Thinking about trying Princess

[Leebo]

Hello, I'm thinking about trying out Princess next year. As you can see on my signature I've been on 2 Carnival and one Celebrity. I really enjoyed the Paradise and the Galaxy as they were both smaller ships that housed around 2000 people. To me that's about the perfect amount. I still enjoyed the Liberty, but 3000+ was just too big for my taste. Both cruiselines were good to me, but I did find Carnival's shows to be better then Celebrity and I even thought the food was better. In any case I like to try different flavors to see which one I like the best which brings me here. Next year I'd like to try either a Princess or RCCL through the Panama Canal, but I'm leaning toward Princess. Either way I'll try them both out eventually. As I said I like the smaller 2000 person (not including staff) vessels. Is there one you would all recommend as a starter? I read the Island Princess is going through Panama Canal next year.

 

Any info would be welcomed. Thanks!

[willysgrandma]

Rather than look at ship, look at an itinerary you'd like first and then look at the ship.

 

Celebrity was my favorite line until I cruised Princess. I loved the Crown. As big as it is, you never felt crowded on the ship.

 

But you really thought Carnival had better food than Celebrity? IMO, Celebrity has the best food of any line I've been on (including Princess).

 

But for the money - Princess is a much better value. And the ports and excursions were great.

 

Look itinerary first, then check ships. I don't think you'll be disappointed trying Celebrity.

 

I would suggest also going to the Member Reviews boards and reading the ship reviews posted by members before you definitely decide what ship to try, too.

 

Good luck, let us know if you book!

[willysgrandma]

Oh, boy, the boards are screwy again today. Still not fixed!

[JimnKaren]

Karen and I just got off the Sea Princess which, along with her sister ships, Sun Princess and Dawn Princess carry about 1960 pax. We really enjoy a ship that size.

 

Princess food is good, oriented toward an Italian theme. Karen thinks that Carnival food is the best she has eaten on any cruise line. We both think that the dining rooms are tooooo glitzy for our tastes, though. Celebrity's food was OK, nothing fantastic. We sailed the Constellation and Summit, which are sister ships. On both the dining rooms were two tier and I thought a bit noisy as a result. Sea Princess' dining rooms are more intimate.

 

Sailing through the canal is a wonderful experience. Do your research about what ports of call are included on either side of the canal. We aware also that sailing from west to east will have you moving your clocks ahead several times in order to made times correct with shore. A couple of 23 hour days can get to you. Whereas sailing east to west will mean a couple of 25 hour days that are easier to take.

 

If you have a TA, then speak with that person and get reactions. Read lots of posts here and continue to ask questions. We believe that having a balcony or verandah is mandatory for the canal, likewise Alaska. Other itineraries we don't really see the need. Personal choice applies.

 

Jim

[Leebo]

Thank you both for your quick replies.

 

Ultimately it the itinerary will decide our ship, I'm just saying my wife and I prefered the smaller 2000 pax ships better then the bigger Liberty. Just so many lineups and it felt a little over crowded. But it all depends on how the ship is built, so Princess may be different.

 

Actually Jim, without you mentioning the east/west thing, I was already thinking of going east to west...not sure exactly why...lol. But thanks for the input, I like your reasoning. I would have never thought of that. Are there certain ports of call I should be looking for on a panama cruise? If you have suggestions please feel free to make them. And strangely enough, my wife has said that she would like to have a balconey next time we cruise. I don't care either way, but again, probably a smart decision if we do a panama cruise.

[Vic The Parrot]

I loved the Crown. As big as it is, you never felt crowded on the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's a sign of a well-designed vessel. Considering the size of the Crown Princess, it seems like it manages to comfortably absorb all of the passengers without crowding. (As with my observations on QM2)

 

Think I will try that ship after all ... thanks for your input.

 

:)

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes you will love the Island Princess, only 1900 passengers. The Island and the Coral are my favorites. :)

[S10Catman]

Hello, I'm thinking about trying out Princess next year. As you can see on my signature I've been on 2 Carnival and one Celebrity. I really enjoyed the Paradise and the Galaxy as they were both smaller ships that housed around 2000 people. To me that's about the perfect amount. I still enjoyed the Liberty, but 3000+ was just too big for my taste. Both cruiselines were good to me, but I did find Carnival's shows to be better then Celebrity and I even thought the food was better. In any case I like to try different flavors to see which one I like the best which brings me here. Next year I'd like to try either a Princess or RCCL through the Panama Canal, but I'm leaning toward Princess. Either way I'll try them both out eventually. As I said I like the smaller 2000 person (not including staff) vessels. Is there one you would all recommend as a starter? I read the Island Princess is going through Panama Canal next year.

Lee,

 

 

Any info would be welcomed. Thanks!

Lee,

 

The DW and I have been on the Sea, Star (before the fire), and the Golden Princess within the last 2 years and they are generally nice ships with decent amenities. The shows were generally fair to good but differents folks tastes drive what one considers good or bad. Their food is normally good to very good with the occasional flop, but they will gladly get you something else if you desire. There pizza seems to be enjoyed by most if you are so inclined and like thin crust style-pizza. I have seen few bad things said about their pizza. Buffet on the Lido, varies widely but is not bad. Their rooms are balcony rooms tend to be very nice (my personal experience) so far and seldom hear too many bad reviews on thier beds. Service has always been good to excellent (for us), but I have read some reviews that would take offense to that statement. For the price you pay I beleive it is a good bargain as long as you can go with the flow and are there to have a good time and don't get into the critizing every little aspect of the boats. Enjoy your trip and the minor annoyances are just that, minor. There is no such thing as a bad cruise unless you're on the Titanic!!!!

 

Alan :cool:

[rebeccalouise]

Even though I am a big Celebrity fan- I think that you should try another line just to compare. Each line has its strengths and weakneses. But I agree that I would do a smallish ship thru the Panama Canal.

[coiran]

I suggest the Coral or Island Princess on the ten day Panama - it is one of the newer Sun class ships with only 1960 pax which makes for a good size group and ship. We did this cruise on the Coral in December and really enjoyed the itinerary and the ship.

 

Ron

[CruisJack]

Ahoy Lee :-)

We have cruised on the Coral Princess twice, the sister to the Island Princess, and it is our favorite ship. As was mentioned earlier, it holds 1,900 passengers with many small nooks and crannies so you don't feel like you are on a huge ship.

We have experienced good food and service on both of our cruises on the Coral. Yes, a balcony is desirable for cruising through the Panama Canal. You may go to the section of Cruise Critic which lists various ports and read comments about the pros and cons of the ports.

We have also cruised on the Dawn Princess, a sister to the Sun and Sea, which also accommodates 1,900 passengers. We liked the Dawn and its layout too. We have cruised with Princess 17 times and think it is a great crulse line. We have cruised on the Radiance OTS and the Serenade OTS, which are about the same size as the Coral, and think they are beautiful ships too. There is no such thing as a bad cruise in our books. We don't look for spots on the carpeting but go on a cruise to have fun.

May you have fair skies and calm seas on your cruise!