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A recent (April 2024) reviewer of the Crown Princess seemed to indicate that the Lotus Pool (the adult's only pool by the spa & Sanctuary) has now officially been restricted to Sanctuary guests only and that it is no longer available to everyone (it is a common misconception that this pool is part of the Sanctuary given its location.) Can anyone who has recently been on the Crown confirm or deny this? With the upcoming rollout of the "Sanctuary Collection" on the Sun Princess, it is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that Princess is making changes to the Sanctuary offering fleet-wide. We're considering a 31-day cruise on Crown and this pool is one of the best things about this class of ships... I usually use it daily - but I'm certainly not going to book the Sanctuary for 31 days just to swim in this pool. Thanks!

In theory, when the ship is running on LNG, there would be no soot...

It's possible that Princess is/was under a legal contract with Fincantieri that prohibits them from sharing details of the delay, lest they find themselves in legal jeopardy. Until Princess takes 100% responsibility for the ship, they are likely not in control of what information they can and can't share with the public. This could also explain the lack of media coverage, social media coverage, etc. Until the other day, the ship, technically, did not belong to Princess - it belonged to the shipyard. Now that Princess has ownership, it is still parked at the dock getting work done so it makes sense that Princess would not want to throw their contractor under the bus, so to speak. Not to mention the Star, currently under construction, could be impacted by any negative press. In the case of RC and the Icon rollout contrast with Sun's rollout, it's possible that RCI has a different legal arrangement with their shipyards than Princess does - one which allows them more freedom of sharing information. Not en expert in such things, just guessing.

Currently on Vista, second leg of back-to-back. We were in cabin 7028 for the first leg and the creaking coming from the balcony door frame was very loud. Thankfully, we were moved (at our request) to a different cabin for our second leg, and our new cabin is wonderfully quiet (although the neighbor's TV can be heard through the wall...)

While travel-related costs are skyrocketing across the board (booked flights or hotels recently?!?) I agree that this seems short-sighted and a blow to those who usually cannot plan vacations far in advance. One of the great things about Princess had been the excellent choice in available itineraries from various ports of departure allowing me to book in conjunction with a work trip or a last-minute gap in my calendar - particularly from home ports in California where I live. However, when I am able to plan a cruise vacation far in advance, I'm now unlikely to choose Princess - mostly due to changes in the service levels and quality of the on-board product - not to mention the recent price increases that don't seem to be in line with what's actually being offered. Princess was always my go-to for a wonderful vacation on short notice, and they usually met my expectations. But when I have time to plan and do the research, I'm far more likely to book on lines like Oceania and Viking, which arguably offer a product that is more in-line with the prices they charge, or book a land-based vacation. Maybe someday Princess quality will be (again?) to the point where it's worth booking 18 months in advance. Bottom line: Princess prices are up, quality of product is down, and last minute-deals are (apparently) no longer an available remedy to this conundrum. Bummer.

And even more of us are happy with the changes. Do the math and see if one of the packages works for you vs. booking with no package and paying for the extras. Princess is the BEST in Alaska. HAL is close second.

Sapphire. Less crowded, full (wide) promenade, indoor pool, can sail the "true" inside passage, smaller MDRs, better organized elevator banks (aft), still has complimentary steam and sauna near the gym... older, yes, but still one of the best ships in the Princess fleet.

In this example, $400 would be roughly $26/day on drinks. A $9 glass of wine + gratuity is $10.62. So any more than 2 drinks a day (not sure if you drink, but your handle suggests you do drink wine) and it might make sense to upgrade to Plus. Then you get some extras including bottled water, coffees, and most of the new fees waived.

Last time I priced NCL, they charge you separately for the beverage gratuities on these packages. That would add 18% (or is it 20%?) to the cost making it $82.60 per day and that still doesn't include daily crew gratuity. Princess is still a better deal, IMO.

