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2BACRUISER
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Looking at the Crown Princess for 2020 Baltic out of Southampton, have had a look at Princess boards and Princess website and i know its a very US based lined and wondered how UK cruisers found Princess in general. What do you like? What do you hate? I realise its subjective and everyone has a different opinion but the prices are quite good for the time of year i'm looking at. I thought  would ask here rather than the Princess board itself. 😉

Thanks in advance.

 

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Hi, Yorkshire 2BA,

 

We've cruised Princess a few times, but not Crown Princess.

 

Nearest UK equiv is P&O  - Princess was a UK cruise line, it was bought by P&O, who eventually joined the Carnival consortium.

Princess ships still fly the Red Duster, though they're more American than Brit.

 

For us, an almost -perfect trans-Atlantic blend - not as "brassy" or in-your-face as most US ships, but not as bland as P&O.

 

Buffets far better - and in nicer surroundings - than P&O altho the bacon is brittle & over-cooked , very American .

Food in the MDR as good as P&O (unlike some folk I don't mark P&O down for including pub-grub in the choices). International dishes, much as you'd get in a selection of UK restaurants.

Perfect lunchtime fish-and-chips in ship's pub, best I've tasted. But the chefs clearly make mushy peas as per recipe, then decide that they look messy, so whack them in the blender and serve as a puree. Philistines :classic_biggrin:

 

Pretty average theatre shows, but good musicians in the bars.

Nothing in the way of adult toys* like on RCI ships. 

But movies-under-the-stars, with rugs & popcorn.

 

Mainly US / UK cruisers (probably more Brits cos a lot of Americans sail the Baltic from Copenhagen, Amsterdam, etc))

Never felt crowded.

On-board currency is USD

As with all US ships, high on-board costs (daily grats, heavy drinks prices, grats on pretty-well all services)

Like most cruise lines,  you can take on-board two bottles of wine at embarkation - but on Princess you can also take as much more wine as you like & at registration pay a fee of $15 per bottle (check if that's up-to-date).

When we sailed Princess out of Sydney we saved a chunk by taking aboard a dozen bottles at Sydney bottle-shop prices - even with the $15 per bottle charge it was cheaper than their cheapest wine and a wine that we knew we liked.  Take it to dinner or wherever, corkage is included in the $15.

So check the price of your favourites at ASDA etc. Then check the current Princess offerings & prices, add the (still?) $15 & do the maths.

 

The Baltic is a great place to cruise - at most ports DIY is easy, so spend the bulk of your shore money on a St Petersburg tour with a local operator (not thro the ship)

 

JB :classic_smile:

* that bit doesn't quite read as intended :classic_biggrin:

 

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Enhlish bacon is normally at the buffet,if it's not on show,just ask.They always have it,especially from Southampton.We did the Baltic on the Emerald in 2015,sister ship to Crown.It was in a heatwave and I remember laying on a sunbed aft and watching Stockholm disappear in the distance as we sailed out thru the archipeligo.Hopefully you will sail in and out that route.Some ships now bypass that and dock in an industrial area.There wasn't tea making in cabins then,so we booked a high up aft cabin and took 2 thermos mugs,just running up 1 floor and grabbing tea at the buffet.YMMV.

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There are a lot of things Princess does well, most things like service, food and entertainment are very similar to a few other lines, like X or P&O UK.

The one stand out for me is their Pizza, the best at sea. 

The bad things are their cabin sizes are smaller than most other lines I have been on and they have shower curtains rather than screens.

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The Crown Princess is a Super Grand Class ship. They modified the excellent Grand Class ships, starting with Caribbean they added an extra full deck of cabins (500 pax) to the same hull and public spaces. We only sailed on the sister ship - Emerald and never returned to another Super Grand, as they were way too crowded.

 

When I worked for them in the 70/80's, Princess was a quality cruise line. Unfortunately, since being purchased by Carnival in 2003, in our opinion, it has been all down hill and they are now mass-market.

 

Have noted a steady reduction in food quality and menu selections and a huge increase in nickle & diming. Entertainment on our last Princess cruise can best be described as rubbish, as they sub-contacted the shows to a 3rd party. Our last Princess cruise was a World Cruise, during which we received cold food most days and many days the meats were so tough they were inedible. Remember 1-night where most lamb chops were returned, as you couldn't even cut into them.

