DeRon Posted June 5, 2014 #1 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I would like opinions. What is the best cruise experience in Princess? Which ship? Are the new ships like the Royal better? Which ships feel the least crowded? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted June 5, 2014 #2 Share Posted June 5, 2014 IMHO, every ship has it's pluses and minuses. None are perfect nor "the best." You can have some negative ship experiences but have an outstanding cruise or vice versa. That said, the Coral and Island are the least crowded and offer an excellent cruise experience. The small ships, Ocean and Pacific, offer a unique (for Princess), more personalized cruise experience. I'm not counting the Sapphire or the Diamond as they are both now sailing in Asia and have been modified for the Japanese market. There have been a lot of negative reviews but the new Royal Princess is now one of my favorites. Great food, better amenities, elegant, loved it. When booking a cruise, I book for the itinerary, pricing and some intangibles. I rarely book a cruise based on the ship alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carole_T Posted June 5, 2014 #3 Share Posted June 5, 2014 We absolutely had a blast playing miniature golf on the Sapphire! You have not golfed until you've golfed on a moving ship! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachcruise Posted June 5, 2014 #4 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I've only cruised on a few Princess ships and toured several others. My favorite is the Coral..to me it has the best layout and design of any ship I've sailed. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted June 5, 2014 #5 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Another vote for the just-right Coral/Island (not to mention my total enjoyment of the Canal cruises on I took on them). On the other hand, my absolute favorite cruise - SFO to Buenos Aires around the Horn - was on the Star, a ship I wasn't crazy about that had some serious staffing problems. Which just goes to show you: a great itinerary makes up for a lot. Oh, and the Royal had some real pluses and minuses, but I loved that cruise in part because it was my honeymoon. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean s Posted June 5, 2014 #6 Share Posted June 5, 2014 We have sailed on a number of Princess ships but our cruise on the Coral to Alaska was the best. In my opinion the Coral/Island is the best design of any ship I have been on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyskie Posted June 5, 2014 #7 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Have to say the Coral did not disappoint - loved our Panama Canal trip. I do like the Grand Class ships too. Have yet to try the Royal................... one of these days. Definitely it's the itinerary not the ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredNTraveling Posted June 5, 2014 #8 Share Posted June 5, 2014 We have only sailed 4 times and each on a different ship! ;) The 1st was great, but on the second we were offered an upsell to a suite and that spoiled us beyond belief! Never had a cruise that wasn't simply "wonderful"!:D We are just, RetiredNTraveling!(Mike & Betty) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted June 5, 2014 #9 Share Posted June 5, 2014 We love the Ocean & Pacific Princess. These small ships hold 680 passengers and are small enough to get into ports the larger ships either have to bypass or dock an hour away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskiemom Posted June 5, 2014 #10 Share Posted June 5, 2014 The Crown will always be my favorite ship! It was my first and the wow factor of seeing that ship and being my first time in New York will never be reproduced. The CD and his staff we great and always around. And my furst MUTS experience--seeing Shrek.......oh my goodness it still makes me smile. That being said I also really enjoyed the Coral for the Panama Canal. Great experiences, nice staff and cruised with great friends. The ship is of course very important but I feel alot of the cruise experience lies in ones attitude towards the experience. I feel cruising is really a great gift I have been fortunate to experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted June 5, 2014 #11 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Coral/Island for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted June 6, 2014 #12 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Coral and Island would be the least crowded considering their size and less than 2,000 passengers on board. I haven't sailed all the ships yet- there's some I don't ever plan to sail on either- but of those I have sailed the Diamond was my favorite by a long shot. I wrote a long review detailing why. In a nutshell it was captain, crew and the design of the vessel itself that swayed me. Now she's in Japan and out of my reach. Still puzzled by the decision to take the Diamond and Sapphire over there but then it's been proven time and again that Princess isn't run by geniuses or sharp minds on cruising's cutting edge which is something I would attribute to the decision makers at Royal Caribbean, if to