Mini Review - Discovery Princess Jan 28-Feb 4 to Mexico

[deultgen]

Mini Review

Discovery Princess

January 21-28, 2023

Mexican Riviera

 

We are Darren and Cindy from Great Falls, Montana.  We are in our 50’s and regularly cruise on both Princess and Celebrity. 

 

We left Great Falls, Montana on Friday, January 20 in a Blizzard.  I am glad the Alaskan Airlines plane took off to Seattle, then a connection to LAX.  All was on time.  We stayed overnight at the LAX Sheridan.  I did not want to mess with LA traffic to get to a hotel near the port in the late afternoon.  The Sheridan was fine and a good deal.  I am not sure whether it is a 4* hotel or not, but it was fine to spend the night.

 

Check in:  We left (Uber) the Sheridan at about 9:30 and was at the Port by 10:00, checked our luggage, went through security, received our Medallions, and were ready to board.  The process took minutes and was easy as usual.  Once the ship was ready, we were on board in no time.  Princess has this process down to a science.  Celebrity Eclipse was also at the peer boarding.  We sailed Eclipse to the Caribbean in the Summer of 2010 and loved it.  They sailed alongside us every day for the whole week.  Disembarking was just as easy and trouble free.

 

The Ship: Discovery Princess is a new ship and looks like it.  It is beautiful with both a familiarity of a Princess ship and new things which are nice.  I would certainly sail the ship again. 

 

The Staff:  As usual we found the staff friendly, hard-working, and willing to go out of their way to help guests.  Our room steward was fantastic, our wait staff throughout the ship were excellent, and the Staff in the Sanctuary were top notch.

 

Cruise Critic: Cindy and I hosted the Cruise Critic “Meet and Greet” in the Take 5 Jazz Club on Sunday from 11:00 to 12:00.  We have 45 people in attendance and 5 officers.  It was nice to meet many of the people from the Roll Call which we had been talking to for months.  The Officers were friendly, answered questions, and stayed to chat with people. 

 

Dining:  We had dinner 3 nights in the French Restaurant, Bistro Sur La Mer.  I thought the menu was creative and the food excellent.  I think the small additional fee is well worth it.  I would dine their again.  The other 4 nights we ate in the main dining room.  The food was a bit hit or miss but overall, it was good. 

 

Entertainment: Personally, I thought the entertainment in the main theater was below average.  We attended three shows and never made it past 15 minutes.  Other shows in the smaller venues were good and we had fun.

 

Our own Preferences: We were able to make reservations in the Sanctuary area for every afternoon of the cruise.  For us, it’s a quiet, relaxing place with a wonderful staff.  For us, it's worth the small extra cost.  Same with the Enclave. 

 

Overall, we enjoyed the cruise and would do it again.  I would answer any Questions.

[donswife]

Thank you for your review.  We were on Discovery in November,  and are booking again for this coming November.  What kind of cabin did you get? 

[deultgen]

40 minutes ago, donswife said:

Thank you for your review.  We were on Discovery in November,  and are booking again for this coming November.  What kind of cabin did you get? 

 

We were in D705.  It's a standard (BD) Balcony cabin near the aft elevators.  It has a very large balcony (double size) and is quiet.  I would book it again. 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Thank you for your review!

 

We are going in the same cruise next month.

Can you share what you did in the ports?

Edited February 6, 2023 by ColoradoMom!!

[californiagirl]

Thank you for your review and pictures!  Were they using the new menus?  

[deultgen]

1 hour ago, ColoradoMom!! said:

Thank you for your review!

 

We are going in the same cruise next month.

Can you share what you did in the ports?

 

Hi, our itinerary had us arriving in Cabo first.  We arrived about Noon and left at 8pm.  We anchored just outside the port and people tendered into Cabo (about 25 min).  The ship anchored facing the large rock formation (The Arch).  We spent the afternoon in the Sanctuary, watched whales, dolphins, birds ect.  We did not get off the ship.   (Pic 1)

 

In Mazatlán, we walked the "blue line" which takes you through a short walk throughout town, past a church, school, some restaurants, the town square, etc.  The Cathedral is a short walk as well as the city market.  (pic 2)

 

In Puerto Vallarta, we rented a local birding guide who took us to a Ranch/Preserve just outside of the city.    

