Best Princess Ship Experience??

[DeRon]

I would like opinions. What is the best cruise experience in Princess? Which ship? Are the new ships like the Royal better? Which ships feel the least crowded?

 

Thanks!

[Pam in CA]

IMHO, every ship has it's pluses and minuses. None are perfect nor "the best." You can have some negative ship experiences but have an outstanding cruise or vice versa.

 

That said, the Coral and Island are the least crowded and offer an excellent cruise experience. The small ships, Ocean and Pacific, offer a unique (for Princess), more personalized cruise experience. I'm not counting the Sapphire or the Diamond as they are both now sailing in Asia and have been modified for the Japanese market.

 

There have been a lot of negative reviews but the new Royal Princess is now one of my favorites. Great food, better amenities, elegant, loved it.

 

When booking a cruise, I book for the itinerary, pricing and some intangibles. I rarely book a cruise based on the ship alone.

[Carole_T]

We absolutely had a blast playing miniature golf on the Sapphire! You have not golfed until you've golfed on a moving ship! :p

[bachcruise]

I've only cruised on a few Princess ships and toured several others. My favorite is the Coral..to me it has the best layout and design of any ship I've sailed.

 

 

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[shepp]

Another vote for the just-right Coral/Island (not to mention my total enjoyment of the Canal cruises on I took on them). On the other hand, my absolute favorite cruise - SFO to Buenos Aires around the Horn - was on the Star, a ship I wasn't crazy about that had some serious staffing problems. Which just goes to show you: a great itinerary makes up for a lot.

 

Oh, and the Royal had some real pluses and minuses, but I loved that cruise in part because it was my honeymoon. :)

[jean s]

We have sailed on a number of Princess ships but our cruise on the Coral to Alaska was the best. In my opinion the Coral/Island is the best design of any ship I have been on.

[Tyskie]

Have to say the Coral did not disappoint - loved our Panama Canal trip. I do like the Grand Class ships too. Have yet to try the Royal...................

one of these days. Definitely it's the itinerary not the ship!

[RetiredNTraveling]

We have only sailed 4 times and each on a different ship! ;) The 1st was great, but on the second we were offered an upsell to a suite and that spoiled us beyond belief! Never had a cruise that wasn't simply "wonderful"!:D

 

We are just,

RetiredNTraveling!(Mike & Betty)

[paul929207]

We love the Ocean & Pacific Princess. These small ships hold 680 passengers and are small enough to get into ports the larger ships either have to bypass or dock an hour away

[eskiemom]

The Crown will always be my favorite ship! It was my first and the wow factor of seeing that ship and being my first time in New York will never be reproduced. The CD and his staff we great and always around. And my furst MUTS experience--seeing Shrek.......oh my goodness it still makes me smile.

 

That being said I also really enjoyed the Coral for the Panama Canal. Great experiences, nice staff and cruised with great friends.

 

The ship is of course very important but I feel alot of the cruise experience lies in ones attitude towards the experience.

 

I feel cruising is really a great gift I have been fortunate to experience

[Colo Cruiser]

Coral/Island for sure!

[Bimmer09]

Coral and Island would be the least crowded considering their size and less than 2,000 passengers on board.

 

I haven't sailed all the ships yet- there's some I don't ever plan to sail on either- but of those I have sailed the Diamond was my favorite by a long shot. I wrote a long review detailing why. In a nutshell it was captain, crew and the design of the vessel itself that swayed me.

 

Now she's in Japan and out of my reach. Still puzzled by the decision to take the Diamond and Sapphire over there but then it's been proven time and again that Princess isn't run by geniuses or sharp minds on cruising's cutting edge

which is something I would attribute to the decision makers at Royal Caribbean, if to anyone.

 

Norris, looking forward to the Ocean Princess immensely!

[lovevacadays]

Coral and Island would be the least crowded considering their size and less than 2,000 passengers on board.

 

I haven't sailed all the ships yet- there's some I don't ever plan to sail on either- but of those I have sailed the Diamond was my favorite by a long shot. I wrote a long review detailing why. In a nutshell it was captain, crew and the design of the vessel itself that swayed me.

 

Now she's in Japan and out of my reach. Still puzzled by the decision to take the Diamond and Sapphire over there but then it's been proven time and again that Princess isn't run by geniuses or sharp minds on cruising's cutting edge

which is something I would attribute to the decision makers at Royal Caribbean, if to anyone.

 

Norris, looking forward to the Ocean Princess immensely!

 

I am so with you! Why oh why did Princess take both of their best ships, (in my opinion) the Diamond and Sapphire to markets outside of the US????? I don't feel like there are any other Princess ships quite like these two.

[Coral]

I am so with you! Why oh why did Princess take both of their best ships, (in my opinion) the Diamond and Sapphire to markets outside of the US????? I don't feel like there are any other Princess ships quite like these two.

 

I agree. There was something about these ships that made them feel like they were so well built over the Italian built ships. Maybe they thought Asians would prefer ships built in Japan? I think my last 7 or so sailings were on the Sapphire Princess.

 

I also like the Coral (and Island Princess) a lot.

 

My least favorite - Crown Princess. Too crowded.

[rdsqrl]

I'd have to say "best Princess ship experience" is the Pacific (or Ocean). Not that I didn't love the Coral to pieces, but the experience on the little girls is unique in a way that sailing on any other Princess ship isn't. It's all a function of her size: you're in a completely different environment, where everything is just easier because there are no crowds or lines -- or strangers. You really do get to know a lot of your fellow passengers. And the crew. And they you.