It's an entirely different debate about what's included in the various packages. I agree with fee waivers but desserts? Fitness classes? Not sure there's value in that. The no-brainers for me are 1) drinks, 2) tips, and 3) WiFi. I would pay for these things anyway so rolling them into a package makes sense for me. The PLUS package has always worked out in my favor – the break-even point was about 3 drinks (Bloody Mary, martini, bourbon) and became and net plus (pun indented) for me when I add in 2 americanos and a few bottles of Perrier per day. Got even more valuable if I chose to have wine with dinner or a beer with pizza at lunch. It boils down to your cruising style. Only you can figure out if $60/day is worth it based on your habits.

This change makes sense. For years (or even decades) cruise prices have been falling overall as cruise lines add capacity and attract new passengers, many of whom are price sensitive. A lot of us “cruising veterans” have been spoiled with low fares. I do not blame the cruise lines for wanting to keep the “entry level” fares low to attract new customers, but cruising MUST get more expensive if it’s going to survive long-term. Cruises have traditionally been a somewhat or mostly “inclusive” vacation, but this model is becoming incompatible with low entry-level fares due to rising costs and increased demand. So, it makes total sense for cruise lines to charge for various levels of inclusiveness (much in the same way they charge for a range of different cabin types.) That being said, I think Princess failed miserably on messaging their new packages. Passing off new fees as “increased value” for those who purchase packages was lame. They simply should have said, “In response to increased costs, and to keep our base fares low while continuing to provide exceptional service, we are adding nominal fees for some optional services provided on board. Guests who have purchased Plus or Premier will have the fees waived.”

This is absolutely correct. Thanks for clarifying. But - the Princess PLUS package includes drinks, and it would be an additional $25/day pp on Viking to add the drinks over and above the beer/wine at meals. That would be additional $750 on this sailing for two. Probably a wash in this case... use the $750 for shorex on Princess and you still come out ahead.

This is all very interesting on Princess' part. To keep things in perspective, I did a quick price comparison between Viking and Princess for similar 14/15-day itineraries to Scandinavia. Spoiler alert: Princess is the clear winner in the value category. For Princess, I priced Reserve Collection mini suite with PLUS on Sky Princess: Note this does not include any discounts, OBC, casino rates, etc. Public fare (not logged in). For Viking, I priced the cheapest veranda cabin with NO extras on Viking Sky: I think this speaks for itself. Having recently completed a Viking Ocean cruise, and understanding the reasons they charge so much more, I can say I'd choose Princess for this one, emphatically. The Princess price could be even less in a Deluxe Balcony, which I feel is more equivalent to the basic Viking cabin. I understand everyone is different and some people definitely appreciate (and will pay for) the small ship experience on Viking. If that's important to you, then give Viking a try. Happy cruising!

How about Premier for the price of Plus as a benefit?

In addition to my original post, I'll try to address some of your specific questions on the things that matter to you: 1. Sailing on a small ship definitely has its advantages - there are hardly any queues anywhere except for absolute peak times, and even then it moves very fast. Getting on and off the ship is very easy compared to 3000+ passenger ships, and the smaller ships often dock much closer to the city center. Advantage = Viking. 2. The no kids policy was great - if that matters to you, then you'll appreciate it. Advantage = Viking. 3. We didn't attend the enrichment lectures, but from what I heard, they were excellent. Advantage = Viking. 4. Included excursions were just so-so, and one of ours was terrible. Advantage = tie. 5. Evening activities (and activities in general) are limited on Viking. After the theatre show, you have Torshavn with a live band until about midnight then it shuts down. Advantage = Princess. My advice: if it's not a financial stretch for you, try Viking. I've done Princess in the Baltics twice, and I think this would be one itinerary where the cost of Viking would be worth it. Happy cruising!

Regarding the food - it's not that it was overly bad - we definitely did not go hungry. There were some things we quite enjoyed - the sushi station for one, the gelato, and a few of the dishes in the Restaurant were great - but it just wasn't significantly better than Princess in taste & variety. We've also had excellent dishes on Princess in the MDR, Crown Grill, and Sabatini's and the expanded variety in Princess buffets far exceed anything on Viking. The demographic is not necessarily older than Princess, unless you count that fact that on some Princess cruises (shorter itineraries, Caribbean, holidays, etc.) there can be a large contingent of younger people and families. I get the sense that this does not happen on Viking very often (or at all.)