[deultgen]

1 hour ago, californiagirl said:

Thank you for your review and pictures!  Were they using the new menus?  

 

I am not sure of the difference between the new and old menus.  We cruise about once a year, so they looked about the same to me.

[californiagirl]

Thank you for your reply. Again great pictures.  I last cruised in September.  Since then Princess has rolled out new menus.  From reading on CC some (maybe all?) menus are one page including listing desserts.  Also the always available fettuccine has been replaced with lasagna.  The only thing I will miss is the fettuccine.  I really enjoyed a small appetizer portion some nights.  I think it’s on the new menu one night. 
 

When did you book the Sanctuary?  Did you have several choices for lounge chairs?  I really don’t like hurrying up there immediately following boarding.  I like your idea of booking it half days.  We may do what you did and book it for our Cabo day if it’s available.

[deultgen]

So, I do remember Fettuccine on the menu every night.  

 

We booked the Sanctuary on the day we boarded the ship.  In my opinion the Sanctuary had fewer total lounges than other Princess Ships (like Ruby).  That being said there were many (8?) Cabanas which took up a lot of space (pic 4).  I would say there were 25-30 total lounges in the mostly sun area of the Sanctuary (pic 1) without any covering.  There were 8 total lounges in the covered, shaded area (pic 2) and most of the cabanas were shaded.  The "public space", hot tub, sofa area, shower was also in the shaded area (pic 3).  

 

On our cruise, the first and last sea days were a bit cooler (70) and the middle 5 days were warmer (80 degrees).  The Sanctuary had more people on sea days and less on port days.  We booked every afternoon and the staff were helpful in getting us in a shady area even if it meant moving some things around.  

 

Sadly, it is a good idea to go up to the Sanctuary immediately after boarding.

[knbcruisers]

On 2/6/2023 at 1:57 PM, deultgen said:

 

We were in D705.  It's a standard (BD) Balcony cabin near the aft elevators.  It has a very large balcony (double size) and is quiet.  I would book it again. 

Thank you for this photo!!!we are in D708 on the 3/11 cruise and very happy to see the balcony is so large as promised .   We usually book Caribe deck on theGrand class ships and didn’t  want the small balcony the Royal class is known for.  These cabins are a hidden gem I think.

Edited February 7, 2023 by knbcruisers
Add upcoming cruise

[Thrak]

On 2/6/2023 at 10:57 AM, deultgen said:

 

We were in D705.  It's a standard (BD) Balcony cabin near the aft elevators.  It has a very large balcony (double size) and is quiet.  I would book it again. 

 

Nice pic. We are booked on Discovery for April 2024 Solar Eclipse cruise and are in cabin D226 which has the same footprint on the deck plans as these aft cabins. I have wondered what the balcony was like. We like the larger Caribe balconies on the Grand Class ships and, while it was "adequate", we missed the extra size when we sailed a in balcony cabin on Regal Princess last May. It's nice to see that there is extra space here.

[californiagirl]

Thank you so much for your info and pictures.  I really wish we could prebook the Sanctuary prior to boarding.  I would even pay a premium to do that.  If Discovery had an adult pool area like Regal I would not consider the Sanctuary.  However her adult pool area is lined with cabins so there is no view of the ocean.  I did this cruise last year on Majestic and I LOVED her Hollywood pool area.  
 

First world dilemmas. 😊 Thank you again.

Edited February 7, 2023 by californiagirl

[deultgen]

2 hours ago, californiagirl said:

Thank you so much for your info and pictures.  I really wish we could prebook the Sanctuary prior to boarding.  I would even pay a premium to do that.  If Discovery had an adult pool area like Regal I would not consider the Sanctuary.  However her adult pool area is lined with cabins so there is no view of the ocean.  I did this cruise last year on Majestic and I LOVED her Hollywood pool area.  
 

First world dilemmas. 😊 Thank you again.

 

I agree, it would be nice to be able to reserve the Sanctuary prior to boarding.  I do think it is a very reasonable cost considering the level of comfort and service we receive.

[chubbypiggy]

15 hours ago, deultgen said:

 

I agree, it would be nice to be able to reserve the Sanctuary prior to boarding.  I do think it is a very reasonable cost considering the level of comfort and service we receive.

What is the cost of using the Sanctuary?  Must it be booked for the entire cruise or can be booked by the numbers of days that we want to use that area?  Can we use OBC to pay for it? 

