ship that potentially for us we would only sail on because of the itinerary. When we could spend the same & get our loyalty benefits as well as experience ships with more on offer, or try something like Royals Ovation Of The Seas .

I can't tell from your signature wether you have sailed on the Royal/Celebrity ships I mentioned? Do you offer your comments based on comparative experience? :)

For me internet is important as I am a self employed web designer & have to take my laptop away with me on long holidays so I can reply to clients & do the odd bit of work (as little as possible! :D). I don't browse the internet whilst away at all.

So not just the retired that can take longer cruises but the self employed as well. :)

Does Sea Princess have Wi Fi in the cabins?

I have met & enjoyed the company of many pax older than us, but don't want to be surrounded by walking frames & scooters at every turn either.

There is older, then there is really older.

Regards the loyalty benefits, it's not a status thing I care about, but free drinks & internet time can save you loads, especially on a long cruise.

I'm not a big drinker, but last cruise the daily free drinks between 5 & 7pm on Solstice covered 99% of my cruise alcohol intake.

3 free drinks a day each averaging $8 a drink for example on a long haul cruise of say 70 days would save you $3360!!!

I've sailed on Sun Princess which is similar to Sea Princess, and Rhapsody of the Seas, and posted a comparison of the two here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190861

Hope you find it useful.

As well as The Sanctuary on Sun, there was another adults-only pool aft of the main pool but I don't think there were very many sunloungers around it, you had to go up a deck for those. Not at all like the Solarium, unfortunately.

Longer cruises and age demographics.

Generally speaking the longer cruises will attract the active mature age group that are not dependant on Medical visits. You need to be fairly fit and active to cope with being away for that length of time, or have a very deep pocket to pay the ships doctor.:eek:

The elderly go for the shorter cruises that don't venture too far from home shores.

Other longer cruises you could check out are the repositioning cruises and the sectors of World Cruises.

We have done many sectors that have finished here or joined a ship and then flown home.Each year the regular ships cruising here for the season have to come on down and you can join them from either Asia or America. If you want an even longer cruise, check out the cruise before they reposition and book that as well.

The beauty with the Princess Australia longer cruises is that no , or very little flying is involved.

 

Thanks for your reply KK,

It's the flying thing I prefer to avoid which is the beauty of these Sydney to Sydney offerings on Princess.

We did a repo back from Hawaii in 2013 after flying firstly to Alaska for a cruise/tour then cruising all the way home via Hawaii on Radiance. So we are aware of those options, only problem is they are limited to Hawaii or Singapore pretty much for your start/end point with Royal/Celebrity.

I have wanted to cruise South America for quite a while now & the Princess cruise pretty much covers all the places I wanted to visit & includes Easter island & the Panama Canal which was also a must do.

When you work out the costs of air fares, plus combining multiple tours & cruises to do something similar, the Princess cruise is actually good value.

Active older folk are good company & as you pointed out are probably more likely to be the sort of pax on these longer cruises than the more infirm which suits us fine.

I just had a cruise once that was full of people with walking frames & scooters. It felt like being in a retirement village & conversations were at times difficult due to hearing loss or limited topics like their grandkids or memories of WWII! That's if they were actually awake for a conversation. :D I enjoy the socialising on cruises, so meeting people you can relate to is important for me.

Have also had some not very enjoyable fellow diners at times so prefer My Time style dining where we can meet a bigger variety of people, but seems Princess don't offer that option on cruises from Sydney for some odd reason. :(

But as mentioned there is very little choice for such itineraries so it's basically Princess or Princess I guess!

I've sailed on Sun Princess which is similar to Sea Princess, and Rhapsody of the Seas, and posted a comparison of the two here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190861

Hope you find it useful.

 

As well as The Sanctuary on Sun, there was another adults-only pool aft of the main pool but I don't think there were very many sunloungers around it, you had to go up a deck for those. Not at all like the Solarium, unfortunately.

Yes, your review was helpful thanks. One concern though - are you saying the adults only 'sanctuary' is an added extra & not free like Royal's Solariums?

I also prefer covered solariums, does the sanctuary have a glass roof or is it open?

Interesting comments about the closed in feeling on Rhapsody, maybe try Radiance Of The Seas next time as I have found her to be the most open of all ships I've been on so far, as she was designed with a lot of glass floor to ceiling windows as well as glass elevators that run up the outside wall of the ship for maximum viewing whilst in Alaska. She is also one of the classiest décor wise of all the Royal ships IMO.

with the loyalty program with princess if you are platinum you get free internet depending on the length of the cruise but once you reach elite thats when you get the good benefits and on a long cruise its free washing and much better than RCI or Celeb

with the loyalty program with princess if you are platinum you get free internet depending on the length of the cruise but once you reach elite thats when you get the good benefits and on a long cruise its free washing and much better than RCI or Celeb

In what way better than equivalent level in Royal/Celebrity do you mean?

