Disney cruiser tries Princess...bummer

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We sailed DCL before they put the free soda machines by the pool and the soda card back then was $5 a day plus grat. It's 'free' now but included in the base price which is way higher than Princess.

 

My kids have had passports since they were infants and we would never leave the country without them. Times have changed and incase of emergencies your may need it.

 

On our third DC we were very disapointed with the food and Princess was way better but on the next DC we noticed a huge improvement and our previous waitress was then one of the 3 head waiters/waitresses and told me they got new chefs and new menu items etc along with improved service.

 

We have a B2B booked on Princess for later this year and looking at DCL for next year so will have another chance to enjoy both:D :D

[azbaby8062]

I have to say that I was not overly impressed with Anytime dining either and this was on the Golden in October. We waited every night and the wait staff was very hit and miss. For a seven night cruise, it was not until night five did the wait staff actually mention that there was a kids menu. Thank goodness, my son is pretty easy to please. Very few of the staff introduced themselves and there was never a comment card on the table- believe me, I would have used it several times. Overall, I really did enjoy the cruise and put a future booking deposit down on a future sailing. However, I don't think I will do Anytime dining next time around.

 

We sailed Celebrity previously and I liked the attention received with a set table and server. They certainly went out of their way to make sure we were happy and they were amused by my son. We are sailing on the Miracle next month. I figure, I will try at least any cruise line once and then go from there. Disney to me is just too expensive, so unless I get a good deal, most likely won't sail on them.

[phtktz3]

As you can see in my signature I had cruised with Princess once before the cruise we took on Star last week to Alaska. On that first cruise we said we wouldn't do Princess again as it just wasn't our style, but we decided after 4 years to try it again, we were not necessarily disappointed rather our feelings were confirmed from that first cruise....no more Princess for us. We also expereinced mass disorganization not only at the terminal in Seattle but also at the ports. It was the first Princess cruise to Alaska this year so we chalked most of the glitches up to that. When we arrived in Skagway we had the White Pass tour booked .....our tour tickets only said to meet on the pier it did not tell us what bus to head to nor did it have a tour # on it, however, the signs in front of the buses had on tour #'s on them so it was pretty confusing, we did find our bus but Princess did not make it easy for us to do. We arrived in Victoria, BC about 2 hours late ( due to the rough seas...not Princess fault) and there was only 1 gangway open to let all of us off the ship that was wrapped around deck 5 atruim area about 3 times, it was very difficult to determine where the end of the line was, after about 20-30 minutes they did open another gangway on deck 4 which caused a bit of a stampede.

We had anytime dining we made reservations in the Portofinos dining room on the third night at 7pm. When we arrived we were told to go down to the Capri dining room as this one was full and there was no wait there, after a few moments my DH went to the Maitre d and asked how long it would be and he said he had our table ready??? (this made no sense as we were just told they were full) We ( DH, stepmom, and myself) were seated in what appeared to be a half full dining room? Once seated we were not even given menus for at least 5 minutes, it was another 10 min. before we recieved any attention in the form of drinks. There was a table in our section that the waiter was goofing around with for a while, finally our order was taken after about 20 min of sitting there. The food was not very good, so the rest of the cruise we either ate in the Sterling Steakhouse which was wonderful!!! Food and service!!! We tried Sabitinis one night and it was also good although not really our type of food, the odd thing here was that when we ordered iced tea to drink the waiter told us it would take about 20 minutes to get iced tea as they did not serve it here. When I asked what type of non alcoholic drinks they served he said none?? We fianlly did get soda so maybe he and I just weren't communicating very well.

The entertainment on board was good. We were very surprised that the stateroom TV did not offer an option to check your seapass account or to order movies in the room....not a big deal just odd to us.

This was by no means a bad cruise...we had a wonderful time and I am not attempting to slam Princess Cruiseline, it is just not our style of cruising.

[bdjam]

This was by no means a bad cruise...we had a wonderful time and I am not attempting to slam Princess Cruiseline, it is just not our style of cruising.

This is why there are many different cruise lines to choose from. As I said before, I've just come off a perfect Golden Princess cruise - perhaps its because I know what to expect from Princess that makes my cruise vacations excellent. But no matter, we all have our favorites and while some of us try other cruise lines and come away disappointed, some of us will stick with what we like.

Best of luck on your future RCI cruises.

[nho9504]

This was by no means a bad cruise...we had a wonderful time and I am not attempting to slam Princess Cruiseline, it is just not our style of cruising.

 

Each line has its own style that best-suited to certain people's taste - that is why there are many lines to choose from, even at the mass market level.

 

In fact, I would venture to say, each SHIP has her own character - not every ship in Princess fleet is operated the same. We personally, would not sail on Dawn or Sun, but I have a friend loves Sun very much.

