First Trip On Princess

[CalTom]

In fairness of disclosure, I generally post on the Crystal Board as that is the line I use. For a recent trip to Alaska I went to Princess to see what the experience was like, and admittedly there is a big price difference from Crystal to Princess. I've posted this on the Crystal Board and only think it's just to also post it here. I have no reason to disagree with those of you who undoubtedly love Princess, and frankly it's all a matter of personal taste and expectations-

 

Hi everyone. We just returned from our Alaska cruise on the Star Princess, and as promised I'm chiming in our review after defecting from Crystal for this cruise.

 

In a nut shell- we're jumping right back on board Crystal!

 

The Princess ship was quite clean, well kept, and actually in very good shape. Some of it looked a bit outdated and cheap, i.e. the cabin doors; but overall we were impressed by the condition. The cabins were nicely sized and well appointed, lots of closet room, but a very small bathroom. The bathroom did work in layout and efficiency. The bed itself, however, was not comfortable and this seemed to be a common complaint.

We had two cabins with extra large verandas so that four people could comfortably sit outside, and that was pleasant. Much of the outdoor furniture throughout the ship was cheap and definitely not up to Crystal standards.

This was my first time on a very large ship with over 2,800 passengers, and I must admit that it didn't feel crowded; except at certain times like at Muster call and at port arrival when it was nearly impossible to get an elevator or not bump into someone. There was also a lot of activity and people on sea days.

The real downfall was the service and the food. The ratio of passengers to staff is obviously much different than Crystal, and it's obvious. Many of the crew seem indifferent and merely stand around, while some are very efficient and helpful. They are not trained well at all. Our parents, on board with us, went for nearly two days without ever seeing the cabin stewardess after boarding; and very little had been done in the cabin in the way of clean-up.

We had greatly lowered our expectations about the food, but it was even far more disappointing. It varied from good to inedible. Some of it actually had a metallic taste. It was generally bland, uninteresting, and kept in steam tables for long lengths of time.

There was a definite lack of information on the ship and directional signage was lacking. Whenever we tried to call for something it took a long time to even get the right number. We were told that only the large suites get a telephone directory! Often the information we got was incorrect or conflicting. It became very frustrating.

One member of our party was in a wheelchair and it was very difficult to find out where to go to disembark on port days. No one seemed to know.

They also ding you for just about everything- special coffee, soda, bottled water, shuttle to town, etc. not unlike other lines of this level.

While we enjoyed our days at sea we definitely missed Crystal a great deal. It is obvious that the level of quality is much different, although I must greatly emphasize that the price point is also different.

But you get what you pay for.

 

Anyway, I think we'll stay at the luxury level on future cruises. It was just inetresting to notch down and see if we'd be wooed to this level. I'd rather take less trips and pay more.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hi CalTom.

 

Thanks for your mini-review. We have sailed on Silversea, a cruise line considered equal or more premium than Crystal, and while we loved everything about it, we prefer to sail more often and pay less. Our experiences with Princess have always been very good, and for us the huge extra $$ just isn't worth it when we are perfectly satisfied with Princess. To each, his/her own!

[zacc]

double post...sorry

[zacc]

While I appreciate your review and thank you for taking time to do it, in all fairness, these are differences you should have expected. Comparing Crystal and Princess is kind of like comparing a Chevy to Lexus. The difference in price speaks volumes for the differences. You pay for what you get and with that being said I believe that dollar for dollar Princess is a great deal for people who do not wish to spend Crystal prices. If I could afford two cruises a year on Crystal I would but right now Princess fits that order. Safe cruising.

[cdngrl]

While I appreciate your review and thank you for taking time to do it, in all fairness, these are differences you should have expected. Comparing Crystal and Princess is kind of like comparing a Chevy to Lexus. The difference in price speaks volumes for the differences. You pay for what you get and with that being said I believe that dollar for dollar Princess is a great deal for people who do not wish to spend Crystal prices. If I could afford two cruises a year on Crystal I would but right now Princess fits that order. Safe cruising.

i agree with zacc. i don't have the 'luxury' budget. i really enjoy princess so i guess i don't have 'luxury' tastes either.;)

[Colo Cruiser]

I think the OP should have known the shortfalls long before experiencing Princess, when comparing the two. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

CalTom, good to see another comparion, but I love the previous posters description of comparing a Chevy to Lexus, it was the perfect way to describe the two lines. Also, the price difference is about the difference between a Chevy and a Lexus also.