anyone. Norris, looking forward to the Ocean Princess immensely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovevacadays Posted June 6, 2014 #13 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Coral and Island would be the least crowded considering their size and less than 2,000 passengers on board. I haven't sailed all the ships yet- there's some I don't ever plan to sail on either- but of those I have sailed the Diamond was my favorite by a long shot. I wrote a long review detailing why. In a nutshell it was captain, crew and the design of the vessel itself that swayed me. Now she's in Japan and out of my reach. Still puzzled by the decision to take the Diamond and Sapphire over there but then it's been proven time and again that Princess isn't run by geniuses or sharp minds on cruising's cutting edge which is something I would attribute to the decision makers at Royal Caribbean, if to anyone. Norris, looking forward to the Ocean Princess immensely! I am so with you! Why oh why did Princess take both of their best ships, (in my opinion) the Diamond and Sapphire to markets outside of the US????? I don't feel like there are any other Princess ships quite like these two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted June 6, 2014 #14 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I am so with you! Why oh why did Princess take both of their best ships, (in my opinion) the Diamond and Sapphire to markets outside of the US????? I don't feel like there are any other Princess ships quite like these two. I agree. There was something about these ships that made them feel like they were so well built over the Italian built ships. Maybe they thought Asians would prefer ships built in Japan? I think my last 7 or so sailings were on the Sapphire Princess. I also like the Coral (and Island Princess) a lot. My least favorite - Crown Princess. Too crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsqrl Posted June 6, 2014 #15 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I'd have to say "best Princess ship experience" is the Pacific (or Ocean). Not that I didn't love the Coral to pieces, but the experience on the little girls is unique in a way that sailing on any other Princess ship isn't. It's all a function of her size: you're in a completely different environment, where everything is just easier because there are no crowds or lines -- or strangers. You really do get to know a lot of your fellow passengers. And the crew. And they you. Plus all that port stuff Paul mentioned above, although I think that Princess could do a lot more to maximize the opportunities available for porting the smaller ships in more unique places. Take Alaska this season: same itin as on the big ships. Lost opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorisis Posted June 6, 2014 #16 Share Posted June 6, 2014 We prefer small ships. Ocean and Pacific are tops, followed by Coral and Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnd crsr Posted June 6, 2014 #17 Share Posted June 6, 2014 The Ocean and Pacific are our favourites. Always great itineraries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted June 6, 2014 #18 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Island/Coral! :) LuLu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azdmelani Posted June 6, 2014 #19 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I would like opinions. What is the best cruise experience in Princess? Which ship? Are the new ships like the Royal better? Which ships feel the least crowded? Thanks! You will probably get varied answers to your question as it is extremely subjective. I prefer the Sapphire for the Mexican themed dining room as well as the placement of an Alfredos. I also really liked the Royal when i sailed her in December, and cant wait for our Regal cruise in a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pris993 Posted June 6, 2014 #20 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Most recently we cruised on the Grand had a fantastic experience on board. Prior to this cruised we also did a TA on the Ruby whick was outstanding. Have not been on the new Royal... don't plan on it either. Like the older Princess ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san diego sue Posted June 6, 2014 #21 Share Posted June 6, 2014 So hard to pick a favorite. It is also the people you meet, that adds to the total cruise experience. We have been all of the Princess ships except the Ocean,Pacific(although have been on the previous little Royal, same ship),Sun and Sea. Even though the big ships have large passenger load, have had great experiences. The Coral and Island probably the ships where we got closest to passengers we met. At this time my favorite ship is the Royal. Love the new and modern look of the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggbob Posted June 6, 2014 #22 Share Posted June 6, 2014 The question was "best experience" and, apart from an "overall" experience, I can distill this down to one singular event that stands out forever in my mind. My sister was with us on the Island to Hawaii a few years ago. She is very immobile and had rented one of those drivey-movey wheelchairs so that