New Pacific Princess Impressions

[swill]

Hi all,

 

I haven't had much luck finding any info regarding New Pacific Princess (R3) - any photos, stories, or suggestions would be helpful.

 

I've seen pics of Oceana's Regatta and it appears there are some differences - like Regatta having a lot more teak decks, more lavishly appointed, etc. Is the Pacific Princess more along the lines of the other Princess ships in terms of its appointments? Only have Dawn as a point of comparison.

 

Thanks for any and all info you can share. Can't wait to sail, 16 night Bangkok - Beijing!

 

Celebrity Millenium (8/1/03, 13 nt Mediterranean)

Celebrity Galaxy (12/13/02, W. Carib)

Splendour of the Seas (9/8/02, W. Med)

Dawn Princess (1/26/02, So. Carib)

Voyager of the Seas (7/22/01, W. Carib)

[GottoCruise]

We are sailing on the Pacific on July 25. I have heard she is much like the Tahitian Princess, except furnishings a bit "darker". We sailed the Tahitian in March 2003 and loved the ship. Can anyone tell us if the ship's library on the Pacific is as wonderful as the library aboard the Tahitian??!! If so, no need to bring books to read - the Tahitian had all the very latest and a plentiful supply.

We also can't wait for our July 25th sailing 24 days Osaka to Honolulu!!

 

PACIFIC PRINCESS

7/25/04 Islands of the Pacific Theater

<IMG SRC="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;7;25;12;0;00&timezone=GMT

GOLDEN PRINCESS

8/10/05 British Isles

8/20/05 TransAtlantic

<IMG SRC="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trfb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ooooff&cdt=2005;8;25;12;0;00&timezone=GMT

 

GOLDEN PRINCESS

8/10/05 British Isles 8/20/05 TransAtlantic

<IMG SRC="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2005;8;10;12;0;00&timezone=GMT

 

[Druke I]

We were on the "new" Pacific Princess, this past November, Papeete to Sydney, and found the library to be very well stocked with a good range of books, both fiction and non-fiction.

It had about 4 times the selection that we found on Celebrity's Mercury last month (rather skimpy, at best).

 

Haven't been on the Tahitian Princess, so I can't make a direct comparison, but did find the woods on Pacific Princess to be darker than the Princess norm.

 

Michael

[Guest]

Pacfic Princess retains the Victorian decor she had when she was R3. The only room that has been redecorated according to Princess standards is the Nighclub - which by the way looks wonderful.

 

If I can find it, I'll repost my review...

 

-------------------------

Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

[Nitemare]

I do a REALLY good Doc Bricker, down to the lame jokes and weak attempt at hitting on the hot lady passengers!

[mii]

Last Sept. we were on the Pacific Princess to Alaska. I can tell you that the ship is beautiful. Very dark woods, the library looks like it came out of an English Tutor home. Absolutely beautiful. We were in a mini suite and there was plenty of room. The food was great, and because there is only 800 passengers you had all sorts of room. But there are some people I talked to on the ship that they preferred a bigger ship as there was more things to do. I did not have any problems finding things to do. If you have alot of sea days maybe you might have a problem. In Alaska I did not have that problem. Hope this helps.

 

 

Marilyn

[Guest]

Here is the review I posted after my San Francisco to Alaska cruise on Pacific Princess in August 2003

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 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 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.

 

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.

 

JSEA asked about the noise from the pool deck above these cabins. I didn’t notice any noise issues. You could hear movement around up there at times, as you would from any floor above, but I wasn’t disturbed by any noise at all.

 

There also 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.

 

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 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.

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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!).

 

Moving 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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 pre-ordered my shore excursion tickets online at the Princess website and the tickets were waiting for me in my cabin when I arrived. I only participated in two shore excursions, and one was the all-day ticket to Mt. Roberts in Juneau, but many that did said they felt that Princess did a great job. They felt the excursion operators were obviously top of the line, the excursions were well organized and worth the money – even if a higher price than what you could get on shore - due to the convenience and quality. I participated in the Sea Otter Wildlife Jet Boat excursion in Sitka and would recommend it to anyone. We were out for a full three hours, saw a number of humpback whales, otters, seals, bears, eagles, deer and jellyfish (?). It was quite a wonderful afternoon.