Nope. You cannot "unbundle" the included excursions or basic drinks. FWIW, the included excursions were not that good, to be honest. Just your run-of-the-mill bus tour (in one port we had a school bus!) with a stop or two where we were allowed to (slowly) get off the bus and walk around a bit. DIY options would probably have been much better.

True - one of my laments. We couldn't help thinking that Viking Ocean is now what Princess might have been back in the day, before Carnival. I remember my first few Princess cruises (before Carnival) felt much more upscale in terms of food and service levels. Hence my list of things Princess can improve. I'd go on a limb and say I'd even pay a bit more if Princess brought back some the "premium" aspects - and NOT just by booking in Reserve or Signature - I mean ship wide.

Not even almost - Viking is an adults only line so it is definitely a 100% guarantee there will be no kids!

You made the correct choice, IMHO. We also looked at that voyage and I think it would be amazing on Coral!

The Viking fare already includes taxes & port fees, one excursion per port, WiFi, and drinks (beer & wine) at meal times. The upgrade to the full drink package is very reasonable at $25/day and includes pretty much everything except the very top-shelf level of spirits. Viking does not have a package that includes tips, so those are always added to the account. We booked when they had a sale on airfare (free!) so I'll try to account for that in my comparison. We did buy the upgraded drink package so standard veranda, premium drink package, tips, wifi = around $328/day pp on Viking. (This daily figure excludes an estimated $700 for air and $100 pp for each excursion - but both were included in our total fare but not broken out so I can only guess.) Our historical average in a (non-Reserve Collection) mini-suite on Princess (we don't always sail in a mini, but that's probably the best comparison) with Princess PLUS is around $225/day pp. However, if you sail in a Reserve Collection MS, I think the gap narrows quite a bit. But, knowing that air and excursion pricing can vary wildly (we often drive to the port to embark on Princess and rarely use cruise provided shorex) and Viking includes certain things that Princess does not, limiting the comparison to apples-to-apples can be difficult. I tried to keep it to fare+taxes&fees+drinks+tips+wifi. Hope this helps!