 

We have sailed RCCL, Celebrity, Carnival, Chrystal and Princess. We love the Radiance class ships of RCCL fleet, but we absolutely dont care for the shopping mall style Voyager class ships. Celebrity ships have much higher quality shops than other mass market lines (which Chrystal is not.) However we dont like the foods of Celebrity, nor the traditional dining, and God forbid, the tray-carrying service at the buffet area! We also dont like the set-up of Celebrity buffet area - it forces you to que in line even if all you want is just some bread and cheese, for example. Celebrity ships also have the lifeboats outside the public areas - blocking all the views from its bars along side the ship - kind of a stupid design imo. RCCL ships have the best setup for the buffet area, with Princess being a bit too cramp. However, Princess Horizon Court operates almost 24/7 ... None other line has similar hours with full offerings at buffet area than Princess. There are just goods and bads of each line. It so happens that overall our needs are best met with Princess Grand Class ships as well as Island and Coral.

 

On the 5 Princess ships we cruised (Island, Star, Diamond, Caribbean, Emerald), there were comment cards on the dining table. I would not fuss if there was no menu in 5 minutes after we sat down. But if there is still no one to come after 10 minutes, that would be a cause for complain. We have not had such happened on all dinners. Some waiter/waitress are more attentative than the others, Anytime dining or traditional notwithstanding. Our waiter on our Celebrity Millie cruise was not very attentative, and his assistant had to cover 8 tables with 5 of them being table of 6 and 1 being table of 8 - he was stretched to the max. We often was neglected when it came to drinks and such. He tried but he was just way too busy. It obviously looked like it was one asst waiter short in that section, for the whole 14 day cruise. We did not complain for we actually felt sorry for that poor guy who always came apologizing when he finally came by to serve us coffee, halfway thru our desserts.

 

Sometimes I do believe you get back what you throw around - the waiters can pick up on the passengers attitudes very quickly - if the passengers are being demanding, some waiters would react accordingly. Likewise, if the passengers are being considerate, the waiters would show their appreciation.

[Ethel5]

Each line has its own style that best-suited to certain people's taste - that is why there are many lines to choose from, even at the mass market level..............In fact, I would venture to say, each SHIP has her own character - not every ship in Princess fleet is operated the same. We personally, would not sail on Dawn or Sun, but I have a friend loves Sun very much....................................... Sometimes I do believe you get back what you throw around - the waiters can pick up on the passengers attitudes very quickly - if the passengers are being demanding, some waiters would react accordingly. Likewise, if the passengers are being considerate, the waiters would show their appreciation.

 

You have a good take on what to expect! :) I sometimes think that those who don't have a good cruise are expecting everything to be perfect. Capt Stuebing is there at the gangway greeting each passenget, Issac is all over the ship pouring drinks, the doctor will dance with the ladies in the lounges and Julie is the perfect match maker! They have fallen for the hype of advertising and it just isn't that way. If you go with reasonable expectations, have some patience, overlook minor glitches, bring a sense of humor, remember to say please and thank you to the crew, then you'll have a great cruise.

[cruiseryyc]

I find it interesting that all the dining room issues mentioned in this thread are experienced with Anytime Dining. I know that I have also read lots of good things about this dining option, however it just makes me glad that my waiter is always waiting for me in traditional dining and knows my name and preferences by night two.

[ginagirl]

We just completed a 19 day sailing to Panama Canal on the Island Princess; and if it had been our first Princess Cruise, it most definitely would have been our last. Yet, only 3 months ago, we did a 15 day to Hawaii on the Diamond and thought it was wonderful. Long or short cruises, new or old ships, big or small - it is irrelevant. I've come to the conclusion that there is good and bad on every line. And to make matters more difficult, key employee positions on the ship are always changing due to new contracts and assignments to different ships within the fleet. So what ship had wonderful cuisine on a ship one year - may have awful cuisine the next. I also suspect that each ship may have a budget they need to stay within and a profit margin they need to produce. Therefore, how the powers-that-be on each ship dispense their budget has a lot to do with passenger satisfaction. While the menus seemed identical on the Diamond and the Island, with only 3 months time elapsed in between - there was world of difference in the quality and preparation of the meals between the 2 sailings. How else to explain this?:cool:

[bdjam]

I find it interesting that all the dining room issues mentioned in this thread are experienced with Anytime Dining. I know that I have also read lots of good things about this dining option, however it just makes me glad that my waiter is always waiting for me in traditional dining and knows my name and preferences by night two.

Amen, brother (or is it sister?)

While the menus seemed identical on the Diamond and the Island, with only 3 months time elapsed in between - there was world of difference in the quality and preparation of the meals between the 2 sailings. How else to explain this?

