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We just got off the Enchanted Princess (Oct.15-22) & went on with around $150 in non-refundable OBC (shareholder’s & TA). We upgraded a few glasses of wine & cocktails, I figured I would use the rest in the Princess Logo shop…when I looked at the balance on Friday AM I had something like $600 coming back to me as refundable credit! We had refundable port fees (missed two ports); refundable 10% shore excursion discount; refunded missed shore excursions, a partial refund on a shore excursion that had gotten off to a late start and they used the non-refundable OBC when we booked a shore excursion at the substitute port. The accountant in me had to work through their funky accounting on the back of an envelope but I arrived at the same number using my equally funky system. I am looking forward to getting my nice fat check soon! My guess is that their funky accounting can’t handle the math when there are non-refundable & refundable credits, thus you are being referred to the higher ups. By the date on your bill looks like you might have been on the same cruise. p.s. I didn’t spend a dime in the Princess Logo Shop.

We managed to fit nearly a weeks worth of laundry in the bag and put the remaining (socks, underwear, workout gear, etc…) in the self-serve on the way to dinner, put it in the dryer between dinner & showtime and collected it on our way back to stateroom before nightcaps. $50 was covered by onboard credit.

We did this as a two week Athens-Istanbul-Athens with an extra day in Athens on the end. I wish we had an extra day in Istanbul, the city was had so much to see and one day was not enough, especially if it is a Sunday, when the Grand Bazaar is closed. I agree that Athens to Istanbul is a better route if you only have one week. Ephesus was my favorite stop after Istanbul.

Just got off…there was no library. Best bring your own book.

Just got off the Enchanted Princess and they were using the Capri for Club Class only. The Santorini often had people waiting to go in. We booked Amalfi (Deck 6 Aft) because we like it. There was never a line at 7:15. It is a bit harder to get to but the aft elevators will take you right to the dining room.

I have never been on a Carnival cruise but my friends have cruised many times as Carnival cruises out of Galveston. They recently cruised on their first Princess cruise and said the biggest difference is how much quieter it is. They were used to cruising with their extended families and found that Princess was geared much more to adults and found the entertainment to be a big step up from Carnival. They are not foodies but said the buffet was better on Princess but didn’t notice that big a difference in MDR.

The breakfast tangines and fresh juice of the day at The Patio!

There is actually a thread on the division of cruise lines into categories in this very topic a while back…Princess was considered premium not mass market…the lines like Viking, Azamara & Oceania were called Ultra Premium.

It was the inaugural cruise of the Sky Princess…it was full capacity.

We have done a Mediterranean cruise on both a premium line (ship size 3600) and a luxury line (ship size 600). I would say that the biggest difference is in the ports of call and quality of excursions. I felt like we had a much more intimate trip on the luxury line because the ports were small and often we were the only ship there. The quality of guides was also much higher, the size of the group smaller, leading to interesting discussions that often continued on board. Was the food fantastic…sometimes…but nothing like a land based star rated restaurant. The service on board is defiantly higher but I think that has to do more with the number of passengers than the actual service.

I want to chime in here for a quick take on the Princess cruise experience… We have been on Princess cruises pre & post Medallion… We have also cruise on a luxury line… I think that the Medallion is by and away the most innovative thing that CCL has done to make cruising as easy as possible. I will argue that if used wisely you can replicate a near luxury cruise experience on Princess. Even if the only benefit is opening my door and pinging me off and on the ship…it is infinitely easier than remembering my cruise card! I locked my self out of my room numerous times on my last non-Princess cruise, then I had loads of confusion with my newly issued cruise cards not letting me back on the ship…It was an ongoing hassle to remember the blasted card every time we left the room…we didn’t need it for anything else. The Medallion allows crew to greet you and call you by name…which is standard practice on a luxury cruise. The Medallion will allow you to order food and beverages any where, any time and be delivered to your location…this is pretty standard on a luxury cruise…we had a standing order for a fruit & cheese plate in our cabin at 4 pm…The Medallion could do this! I no longer have to renter my personal information prior to each cruise because the Medallion Class app already has it on file. I am usually in the Green Lane with a few quick keystrokes. The point is that technology has made certain aspects of Princess above and beyond… We have the attitude that any cruise is a good cruise…it’s what you make of it. Yes, there are lines, less than stellar service, poor internet, canceled events, a favorite dinner that has changed but that’s life…things happen…we cruised without the internet, we have experienced lines before, there is always room for improvement with service but at least we are able to travel again. My tips for making your Princess Cruise a near luxury experience… …treat the staff with respect, take time to interact with them …find a favorite venue, then go all in, become a regular; trivia, fitness center, a bar …Use the Medallion/Room Service to enjoy your room…make it your happy place; relax …Savor the experience, try something new, eat a new cuisine, check out the menu ahead …Talk to other travelers; make a new friend. …Stop focusing on the hiccups and start focusing on the positives…we are free to travel …get off the ship; walk around the port, take an excursion, learn something new I feel like I am lucky enough to be able to travel. There is always room for improvement but if you take a positive attitude going in then the hiccups won’t be so bad.

