Pacific Princess What Can You Share?

[mycruz]

We are set to sail on the Pacific Princess in just a few weeks. We are so looking forward to the small ship experience on the Ocean! :)

 

What are your experiences with this ship? Is there wi-fi throughout or just in the cabin and atrium area? Anything you can share would be greatly appreciated!

[paul929207]

There is wifi in the cabins and most public rooms.

 

Also, there is a Live From the Pacific Princess thread. You may want to look at it for more info on the ship.

[san diego sue]

The thing I love about the small ships how easy it is to get around.

Also with fewer passengers, we really bonded with everyone. Even the entertainers(singers and dancers) interact. They double as cruise staff . The dining experience

with only fixed dining also nice. The best library on any Princess ship,

is on this one. Also all the balcony cabins have sofas.

For us, we had smooth sailing (on a Transatlantic).Would'nt hesitate

to sail again.

[Pam in CA]

I think of the small ship as being in a village for a week or more. Within days, everyone looks familiar. They smile and acknowledge you, and you do so with them. It's not anonymous and people behave accordingly. It's friendlier, more of a community atmosphere.

 

The ship itself is elegant and the decor is unlike anything else you've probably cruised on. It's very French provincial and like being in an upscale country inn. No matter where you are on the ship, it's a very short, quick walk to anywhere else. Everything is handy, everything is nearby.

 

Small ships aren't for everyone. Because there are fewer passengers, there aren't as many activities planned or multiple entertainment options at the same time. That never bothered me but, for instance, my BIL hated small ships because he loved to play bridge on cruises and there weren't many players.

[Pam in CA]

Here is a review by John Heald with information and photos of the Pacific Princess:

 

http://johnhealdsblog.com/2008/06/25/pacific-princessa-day-onboard-a-5-star-country-inn/

[cruiseidaho]

Our last two cruises have been on small Princess ships - Royal Princess, Tahiti to Hawaii and Pacific Princss, Holy Land. I can't wait to get back on a big ship! Entertainment on the small ships is really lacking - there is no theater and production shows are held in a cabaret lounge, which is a dance floor with a bar in the back. There is no other choice for live entertainment other than what is held (and then repeated another day) in this lounge. The rest of deck 5 consists of the casino and casino bar with the photo gallery alongside the casino, two small shops next to the Fine Art Gallery, which fills the starboard hallway. The internet cafe has 7 stations. There is, of course, no International Cafe, nor any atrium. One is hard-pressed to find a place to sit and read. I really don't see the advantage in finding it easier to get around when there are very few places to get around to. I don't fiind it any easier getting to know fellow passengers on a larger ship. I don't find the service nor the friendliness of crew any less on a large ship. Of course, there are many things to like about a small ship, such as fewer lines, larger cabins (with couches), ease of navigating the ship, and itineraries not available on larger ships, but to me the overall experience favors the large ships by far.

[Aussie Gal]

Each to their own as the saying goes. We have only cruised on the smaller ships for the past 4 years (7 cruises) and our first big one will be in October next year when we are on the Emerald. We love the smaller ships and have spent many days on them with longer voyages of 35 days.

 

We too love the decor of these smaller ships. They are so restful and dining room is a delight to eat in. During the day we enjoy sitting on our balcony reading and watching the sea. We also enjoy Trivia and we love to hear the various lectures on all different topics. Sure, the Cabaret Lounge is not huge but the entertainment is still good though we don't go for the entertainment, that is just a bonus. We have had many sea days on board, the last was on the Royal with 11.5 sea days at once which was a marathon and we were all glad to go ashore when we reached Peru.

 

We like the way it is so easy to get on and off the ship without huge crowds and tendering is so easy with only 600 odd passengers. Also, the itineraries are more varied and interesting as the smaller ships can go to places where the larger ones are just too big.

 

We also love the mini suites and the larger balcony on these ships. I always feel as I have returned to my second home when we board.

 

Jennie

[Tiffany's mom]

Our last two cruises have been on small Princess ships - Royal Princess, Tahiti to Hawaii and Pacific Princss, Holy Land. I can't wait to get back on a big ship! Entertainment on the small ships is really lacking - there is no theater and production shows are held in a cabaret lounge, which is a dance floor with a bar in the back. There is no other choice for live entertainment other than what is held (and then repeated another day) in this lounge. The rest of deck 5 consists of the casino and casino bar with the photo gallery alongside the casino, two small shops next to the Fine Art Gallery, which fills the starboard hallway. The internet cafe has 7 stations. There is, of course, no International Cafe, nor any atrium. One is hard-pressed to find a place to sit and read. I really don't see the advantage in finding it easier to get around when there are very few places to get around to. I don't fiind it any easier getting to know fellow passengers on a larger ship. I don't find the service nor the friendliness of crew any less on a large ship. Of course, there are many things to like about a small ship, such as fewer lines, larger cabins (with couches), ease of navigating the ship, and itineraries not available on larger ships, but to me the overall experience favors the large ships by far.

 

There was a wonderful large lounge in the very front of the ship. You could read there it was hardly used. It was a great place to have a drink and watch the sunset. We really enjoyed the Pacific it was one of the most friendly ship we have been on. The cabins were lovely. Great service. We were aboard for 24 days.

[mycruz]

Thanks everyone for your input! We love the small ships as much as the larger ones. Each ship seems to have it's own charm about it. The lounge in the front of the ship sounds great and the pictures are just adding to my anticipation for this cruise!

 

We sailed on the Sea Princess and loved it, I can't wait for some leisurely days aboard cruising up the Amazon! We have not been to any of the ports on this cruise so a different ship, new ports, it's all very exciting!