she could get around on the ship and on shore. She rented the biggest one she could get, because she is big, and because she carries a purse the size of a doberman. I digress on the amount of crap she carries around but... This wheelchair had 4 wheels, 3 speeds, 2 reverse gears, a headlight, turn signals, fiberglass fenders, a chrome bumper, and a trailer hitch. It was spectacular. On the third day at sea from LA to HI... it broke. She was devastated. She was stuck in her cabin crying and bemoaning her immobility and the fact that at least she would be able to see some of Hawaii from the balcony if the ship was facing the right way. I can't blame her. It would have been cheaper for her to rent a Volkswagen from Hertz than to rent that expensive Cadillac of a wheelchair. And she was basically screwed. Everyone on board seemed to know her because of her gigantic wheelchair, and when she didn't show up at dinner word got around to the crew that her giant wheelchair/land-yacht was broken forever. That evening six little people from engineering showed up at her cabin. They scrambled around the wheel-yacht humming and hawing and poking and tugging. Then they all got around it and picked it up like a casket and marched it away. It was like a scene from Willy Wonka. The engineering oompa loompas marched it away like they were going take it to the "juice room". The ship's engineer/head-oompa-loompa said he would fix it, and the next morning it was back in her cabin. They had used ship's parts to fix the electrical system. And they had charged it, and they had returned it at dawn after working on it overnight. No cost. One day before landfall in Hawaii and my sister was not only as good as new, but she was better than new. The repairs seemed to add about 40 horsepower to the wheelchair and my BIL, bound in a regular wheelchair, spent the next 9 days being towed around behind her with a rope to the trailer hitch. This singular event... This perfect example of thought on the part of so many random crew members, without need or request, to come together for something that made a serious difference to a single passenger, has made me loyal to princess. This was not a petty deck-chair dispute or silly towel-animal. This was real, cohesive forethought that irrevocably changed for the better an experience that otherwise would have been doomed by happenstance and fate to utter failure. This selfless and caring behavior on the part of the crew of the Island made my sister's first, and only, cruise experience the singular vacation of her lifetime. I feel honored to have been present for these proceedings. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted June 6, 2014 #23 Share Posted June 6, 2014 The question was "best experience" and, apart from an "overall" experience, I can distill this down to one singular event that stands out forever in my mind. That evening six little people from engineering showed up at her cabin. They scrambled around the wheel-yacht humming and hawing and poking and tugging. Then they all got around it and picked it up like a casket and marched it away. It was like a scene from Willy Wonka. The engineering oompa loompas marched it away like they were going take it to the "juice room". The ship's engineer/head-oompa-loompa said he would fix it, and the next morning it was back in her cabin. They had used ship's parts to fix the electrical system. And they had charged it, and they had returned it at dawn after working on it overnight. No cost. bob Your story brought tears to my eyes! I do have to say Princess has some of the best employees on the sea! And a lot of these employees are behind the scenes employees. I once filled out a "you made a difference card" for the tender staff. The weather changed drastically after we made it ashore, they stopped letting people go ashore but the tender people had to get everyone back. I remember circling many times until they felt it was safe to get us back on the ship and how they took great care to make sure no one had problems getting off their tender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted June 6, 2014 #24 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I'd have to say "best Princess ship experience" is the Pacific (or Ocean). Not that I didn't love the Coral to pieces, but the experience on the little girls is unique in a way that sailing on any other Princess ship isn't. My guess that would be my favorite if and when I ever sail those ships. So far, the smaller the better seems to be my experience for liking ships. I like the simple things about cruising and am not impressed with the whizz bang new things they are introducing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgutt86 Posted June 6, 2014 #25 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Well being that I'm about to take my first cruise on the Island later this summer, it makes me feel super awesome that everyone seems to have a lot of love for that ship!! I booked based on dates/itin not on ships. Although originally we wanted to go with a MUCH SMALLER vessel. Hope it doesn't dissappoint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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