 

I for one would love to try Crystal, but since we have always been happy with Princess, and with Princess pricing being so reasonable compared to Crystal, it has helped us see the world and still have money in the bank. lol

Now, if I win the lottery tomorrow, then maybe I will switch, but I enjoy Princess and it seems to fit the budget.

 

Again, it was nice to read another comparison between the two. Coral beat you to the first comparison some time ago and she said about the same things. It boils down to what you can afford to pay to cruise often, or cruise every few years instead. Although the ship is part of the destination, it isn't the only destination for us, and we love to be able to view the world from a beautiful suite that we didn't have to sell one of the grandkids to buy. ;) ;)

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to compare the two.

[Solara]

I too would rather sail more times a year than pay for a luxury line. We are more than happy with Princess, so for now that's exactly where we will stay. Thanks for your comparison, but should have realized that before you booked Princess.

[Colo Cruiser]

I too would rather sail more times a year than pay for a luxury line. We are more than happy with Princess, so for now that's exactly where we will stay. .

 

 

Took the words right out of my mouth. ;)

 

It is luxury to us. :rolleyes:

 

Better that then stuffiness.

[roudy1]

DH and I will be going on our first Princess cruise on the Star in September 2009 and really excited about it. Been wanting to try Princess for a number of years...but friends and groups have taken us in other directions.

 

Now this cruise is for us...and we have heard really good reviews about Princess...so looking forward to lots of future Princess sailings. :D

 

Sorry that the OP did not enjoy their cruise on Princess...as for me and DH we can hardly wait...one year and counting. :p

 

Char

[KLLund]

i admit it I am jealous .. I want to cruise Crystal too but alas .. not yet .. so Princess is fine for me. I can see how it would be difficult to step down from all that luxury .. and I appreciate that there was no real bashing in the review.

[English Tim]

My first family cruise was on Fred Olsen's Black Prince and it wasn't a patch on Sea Princess.

 

My recent experience has been on Princess and Carnival and we have been blessed with very enjoyable experiences. We hardly ever eat out, so our cruise dining experiences have been really good.

 

Maybe one day we'll try some other lines. I believe Celebrity are a higher standard than we have so far experienced.

 

Ultimately I'd like to try Seabourn, Silversea and Crystal, to offer a good comparison, but we'd probably try these lines on last minute deals to get better prices.

 

Cruising 6* is probably like flying 1st class. If one is fortunate to have the experience, will we ever be happy again in 'coach'?

[CalTom]

Thank you for your response and comments, and please understand that I in no way want to belittle those who enjoy Princess. In a matter of fact I know of people who could easily afford Crystal or better, and actually prefer to travel on Princess, and similarly on Carnival. It is a matter of taste and preference.

I really did not have the idea that Princess would compare to Crystal, and I only mention Crystal as my previous experience- not necessarily to compare the two. If that was my intent my review would have been quite different. It's obvious in the price, as I've noted, and also in just the staff to passenger ratios. So differences were very much expected, as well as the fact that I knew the food would not compare.

To be honest I was hoping to find that Princess was a great alternative and was very open to changing my perspective and expectations for a lower cost.

What was truly the disappointment, however, was the idle staff that seemed generally ill trained, the lack of information, and certainly the handicap issues. That seems inexcusable at any level or quality. It doesn't take much to motivate staff, and to provide simple directional signage and clear information.

I will leave the food alone as that is very much subjective.

And for all of you who noted that Princess is your price point I very much respect that. Everyone should have an opportunity to see the world, and experience life at sea and frankly I am so happy that the opportunity exists for most people, and that varied preferences are available.

[cdngrl]

What was truly the disappointment, however, was the idle staff that seemed generally ill trained, the lack of information, and certainly the handicap issues. That seems inexcusable at any level or quality. It doesn't take much to motivate staff, and to provide simple directional signage and clear information.

you're right, these things would upset me too. i personally have not seen the majority of staff ill-trained, or uninformed on the ship. i can't speak to the handicap issues but i've not ever seen anyone idle. i'm sorry you did. perhaps someday you'll try princess again on a different ship?