Different executive chefs - the chef on Golden Princess produced excellent results during the six days I was on board - at the top of the list of any of my Princess cruises. That being said, when I was on Island Princess the first time, I was steered away from some menu choices by the wait staff because they knew the chef was new and didn't have them down pat yet - funny that as the cruise went on (it was 15 days) the menu items got better and the waiter said so. It's also interesting that after many complaints about the food on Island Princess, I got on for my second sailing on the ship and had excellent meals...

...and Julie is the perfect match maker! They have fallen for the hype of advertising and it just isn't that way.

What??? You mean she's not on board and she's not the perfect match-maker??? :eek:

[coiran]

We took one Disney cruise!! We saw Mickey Mouse everywhere - We have taken over 20 Princess and have never seen Mickey Areson - what a bummer. BUT - Never again a Disney cruise - kids everywhere!!! Princess - "It's where we belong"

One positive thing about DCL - they have their embarkation and disembarkation down to a science - very smooth!!

Ron

[Ethel5]

One positive thing about DCL - they have their embarkation and disembarkation down to a science - very smooth!!

 

The other thing they do very well is enforcing the adult only areas-pools, and the beaches on the private island. Funny thing is that I was bothered more by kids on Carnival than I was on DCL.

[willysgrandma]

stingmom, I have learned to give every cruise line at least two tries.

 

My first cruise on RCCL was the Sovereign and I strongly disliked the ship and the service . (It was also a four day cruise). I waited four years before trying RCCL again on the Freedom and I LOVED that ship. Changed my perception of RCCL. Right after that, I sailed the Explorer. Was disappointed inthat ship, but it didn't sour me on RCCL as I did have a great Freedom cruise.

 

My first cruise ever was the Celebrity Century. I loved that cruise. We sailed the Horizon two years later and didn't like that ship either - we had a lot of service issues. Doing the Solstice in March - not soured on Celebrity.

 

My first Princess was the Crown - loved the entire cruise, ship and staff. Second cruise on the Dawn - wasn't thrilled with that ship. Doing the Caribbean Princess in Sept.

 

What all of this has made me realize by experimenting multiple times with each cruise line is that I love the big ships and itineraries of at least 7 days. So I know in the future to cruise with the larger and newer ships.

 

None of the ships I didn't like were terrible cruises - a cruise is what you make of it. I just learned not to go on small ships.

 

If you ever get the chance, try the Crown Princess. The kids will love MUTS and I think you might have a better experience. Don't count a cruise line out by one cruise.

[spingal]

And yes, our potatos were instant.

 

All the food is made on the ships - nothing is instant. On our last cruise, they televised tours of the dining rooms along with interviews with the maitre d'. They specifically discussed food preparation. All of the food is prepared on board. Plus we had a long discussion one night with our head waiter who we had cruised with before -- he confirmed this fact for us.

 

I understand that you may not have liked the potatoes but I do not think they were instant.

[bdjam]

All the food is made on the ships - nothing is instant. On our last cruise, they televised tours of the dining rooms along with interviews with the maitre d'. They specifically discussed food preparation. All of the food is prepared on board. Plus we had a long discussion one night with our head waiter who we had cruised with before -- he confirmed this fact for us.

 

I understand that you may not have liked the potatoes but I do not think they were instant.

I agree with you - if they're going to bake all the bread, why would they make instant potatoes?

[KLLund]

Quite honestly .. while I love Princess I am not enamoured of the CB. I love the Sapphire and while everyone says CB doesn't seem crowded .. to us it does .. they added a deck of cabins without increasing the public space. However........

 

Part of the OP's complaint seems to be about Margaritaville .. and I kinda shook my head and said .. didn't you know that Margaritaville is an Adult playground when you decided to take you children there ?? It is all about drinking and acting up .. not my cup of tea but that is what it is .. why would you take Children and then complain when the adults were doing what they do there ???

 

Just pondered that ..

 

Not every cruiseline is for everyone .. I have no desire to cruise with Mickey Mouse .. nor do I have the money to pretend I am in the Crystal class .. but for mass market .. Princess is a wonderful line .. Celebrity is Lovely .. and HAL sigh .. ok I love HAL best .. but Princess is usually a little less expensive.

[Coral]

All the food is made on the ships - nothing is instant. On our last cruise, they televised tours of the dining rooms along with interviews with the maitre d'. They specifically discussed food preparation. All of the food is prepared on board. Plus we had a long discussion one night with our head waiter who we had cruised with before -- he confirmed this fact for us.

 

I understand that you may not have liked the potatoes but I do not think they were instant.

 

I believe you are right. I asked the head Chef about this one day and he told me the only food that they don't make is the "sugar free ice cream".

[stingmom]

I believe you are right. I asked the head Chef about this one day and he told me the only food that they don't make is the "sugar free ice cream".

 

yes, we are sure these were not freshly mashed potatos. Instant has a very distinct flavor (which we do enjoy), but we thought they would be fresh potatos that we mashed on board.