Based on the Princess web info it seems rather limited to me, especially as mentioned the no free drinks every single day like the other lines which is major difference.

Maybe they don't list everything on there & missed something? :)

You get a mini bar set up at Elite Level which you can trade for 2 coffee cards or 2 bottles of wine up to the value of the mini bar set up with is about $70 worth from memory.

I spoke with a very helpful lady on one of the Australian cruise websites today who gave me a clear comparison since she has sailed on all the cruise lines in question.

She described Sea Princess specifically as being just under Celebrity quality & more like Royal without the added extras.

She said I would find the food outlet options are more limited, only one speciality restaurant but apparently that is a closed off area of the buffet area, not a stand alone like the beautiful Murano on Solstice for example. Also she said limited casual food options like Park Cafe, Latitudes, Bistro on Five etc. The food was good on Sea Princess just less variety in venues is what she was saying.

She also confirmed the lack of My Time Dining on the ship forcing you to sit with the same people at the same time every night, at the same table for literally months on end, or be forced to go to the buffet if you find your companions unbearable every night. Even if you love them, it's nice to shake it up a little.

Apparently the buffet is also a bit old school with a long line & a tray aka cafeteria style, not the variety of food islands like on the others?

One of the big negatives for me she advised was the lack of covered solarium & the so called sanctuary is a paid for area with only a splash pond & limited seating.

She advised that the Sea Princess for someone used to Solstice or VOS, Radiance etc would be a paired down version of what you are used to, although still very pleasant.

A shame really from my perspective as the longer the cruise the more you appreciate the variety on offer I have found.

No offence to Sea Princess lovers but I'm feeling somewhat disappointed in the ship after all my research. Things that for me are basics on the other cruises I have done are missing from Sea Princess.:(

You get a mini bar set up at Elite Level which you can trade for 2 coffee cards or 2 bottles of wine up to the value of the mini bar set up with is about $70 worth from memory.

Hmm, seems very limited, the drinks available for free at Diamond/Elite level on Royal/Celebrity area easily valued at $50+ every single day if you drink 3-4+ drinks per person.

I'm quite surprised actually at the Princess loyalty program from what I've seen so far, it doesn't do near enough to encourage loyalty IMO.

But show me a X or RCI cruise that comes close to Circle Pacific, Circle South America or around the World.

From what you have been saying and if you want to do a South American cruise , I would suggest that you check out Holland America . We have done 2 SA cruises with them and they have all you are looking for. They have more of a selection of cruises than RCCL or Celebrity and you may be able to do some B2B .

The SA ports are fascinating especially Southern Chile and Northern Brazil.

The only downside is that you would have to fly, but we did that and stayed 5 days pre cruise in Vina del Mar....turned out to be the best pre cruise stay we have done , as we got to get a real feel for the place.

But show me a X or RCI cruise that comes close to Circle Pacific, Circle South America or around the World.

Yes, that's a given, no argument there. the itineraries are superb.

However for me personally, that is the only positive sadly.

Everything else I have discovered is a negative & since I like to really enjoy the cruise ship I'm on & it's an integral part of the holiday for me, I'm feeling somewhat deflated about Sea Princess.

The thought of being on board for months without the features/choices that make my cruises as enjoyable as they have been is a difficult hurdle for me.

Those who are regular Celebrity or Royal cruisers may get where I'm coming from.

Oh well, maybe Princess will upgrade Sea Princess sometime in the next few years & she may have more appeal to me then. I'm sure their newer ships have more to offer.

I think the online TA answered all the questions you need to know, I agree with most she has said re the Sea Princess.

I have cruised Rhapsody/Radiance and Solstice, Dawn Princess (sister to Sea/Sun) a few times including a 21 nighter. They are definately grander ships than the 3 Sun Class

We also like a covered pool, and the cabins on Sun class are smaller than other cabins.

We really like the Grand Class Princess ships as they have all the facilities we love, plus being Elite on Princess we get the benefits. For longer cruises we like the free internet minutes, free laundry, free mini bar set up, priority tendering, love being able to take our own soft drinks onboard if we want, plus unlimited bottles of wine ( corkage after the first two per cabin), coffee card, wine package......we just really like what Princess offer us for our style of cruising.

I have had a really good look at the higher loyalty levels on Royal in the past, and the few free drinks nightly in a bar isn't enough for us to want to do a longer cruise.... ( we dont drink much anymore), plus no laundry on a longer cruise would be a problem, hubby had to wear a wrinkled shirt on formal night on our recent Radiance cruise because we could not iron!! , higher gratuities, more expensive drinks, no free in room movies........so I guess we all have our priorities when we cruise.

We have Voyager and Explorer coming up, wanted to try the larger ships and give Royal another go, also have Dawn Princess booked, kind of looking forward to experiencing the smaller ships again.