 

Thank you.

[deultgen]

15 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

What is the cost of using the Sanctuary?  Must it be booked for the entire cruise or can be booked by the numbers of days that we want to use that area?  Can we use OBC to pay for it? 

 

Thank you.

 

The Sanctuary is $20 for a half day, $40 for a full day, per person.  You can rent it either by the day or the entire cruise.  I assume you can use on board credit to pay for it.  

 

 

 

 

[dianef]

We were on the same cruise and we enjoyed the entertainment every night in the main showroom.Did not miss a show and also went to shows in Vista lounge which were also very good.Went to some of the shows in Princess Live which we enjoyed.Everyone has a different opionion.We loved the ship and looking forward to going back on it someday.

[PMGS247]

Thanks for the review!  Sailing the same itinerary on the first of April.

 

You mentioned watching the wildlife from the Sanctuary - you saw whales? How noticeable were they?

 

I ask this for probably the opposite reason that most would think, i.e. that I'm hoping to see them, which me personally I wouldn't mind it at all other than the fact that my wife has an irrational fear of them.  She knows it's irrational, she wouldn't argue the fact that it doesn't make any sense, but it's very real and very permanent regardless. 

 

While I do think our history of cruising has settled her mind a little bit on the topic, where originally any deep water made her nervous, she has grown a comfort level with the little to no chance of running into one in the Caribbean...and having only experience in the Caribbean so far, this will be easily the most whale-intensive intensive itinerary we've ever attempted. I'm actually hoping to hear that without putting in some effort to go find them, that one is unlikely to be too aware that they're nearby throughout the cruise.  If she sees one or hears that they're swimming around outside before we go ashore in Cabo, it may be difficult to get her onto a tender boat, regardless of what we have or have not pre-paid.

[titanguru]

I was on that sailing.  Thanks to Darren and Cindy for the M&G session which was excellent.  I am going to add some of our experience and try to answer couple of questions.

 

Concerning whales sighting, sometimes the bridge would announce there is a whale on the port side etc.  The best chance of spotting whales would be in Cabo.  Please note that by April they have mostly moved on and might be difficult to spot them.

 

Food was good.  Nothing that stood out.  We were in club class and they had an extra item available nightly that was not on the menu.  The first formal night they had a very good lobster tail not on the menu (was mixed with some sauce and mushroom which we enjoyed).  The second formal night the lobster was on the menu.  Mine was okay but my wife's was not eatable.  The couple next to us returned theirs twice and then decided to order something else.

 

Entertainment was hit and miss.  Production Show: Rock Opera was good (day two).  Savannah Jack in concert was EXCELLENT/OUTSTANDING (day four).  First night was comedian Johnny Cardinale which we did not think was good.  The others were below average.  Again please note this is subjective.

 

The ship is gorgeous and tastefully decorated.  Using light colors makes it feel bright and inviting.  With that said I am not sure if it will age well.  You can clean wine spills as much as you want but it will still show. 

 

Embarkation was a breeze.  We were on the ship 5 minutes after we handed our luggage to the porter.  Disembarkation was a different story though.  We were provided a form to fill out on when we want to be off the ship.  I marked 8:50-9:05 time slot only to receive tags for 8:15 (we got off at 9:00 anyhow).  Princess was not an issue but the Los Angels port gets a Z (F is to good of a grade).  It was a mess.  The workers were rude, did not have a clue what they were doing and it was a zoo.

 

We enjoyed our cruise and looking forward to our next even though we were not able to book our next cruise while we were on the ship due to some glitch that the future cruise folks could not figure out how to fix.

[CruisnDeb]

9 minutes ago, titanguru said:

Embarkation was a breeze.  We were on the ship 5 minutes after we handed our luggage to the porter. 

What time did you arrive?

[disneyochem]

Was also on this cruise and will be back on April 1.  We loved the ship!  Had just been on the Enchanted in October 2022 so was familiar with the lay out.  Missed not having a Vines but still was able to get great service and drinks at Crooners and the Crown Grille Bar.

 

We were in D221, a deluxe balcony with a pretty large balcony.  At least,  we were able to have four chairs and a table on the balcony!  Room was beautiful, bathroom small with the dreaded shower curtain.  The sofa bed was surprisingly comfortable (I slept on it for seven nights)!  It was great!