 

did forget to mention as a poster did earlier, we also had to ask for kids menus too. Before the bashers come out on this one, i can promise it wasn't to give the kids a finer choice from the adult menu.

[bermuda09]

 

Part of the OP's complaint seems to be about Margaritaville .. and I kinda shook my head and said .. didn't you know that Margaritaville is an Adult playground when you decided to take you children there ?? It is all about drinking and acting up .. not my cup of tea but that is what it is .. why would you take Children and then complain when the adults were doing what they do there ???

 

Just pondered that ..

 

 

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Also, if you are traveling with a bigger party it is probably best to have a traditional-type dining. Two years ago, my family went on the Crown Princess for my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary. (Party of nine) However, we booked a sitting time and we sat every day at exactly six p.m. Likewise, last summer, my fiance and I tried the anytime dining on the Crown Princess. It worked perfect for us because we were only a party of two.

 

Just something to consider for a future cruise. :)

[Coral]

yes, we are sure these were not freshly mashed potatos. Instant has a very distinct flavor (which we do enjoy), but we thought they would be fresh potatos that we mashed on board.

 

I think you are losing credibility on this thread. I love fresh mashed potatoes and have never had instant mashed potatoes on Princess. I even order mashed potatoes when they are not on the menu and have always had great potatoes on Princess.

[bdjam]

did forget to mention as a poster did earlier, we also had to ask for kids menus too. Before the bashers come out on this one, i can promise it wasn't to give the kids a finer choice from the adult menu.

I think you mentioned that before - and they should have offered kids menus - but the last time I sailed with a family that had young kids (I'm talking 5 to 10 year olds) they were happy to order from the adult menu...it's not a cruise breaker and all you had to do was ask.

 

I think that is the one thing that this long time enjoyer of Princess cruises understands - sometimes Princess doesn't have it all together, but if you ask for what you want, you will be happily accomodated.

[nho9504]

yes, we are sure these were not freshly mashed potatos. Instant has a very distinct flavor (which we do enjoy), but we thought they would be fresh potatos that we mashed on board.

.

 

HUH? You think your taste bud can be a standard ,like in the million-dollar worth nose in perfume industry, that can tell "sure these were not freshly mashed potatos" ?

 

It may taste "like" instant mash potato - that I wouldn't disagree as taste is very subjective thing - but "sure"? How can you know "for sure"?

 

Several of your complaints stemmed from your ignoring common sense practices - things like, taking kids for international travel without passort or photo ID (holding up the check-in line for 45 minutes because of that), taking kids to Margaritaville the adult playground (and complained this about Princess), having a large party for dinner without reservation but expecting to be seatted anytime you show up...

 

May be you are being too subjective... and may I dare to say, a little bit too self-centered?

[nho9504]

remember to say please and thank you to the crew, then you'll have a great cruise.

 

I am wondering if the OP has done that?

 

Very often, you get back what you throw out. We have cruised with our neighbors once, a 5day shortie on RCCL Navigator of the Sea last Dec - to our utmost amazement, our usually nice and friendly neighbors changed to demanding and mean guests at the dinner table - as if they were the Queen and the King - almost every dish was not good enough... But my goodness, I have seen the Queen wrapping up left-over pizza in aluminum foil at home...

 

To that point, I think advertising hype is to be blamed - the constant selling of "being pampered" makes some think once they get onboard, they should be waited head to toe, otherwise, they would not get their money's worth...

[skf]

Coral, I would guess that any embarkation problems are likely the fault of the Port Authority...Princess doesn't own the pier. At Crown Princess embarkation in both Brooklyn & San Juan the wheelchairs were all quickly handled by the ship's staff...nobody was left outside.

[uglybutgoodbakery]

I am wondering if the OP has done that?

 

Very often, you get back what you throw out. We have cruised with our neighbors once, a 5day shortie on RCCL Navigator of the Sea last Dec - to our utmost amazement, our usually nice and friendly neighbors changed to demanding and mean guests at the dinner table - as if they were the Queen and the King - almost every dish was not good enough... But my goodness, I have seen the Queen wrapping up left-over pizza in aluminum foil at home...

 

To that point, I think advertising hype is to be blamed - the constant selling of "being pampered" makes some think once they get onboard, they should be waited head to toe, otherwise, they would not get their money's worth...

 

 

Wow, we had the same experience with our neighbors on the cruise!!! For two people who eat McDonald's more than Ronald does, they sure were picky about their filet mignon that they smothered with CATSUP. We were embarassed to be seen with them in the dining rooms. Never again would we cruise with them because of it.

 

Going away with other people just never works out for us. After vacationing with various couples over the years, we have finally decided that the only couple we are totally compatible with is our two sons. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

 

All I can say is get passports for the family.

No reason to try to get around this in this day and age. :)