Chez

Just another thought, what about P&O UK? The Arcadia is lovely and they have some good itineraries. I think Arcadia and Aurora come to Australia.

Also the Golden Princess is here for the next two years and Emerald Princess in 2016, some of the relocation cruises might be of interest to you.

Chez

From what you have been saying and if you want to do a South American cruise , I would suggest that you check out Holland America . We have done 2 SA cruises with them and they have all you are looking for. They have more of a selection of cruises than RCCL or Celebrity and you may be able to do some B2B .

The SA ports are fascinating especially Southern Chile and Northern Brazil.

The only downside is that you would have to fly, but we did that and stayed 5 days pre cruise in Vina del Mar....turned out to be the best pre cruise stay we have done , as we got to get a real feel for the place.

 

It was the flying part that I was hoping to avoid - seems not so easy.

Oh well, fly one way only & repo back is the next best option it seems.

I would combine land tours plus some cruises if I was going to fly over there.

HAL does seem to have some interesting itineraries there that may be worth a look. :)

It was the flying part that I was hoping to avoid - seems not so easy.

Oh well, fly one way only & repo back is the next best option it seems.

 

I would combine land tours plus some cruises if I was going to fly over there.

 

HAL does seem to have some interesting itineraries there that may be worth a look. :)

Our best cruises have been both cruising and land based, I think it is the way to go if you have the time!!

I really like to fly first, get it out the way, then cruise home, problem is finding the right itinerary........then finding the time:p

Chez

Just another thought, what about P&O UK? The Arcadia is lovely and they have some good itineraries. I think Arcadia and Aurora come to Australia.

 

Also the Golden Princess is here for the next two years and Emerald Princess in 2016, some of the relocation cruises might be of interest to you.

 

Chez

More food for thought that's for sure.

Although I wouldn't change cruise lines for any reason other than a fantastic itinerary since I've cruised hard to get to Diamond/Elite level for Royal/Celebrity (plus Azamara) & want to enjoy it! :D

More food for thought that's for sure.

 

Although I wouldn't change cruise lines for any reason other than a fantastic itinerary since I've cruised hard to get to Diamond/Elite level for Royal/Celebrity (plus Azamara) & want to enjoy it! :D

Know the feeling;)

We will be Emerald on RCI after the next two cruises...... not sure what that includes, but it is not free drinks!!, but unless they WOW us with service and value for money, we will stick to Princess for loyalty benefits and itinerary's.

I do love the Solstice though!

Chez

Know the feeling;)

We will be Emerald on RCI after the next two cruises...... not sure what that includes, but it is not free drinks!!, but unless they WOW us with service and value for money, we will stick to Princess for loyalty benefits and itinerary's.

I do love the Solstice though!

 

Chez

Yes, we were impressed with Solstice in may ways, lovely décor, great solarium area, wonderful ice cream & gelato!!

Plus great Elite (Diamond level) drinks - includes spirits & certain simpler cocktails, had too many side cars on that cruise! :D

Although Royal has the dedicated Diamond lounge which I wish Celebrity would copy - although on Solstice they close of the starboard side of the Sky Observation Lounge each evening for Elite+ 5 - 7pm which has lovely views. It became our regular sail away spot & we met some lovely people there.

Having a gathering place for loyalty members builds a great camaraderie & the mood was always friendly.

I like it that I can get reciprocal benefits across Royal, Celebrity & Azamara. This is why we stuck with Royal until Diamond level to get to the good perks quicker before venturing into X territory! ;)

Still to try Azamara, but maybe someday.

Hmm, seems very limited, the drinks available for free at Diamond/Elite level on Royal/Celebrity area easily valued at $50+ every single day if you drink 3-4+ drinks per person.

 

I'm quite surprised actually at the Princess loyalty program from what I've seen so far, it doesn't do near enough to encourage loyalty IMO.

All depends what you value, some things are better in the loyalty program, some things are worse.

Like many things actually! ;-)

I spoke with a very helpful lady on one of the Australian cruise websites today who gave me a clear comparison since she has sailed on all the cruise lines in question.

 

She described Sea Princess specifically as being just under Celebrity quality & more like Royal without the added extras.

 

She said I would find the food outlet options are more limited, only one speciality restaurant but apparently that is a closed off area of the buffet area, not a stand alone like the beautiful Murano on Solstice for example. Also she said limited casual food options like Park Cafe, Latitudes, Bistro on Five etc. The food was good on Sea Princess just less variety in venues is what she was saying.

Your contact neglected to mention the other dining venue, the pizza restaurant, which is one of Princess' strengths. It puts RCL's and Celebrity's pizza to shame (not that that's hard!). That can also be used for variety.

Know the feeling;)

We will be Emerald on RCI after the next two cruises...... not sure what that includes, but it is not free drinks!!,

You do get them (limited) on the C&A past cruisers get together night. ;-)

But yeah, emerald doesn't offer much either.