Our October cruise leaves from the Brooklyn pier.

We have been on three cruises since the start up and all have been half full or less…it’s been absolutely marvelous! We are on Enchanted Princess in October and hoping our luck holds.

We embarked/disembarked in Athens in May of 2022. We used Seabourn FlightEase, booked direct flights, business class from our home airport. Seabourn provided transfer from airport to hotel to ship and ship to hotel to airport as we booked a pre/post night in Athens. The transport was via private car/van, the drivers were prompt, courteous and pleasant to deal with. The trip from airport to downtown was around 45 minutes. From downtown to ship close to an hour. The airport and pier are on opposite sides of a mountain so not sure how long that transit would be…our flight left at noon and our driver picked us up around 8:30.

There was some form of yoga/Pilates almost everyday when we were on the Encore in May. I didn’t see kombucha but there were fresh juices every morning at the patio and they also had customized options for juices, grain bowls and fresh yogurt.

The difference is in the size of the balcony not the actual room. The backend of the ship is staggered and every other deck has the bigger balcony. We have sailed the aft end of the Sky Princess with both in both the 244 sq ft size and 284 sq ft size and to be honest never noticed until you mentioned it and I looked at the deck plans. The best part of the aft is the uncrowded elevator! We love using the aft pool & bar as it is an underutilized location and treat the Worldfresh Market as our own personal room service…we take turns being the waiter…LOL. Not to mention it’s a direct elevator ride down to the MDR at the back of the ship & Vista Lounge.

We had one of these rooms on Sky Princess in the Mediterranean, it was very port intensive and we mostly sailed at night…the weather was extremely windy and the room was very loud with the wind whipping the lights & lines. I doubt I would pick this room again. Now offer me an aft balcony and I would jump so fast!!!

We were on that cruise last December and there was a lovely British lady who gave a lecture about the history of the islands, stories about the pirates and general tourism highlights. It was only about an hour and was not very well attended.

We were on the Encore recently and loved Earth & Ocean. We always ordered different dishes and shared them. We liked the casual atmosphere and attentive staff. The presentation was always excellent, the menus were unique and we did not feel rushed.

We had one of those Lido deck minis on the Sky. It was very windy and loud. You could hear the wind whipping around at night. You could go out there but you would be blown around if the ship was moving.

We really enjoyed the Chef’s Special Dinner at Sushi on formal night. It didn’t require a jacket. My husband, who would rank sushi last when given on option, really enjoyed the variety and presentation of the dinner. Also Earth & Ocean, are good options if you want to avoid a jacket.

I found that not to be true. On a recent 2 week cruise I accidentally booked the same tour to Ephesus, from two different ports. It wasn’t until the day before the second tour, when watching the port notes on the TV that I realized my mistake. I went to guest services and they forwarded my request for a refund to the excursions group and I saw a credit in my portfolio within 24 hours.

Thanks so much for the link! My daughter is in the process of moving to Brooklyn and we have to check some additional luggage for her…glad that we won’t be schlepping around NYC with extra bags in tow!

We are going on a one week cruise out of New York in mid-October. When do we know which pier they are leaving from, it says Manhattan or Brooklyn? We have yet to make our plane or hotel reservations because we don’t know which pier…we are hoping Brooklyn.

Not at all! There are all kinds of people on Princess cruises. We always find some people to hang out with, we usually meet them on excursions or at dinner.