 

Plus all that port stuff Paul mentioned above, although I think that Princess could do a lot more to maximize the opportunities available for porting the smaller ships in more unique places. Take Alaska this season: same itin as on the big ships. Lost opportunity.

[dorisis]

We prefer small ships. Ocean and Pacific are tops, followed by Coral and Island.

[cnd crsr]

The Ocean and Pacific are our favourites. Always great itineraries.

[OCruisers]

Island/Coral! :)

LuLu

[azdmelani]

I would like opinions. What is the best cruise experience in Princess? Which ship? Are the new ships like the Royal better? Which ships feel the least crowded?

 

Thanks!

 

You will probably get varied answers to your question as it is extremely subjective. I prefer the Sapphire for the Mexican themed dining room as well as the placement of an Alfredos. I also really liked the Royal when i sailed her in December, and cant wait for our Regal cruise in a few months.

[pris993]

Most recently we cruised on the Grand had a fantastic experience on board. Prior to this cruised we also did a TA on the Ruby whick was outstanding.

 

Have not been on the new Royal... don't plan on it either. Like the older Princess ships.

[san diego sue]

So hard to pick a favorite. It is also the people you meet, that adds to the total cruise experience. We have been all of the Princess ships except the Ocean,Pacific(although have been on the previous little Royal, same ship),Sun and Sea. Even though the big ships have large

passenger load, have had great experiences. The Coral and Island probably the ships where we got closest to passengers we met.

At this time my favorite ship is the Royal. Love the new and modern

look of the ship.

 

[biggbob]

The question was "best experience" and, apart from an "overall" experience, I can distill this down to one singular event that stands out forever in my mind.

 

My sister was with us on the Island to Hawaii a few years ago. She is very immobile and had rented one of those drivey-movey wheelchairs so that she could get around on the ship and on shore.

 

She rented the biggest one she could get, because she is big, and because she carries a purse the size of a doberman. I digress on the amount of crap she carries around but... This wheelchair had 4 wheels, 3 speeds, 2 reverse gears, a headlight, turn signals, fiberglass fenders, a chrome bumper, and a trailer hitch. It was spectacular.

 

On the third day at sea from LA to HI... it broke. She was devastated. She was stuck in her cabin crying and bemoaning her immobility and the fact that at least she would be able to see some of Hawaii from the balcony if the ship was facing the right way. I can't blame her. It would have been cheaper for her to rent a Volkswagen from Hertz than to rent that expensive Cadillac of a wheelchair. And she was basically screwed.

 

Everyone on board seemed to know her because of her gigantic wheelchair, and when she didn't show up at dinner word got around to the crew that her giant wheelchair/land-yacht was broken forever.

 

That evening six little people from engineering showed up at her cabin. They scrambled around the wheel-yacht humming and hawing and poking and tugging. Then they all got around it and picked it up like a casket and marched it away. It was like a scene from Willy Wonka. The engineering oompa loompas marched it away like they were going take it to the "juice room". The ship's engineer/head-oompa-loompa said he would fix it, and the next morning it was back in her cabin. They had used ship's parts to fix the electrical system. And they had charged it, and they had returned it at dawn after working on it overnight. No cost.

 

One day before landfall in Hawaii and my sister was not only as good as new, but she was better than new. The repairs seemed to add about 40 horsepower to the wheelchair and my BIL, bound in a regular wheelchair, spent the next 9 days being towed around behind her with a rope to the trailer hitch.

 

This singular event... This perfect example of thought on the part of so many random crew members, without need or request, to come together for something that made a serious difference to a single passenger, has made me loyal to princess. This was not a petty deck-chair dispute or silly towel-animal. This was real, cohesive forethought that irrevocably changed for the better an experience that otherwise would have been doomed by happenstance and fate to utter failure.

 

This selfless and caring behavior on the part of the crew of the Island made my sister's first, and only, cruise experience the singular vacation of her lifetime. I feel honored to have been present for these proceedings.

 

bob

[Coral]

The question was "best experience" and, apart from an "overall" experience, I can distill this down to one singular event that stands out forever in my mind.

 

 

That evening six little people from engineering showed up at her cabin. They scrambled around the wheel-yacht humming and hawing and poking and tugging. Then they all got around it and picked it up like a casket and marched it away. It was like a scene from Willy Wonka. The engineering oompa loompas marched it away like they were going take it to the "juice room". The ship's engineer/head-oompa-loompa said he would fix it, and the next morning it was back in her cabin. They had used ship's parts to fix the electrical system. And they had charged it, and they had returned it at dawn after working on it overnight. No cost.

 

 

 

bob

 

Your story brought tears to my eyes! I do have to say Princess has some of the best employees on the sea! And a lot of these employees are behind the scenes employees. I once filled out a "you made a difference card" for the tender staff. The weather changed drastically after we made it ashore, they stopped letting people go ashore but the tender people had to get everyone back. I remember circling many times until they felt it was safe to get us back on the ship and how they took great care to make sure no one had problems getting off their tender.

[Coral]

I'd have to say "best Princess ship experience" is the Pacific (or Ocean). Not that I didn't love the Coral to pieces, but the experience on the little girls is unique in a way that sailing on any other Princess ship isn't.

 

My guess that would be my favorite if and when I ever sail those ships. So far, the smaller the better seems to be my experience for liking ships. I like the simple things about cruising and am not impressed with the whizz bang new things they are introducing.

[sgutt86]

Well being that I'm about to take my first cruise on the Island later this summer, it makes me feel super awesome that everyone seems to have a lot of love for that ship!!

 

I booked based on dates/itin not on ships. Although originally we wanted to go with a MUCH SMALLER vessel. Hope it doesn't dissappoint!