 

The dining rooms did have the new menus though you could ask for fettucine and usually get it.  The first night is always a mess--so many people lined up to get into the MDR.  We were in Skagway with an initial reservation of 6:30 p.m.  I spoke to the front staff and reserved a set table for 4 at 5:20 p.m.   Was able to walk in every night and go directly to our table.

 

Bistro Sur La Mer was one of the best specialty dining meals I've ever had on a Princess ship!  Just be sure to ask for a table with a view and away from the Piazza.  Seems that some people were seated in the aisleway of the ship.  Not sure I would like that...  

 

Was invited to the 360 Experience.  If you ever get the chance, go!  It was spectacular!

 

Went to a few of the shows and activities---subjective opinion but I did not like Rock Opera (and I'm a Broadway musical nut!).  Loud, screeching music (sometimes sung not in key) with poor dancing.  Enjoyed the marriage game, yes/no, trivia, zumba, dance classes--lots of entertainment and very good cruise staff!

 

Did not use the Sanctuary but used the Retreat Pool and the chairs outside of the Sanctuary on a number of days.  We had food and drink delivered via the Medallion.

 

Embarkation was easy--had to pick up our Medallions though.  We got dropped off around 11 a.m. and were on board at Crooners by 11:30 a.m.  Disembarkation was also pretty easy.  We were walk-offs and left the ship before 8 a.m.  This port (due to the closed loop cruise) used the face recognition for customs.  Just smiled, said good morning and was out the door for our shuttle pick up!

 

I do have to say that the service we received was phenomenal!  I've always have good service on a Princess ship but this staff and crew were great!  Cheerful, energetic, and upbeat crew just adds to one's cruise!

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by disneyochem

[titanguru]

1 hour ago, CruisnDeb said:

What time did you arrive?

I signed up for 10:30 -11:00 arrival but we got there late 11:45 (we are on vacation after all).  We were Club Class (early embarkation) but that did not come into play at all.  We walked in and they asked if we had our passports and were we green on the app.  We answered yes and they pointed us to a line (not much of a line just an line for checking in) and no one was waiting.  We were called to the "desk" right away and scanned our medallion and were told (with a smile) to go ahead and proceed to the ship.  That was it. 

[CruisnDeb]

@deultgen, @titanguru, and @disneyochem  I was wondering if any of you had copies of the patters?  If so, could you please post?  Just curious to see what I have to look forward to next month 🙂.  Thank you all for posting your experience on the ship--it's nice to hear different perspectives.

[deultgen]

5 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

Thanks for the review!  Sailing the same itinerary on the first of April.

 

You mentioned watching the wildlife from the Sanctuary - you saw whales? How noticeable were they?

 

I ask this for probably the opposite reason that most would think, i.e. that I'm hoping to see them, which me personally I wouldn't mind it at all other than the fact that my wife has an irrational fear of them.  She knows it's irrational, she wouldn't argue the fact that it doesn't make any sense, but it's very real and very permanent regardless. 

 

While I do think our history of cruising has settled her mind a little bit on the topic, where originally any deep water made her nervous, she has grown a comfort level with the little to no chance of running into one in the Caribbean...and having only experience in the Caribbean so far, this will be easily the most whale-intensive intensive itinerary we've ever attempted. I'm actually hoping to hear that without putting in some effort to go find them, that one is unlikely to be too aware that they're nearby throughout the cruise.  If she sees one or hears that they're swimming around outside before we go ashore in Cabo, it may be difficult to get her onto a tender boat, regardless of what we have or have not pre-paid.

 

So, I would say two things.

 

1.  Once we were in warmer waters (late day 2), you could look out your balcony and see a spout or two every 15 minutes.  

2.  In (or near) Cabo there were more spouts.  Same with dolphins.  In the Cabo area you could simply follow the whale watching boats and see where they were.  At the same time if you weren't watching for them, you would never know they were there.  

[chubbypiggy]

16 minutes ago, deultgen said:

 

So, I would say two things.

 

1.  Once we were in warmer waters (late day 2), you could look out your balcony and see a spout or two every 15 minutes.  

2.  In (or near) Cabo there were more spouts.  Same with dolphins.  In the Cabo area you could simply follow the whale watching boats and see where they were.  At the same time if you weren't watching for them, you would never know they were there.  

What is a spout?

[deultgen]

4 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

What is a spout?