[toberman]

you're right, these things would upset me too. i personally have not seen the majority of staff ill-trained, or uninformed on the ship. i can't speak to the handicap issues but i've not ever seen anyone idle. i'm sorry you did. perhaps someday you'll try princess again on a different ship?

 

Well said cdngirl, Princess is a lovely line and I'm quite happy with it. I wish I could afford the higher priced lines but I can't. And I think the food is fantastic, and I'm very fussy.

 

Janette

[spongerob]

I've always thought I'd save Crystal for a very special occasion, such as falling butt-first into a pile of money. It does sound nice, and I think Coral summed it up nicely in her review. One thing that I think Crystal has going for it is that they probably have many long-term employees. I'm seeing more and more "new" crew on Princess ships...which maybe says something about how well they are paid and their desire to come back after just one or two contracts.

 

Oh, one more thing, the telephone directory is in the big information book that should be in every cabin.

[sammiedawg]

Can the original poster share pricing information? What i s the cost difference between Princess and Crystal?

It is an apples and oranges comparison but I would love to know the price.

 

Thanks for writing the review.

[spongerob]

Sammie, the entire cost of a 12-day cruise on Princess in the British Isles, including all our spending money and airfare (business class), hotels, and car service between London and Southampton, would not have added up to the price of the cheapest cabin on a Crystal ship leaving Dover the same day we left Southampton. If I recall, the lowest fare was about $10,000 per person.

[sammiedawg]

Spongerob and others, do the discounters make a market in the luxuryl lines?

 

I have been generally pleased with mainstream lines and i feel like I'm getting a good bargain. I look around for the best deals and book accordingly.

 

If I wanted to splurge one time on Crystal, Silver Sea or something else, is there big discounting?

 

Not planning on splurging any time soon but maybe someday I can blow part of my kids inheritenace!

[stoneharborlady]

Took the words right out of my mouth. ;)

 

It is luxury to us. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Me tooooooo!! Dont want to sound like the only sourpuss in the Princess cheering section (truly) and I have only been on two cruises, both Princess. I certainly am no culinary expert, but I never had an inedible meal on either cruise, to the contrary, I enjoyed every meal.

 

Karen

[Sandytoes]

CalTom

The ratio of passengers to staff is obviously much different than Crystal, and it's obvious. Many of the crew seem indifferent and merely stand around, while some are very efficient and helpful. They are not trained well at all. Our parents, on board with us, went for nearly two days without ever seeing the cabin stewardess after boarding; and very little had been done in the cabin in the way of clean-up.

 

What was truly the disappointment, however, was the idle staff that seemed generally ill trained, the lack of information, and certainly the handicap issues. That seems inexcusable at any level or quality. It doesn't take much to motivate staff, and to provide simple directional signage and clear information.

I'm wondering about the service on Crystal?

 

What do they do that is so exceptional? :rolleyes:

 

Princess crew didn't cater to you like Crystal?

 

 

Seems like your expectations may be too high for Princess.

[Avatar345]

Not sure why everyone's getting caught up on the 'expectations' aspect of the OP's post - right out they stated that they had lower expectations of Princess than Crystal, they just simply didn't know what to expect.

 

I think the Lexus/Chevy analogy works well, we just need to remember that the OP was aware that there would be differences. Going with that analogy, if all you've ever driven is Lexus, then no matter the expectations, when you get into the Chevy you're going to have reflections on it. Different people would have different take-aways of course given the same situations.

[cdngrl]

I've always thought I'd save Crystal for a very special occasion, such as falling butt-first into a pile of money.

rofl :D i'd even be okay with face-first!

[spongerob]

I'm wondering about the service on Crystal?

 

What do they do that is so exceptional? :rolleyes:

 

Princess crew didn't cater to you like Crystal?

 

Crystal has much lower crew:passenger ratios. It's Holiday Inn Express versus Four Seasons. I bet they have full room service, too.

[spongerob]

That's supposed to be crew-to-passenger ratios. I didn't mean to put the :p thingy in there.

 

I looked up the stats on one of the Crystal ships whose design was an updated version of the (real) Royal Princess. Royal Princess was about 45,000 GRT and carried 1200 passengers. Crystal's version was 48,000 GRT and 960 passengers (space ratio 50.1).