After 31 Princess cruises (plus several more on other mainstream lines) we just returned from our first Viking Ocean cruise - a 12-day Canada & New England from Montreal to NYC on Viking Neptune. Overall, the cruise was excellent for all the reasons you’d expect: beautiful luxurious ship, no crowds, plenty of space, high standards of quality in everything, great service from a friendly crew, very nice fellow passengers (with no kids), and an overall very upscale ambiance. However, Viking’s philosophy is to “not be all things to all people” and we certainly found that to be the case. Not necessarily in a bad way; Viking offers an exceptional product. It just offers a product that may not be right for us, yet (we are both in our 40s with no kids.) Rather than post a lengthy review of our trip, and since this is the Princess forum, I felt a comparison list between the two would be more helpful for Princess cruisers considering a Viking Ocean cruise. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I tried to cover most of the main points (even when accounting for the drastic difference in the size of the ships.) But if you want to know something specific about our experience, just ask. So here goes: Viking Wins Luxury touches: cloth towels in public restrooms; cold towels & slushies offered at pool; high-end glassware and table decor (even outdoor terraces and by the pool); individual Bose-style headphones for MUTS; included bottled water, special coffee, and sodas; filtered water delivered to stateroom 2x daily Stateroom bathroom: multi-ply quilted toilet paper (minor, yet noticeable difference); large walk-in showers with clear plexi doors; heated floors; great lighting; high quality towels & robes; tons of storage Food/Dining: obviously high quality food; food presentation; all restaurants included; generally excellent restaurant service Thermal Suite/Spa: One of the best thermal suites ever experienced Princess Wins Stateroom: storage, lighting, and the Luxury Bed Food/Dining: Buffet hours, pool grill & pizza, International Cafe, Alfredo’s/GiGi’s (if equipped) food taste overall, food variety overall Bar & Beverage: beverage variety and availability; Wheelhouse Bar/Crown Grill Bar Entertainment: Production shows, guest entertainers, Crooners, nightlife, Piazza vibe, Casino, Skywalker’s (if equipped) Recreation: Pools & hot tubs (especially Lotus pool, if equipped) Technology: Internet; Medallion (especially for ordering drinks, locating travel companions); website & cruise personalizer; EZ Air (if utilized) Substantially the Same Itineraries & choice of destinations Stateroom furnishings (balcony/deluxe balcony/mini suite, particularly Royal class) Service & crew interaction Shore excursions Viking Areas for Improvement (things we missed from Princess) Food availably: hours of buffet and food venues was lacking - finding breakfast after 9:30am was nearly impossible, as was anything other than burgers/hot dogs after 2:30pm. Only room service was offered 24h but that isn’t always desirable. Would be nice to have small bites available throughout the day, even between main meal services Food taste & variety: food needs more seasoning, and more variety is needed Overall “liveliness” of the ship: this is subjective, but we found the ship to be almost too quiet and relaxing - like a library or university faculty lounge. We are certainly not looking for Carnival-style “fun” and craziness by any means, and the small ship ambience is certainly going to be different than a large ship, but a bit more activity around the ship would be nice Princess Areas for Improvement (things Princess can learn from Viking) A bit more luxury: upgraded furniture, glassware, tableware, toilet paper, towels, filtered water delivery, etc. would go a long way to making a Princess vacation feel “special” again Better ship maintenance: clean glass, fixed rusty spots, repaired lighting fixtures, replace damaged/worn furniture, fix broken cabinet doors, replace broken tiles and clean grout, etc. would go a long way in reminding guests that they have chosen (and paid for) a premium cruise Higher quality food: compared to Viking, Princess food has more flavor and variety, but the quality is lower (in contrast, Viking chooses higher quality food, but prepares it bland.) If Princess were to upgrade the quality of the fruits, veg, and meats but continued with the current level of seasoning & preparation, it would be a significant step up Thermal Suite Design: Thermal suites need to include a way to cool off - cold plunge, snow room, outdoor deck, swimming pool access. I hope Princess considers this in the design of the Sphere class thermal suites to include a way to cool off while using In summary, there was much to like about our first Viking cruise, and we’d consider booking again if the itinerary and price (hint: it’s not cheap) made sense. But will Viking become our new go-to line? No. As much as we appreciated the luxury atmosphere of the smaller ship, there was too much we missed from the likes of Princess for us to make the leap 100%. But that’s the great thing about cruising these days - we all have choices, and that’s a beautiful thing. In December of this year we’ll try our first Oceania cruise… can’t wait to see how that stacks up! Thanks for reading, and happy cruising!

An off-menu drink I like to call the "Peachy Chi Chi" - it's basically a pina colada but instead of using rum, ask for it with the Grey Goose White Peach vodka (most bars should have this as a premium vodka.) Absolutely delicious and refreshing.

Does anyone have photos of a recent Currents from Vista - ideally also showing the opening hours of all venues (bars, restaurants, services, etc.) on board?

Hello CC community, Does anyone know what hours the Terrace Cafe is open on Vista? Particularly for breakfast and mid-afternoon snack? We are doing our first O cruise on Vista in December and we tend to be late risers (we're on vacation after all) and usually like a small snack mid-afternoon. Hoping the opening hours align with our preferences. We just finished our first ever Viking Ocean cruise and were disappointed with the food hours. Breakfast ended promptly at 9:30am with no other options until around noon (waffles in Mamsen's don't count) then no food (other than burgers & hot dogs from the gill) from 2:30 to 6:00pm. I guess we got spoiled on Princess (our usual) which seemingly has at least one side of the buffet open all the time (breakfast transitions seamlessly to lunch around 11:30am allowing for a great DIY "brunch" experience) plus the 24h International Cafe, and the pool grill & pizza open from 11am to 11pm. TIA!