 

Another “shore†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 did have an occasion to talk to one of the revenue managers on board just after a meeting with some corporate people in Juneau. He had nothing but positive thoughts about the mingling of the Carnival and Princess companies. He indicated that Carnival Corporation has adopted some of the strengths they’ve observed in the Princess administrative style. He also indicated they recognize Princess is marketing to two demographics – the 7-day mass-market passengers and the “connoisseur†passenger looking for different types of itineraries with more days and smaller ships. Regal, Royal, Tahitian and Pacific are selling like hot cakes. Although they’ve been slated to leave the fleet, look for Regal and Royal to remain indefinitely, and the possibility of additional smaller ships.

 

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.

 

Inquiries? I’d be happy to help!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

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Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

 

 

[tapper]

We were on the Pacific Princes in November-- Tahiti to Sydney. We agree with so many of the other posts. We loved it. You will enjoy the library, nice computer room, excellent dining room. The casino and shopping were limited, but we stopped in so many ports that it made up for it. We seemed to bond with more people on this cruise than any other. The feeling was much more friendly. Had a ton of fun. Our cabin was beautiful. Plenty of room and service was excellent. By the way, in the dining room, always ask if there is something else you want, they were most accomodating. Have a great trip.

[swill]

bdjam- great review, thanks!

 

I also appreciate everyone else's take on this ship... she sounds wonderful. Just booked our air yesterday and our pre-cruise hotel in Bangkok. 60 days an counting.

 

PS - does "standard Princess fare" in the dining room mean at least one Souffle offering everynight for dessert?

 

<font size="2" color="#0000FF">

Pacific Princess (6/27/04, 16 nt Bangkok - Beijing)

Celebrity Millenium (8/1/03, 13 nt Mediterranean)

Celebrity Galaxy (12/13/02, W. Carib)

Splendour of the Seas (9/8/02, W. Med)

Dawn Princess (1/26/02, So. Carib)

Voyager of the Seas (7/22/01, W. Carib)</font>

[tapper]

Swill

There was a souffle offered every night. Also, for pictures of the Pacific Princess, log on to the P&O Cruise site. That is the Princess line in Australia. Have fun.

[Hlitner]

We are looking forward to spending 16 days on this vessel. We have previously cruised on the Renaissance R4 which is the exact same design, and we truly loved all 14 days on that R4 (Tahiti). As to the size, we have been on more than 40 different ships ranging from 20 passenger to over 3500 passenger, and we always liked the 600 - 800 the best (we still moss the old Sun Viking of RCCL). Its on these small to mid size ships where we always seem to make the best friends.

 

Hank

[CruiseFever]

Great review.

 

I think I am going to follow you to a cruise soon because you really know what you're talking about!

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Diamond Princess 12/22/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[Guest]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Great review.

 

I think I am going to follow you to a cruise soon because you really know what you're talking about!

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, Chris...in the "know what you're talking about department" I'm afraid I pale in comparison to you, my friend. But it's that "thing" about cruising - obsession? - it's just in my blood and like a nasty disease, I can't get rid of it. All of it - the business, the hardware, the enjoyment, the history...

 

And I hope there's no cure!

 

-------------------------

Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

 

 

[roohound]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nitemare:

I do a REALLY good Doc Bricker, down to the lame jokes and weak attempt at hitting on the hot lady passengers!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

bwhahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahhaahahaha

[aanselm]

Does the new Pacific Princess have hot tubs/Jacuzzis? The online ship descriptions conflict on this issue and I am curious. Does anyone who has been on the ship know?????

[andydee]

Hlitner,

Just happened to see your Pacific Princess post. You will love this little jewel. Thanks for your knowledgeable and informative response to our request for info on Mediterranean ports. Cheers,

Andy

 

andy dee

[arlenemilt]

Great to read such wonderful accolades. We will be on the PP for 36 days (as of August 17th).

 

Arlene

[starsjohn]

Just returned from a 25 day trip on the PP. Look for a review soon. This type and size ship happens to be my favorite. Our mini-suite was spacious and well-appointed. Personal service was good.

 

John

[Guest]

Pacific does have hot tubs and jacuzzis. On deck near the pool. Also there is one forward of the spa which is reserved for spa guests.

 

-------------------------

Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

 

 

[tapper]

We were on the Pacific Princess last fall and loved the ship. Here is an excellent gallery of pictures from the P&O Princess gallery.

 

http://www.pocruises.com.au/html/pacific_princess_gallery.cfm

[aanselm]

bdjam.. thx for the heads up.....

 

tapper.. thx 4 sharing. Beautiful pix.

 

Here's a link to another Pacific Princess link I found online:

 

http://www.virtualtoursusa.com/pacificprincess.htm

 

What a beautiful little ship!!

 

Blessings,

A.