 

The last ship was Sea Princess, which resembled a Greek tramp ship. Most common sight around the accommodation was buckets and small carpet squares catching leaks. Most Princess ships have white hulls, this one was predominantly rust coloured.

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Nothing wrong with Greek tramps,they're nice people,lol.Our very first cruise was on Sea Princess in 2007.We being ignorant were quite happy with it even though the pool grill was burnt out and unusable for 2 weeks.There were people traipsing around the buffet in their swimwear.Having done a few cruises since then we realise,yes,it is pants.It now belongs to Princess Australia.We were very happy with Emerald and didn't really find it that overcrowded.As I said YMMV.

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23 hours ago, brian1 said:

YMMV.

 

Had to google that.

 

 

9 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

MMWMLV

 

Had to google that. 

Didn't tell me the acronym, but showed me pics of Pulao Biryani fusion.

Had to google Pulao (a rice dish).

Mic - can you really use Luncheon Vouchers in Princess' speciality dining rooms? 

 

IGRPOWBA :classic_wink:

 

JB :classic_smile:

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1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Had to google that.

 

 

 

Had to google that. 

Didn't tell me the acronym, but showed me pics of Pulao Biryani fusion.

Had to google Pulao (a rice dish).

Mic - can you really use Luncheon Vouchers in Princess' speciality dining rooms? 

 

IGRPOWBA :classic_wink:

 

JB :classic_smile:

LOL.I had to google that myself on this forum a year ago,just sounded trendy.Pulao rice,I love a Ruby.We have 30 Indian restaurants in our Essex town.Mick must be on a windup,I can't find it either.

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Thanks all. We're not big ship people hence not wanting to go on Iona I noticed Arcadia is also doing a baltic 2020 so might look at that too. All depends on dates we have to work with so Princess very much remains in running. Now to go talk to DH and prize his wallet open. Lol. Thanx 😝

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We have cruise the Baltics with P&O and Princess, we found most things were similar, both great cruises, we were on Crown princess 2 years ago to Baltic, price was the deciding factor, although drinks are more expensive on Princess, made worse by weak sterling. There were more non brits on Princess, the entertainment was more geared up for brits as you would expect from Southampton.

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We have sailed Princess the last couple of years & they put kettles & tea/coffee making facilities in the cabins when sailing from Southampton. And if you have previously sailed P&O your past Cruises may count towards Captains Circle level. Love Princess & the mix of nationalities onboard makes for a great cruise.

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  • 1 year later...

Although this is an old topic its still very current for us as we never got to take our Baltic cruise in 2020 obviously and not this year either so we're now looking at 2022. However we have really really gone off the idea of going with Princess because of the medallion and phone situation. 

When we go on a cruise we put our phones in the safe (we're in our late 50's so remember a time without them lol) and they never see light of day until we disembark, princess seem intent on making everything 'smart' via phone apps etc so its now dropped out of favour for us.

I've looked at two Baltic cruises for next Spring one on Cunard QV and One on P&O Arcadia both similar dates and itineraries. P&O works out marginally better value at the moment.

Any thoughts or experiences of this trip on either ship gratefully received. 

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8 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

Although this is an old topic its still very current for us as we never got to take our Baltic cruise in 2020 obviously and not this year either so we're now looking at 2022. However we have really really gone off the idea of going with Princess because of the medallion and phone situation. 

When we go on a cruise we put our phones in the safe (we're in our late 50's so remember a time without them lol) and they never see light of day until we disembark, princess seem intent on making everything 'smart' via phone apps etc so its now dropped out of favour for us.

I've looked at two Baltic cruises for next Spring one on Cunard QV and One on P&O Arcadia both similar dates and itineraries. P&O works out marginally better value at the moment.

Any thoughts or experiences of this trip on either ship gratefully received. 

 

I don't know the situation with Princess medallions (?) or phones, so can't help with that.
 

But we've sailed the Baltic with P&O.

On Arcadia's sister Aurora.

Excellent cruise throughout.

Arcadia is adults-only, but the Baltic doesn't appeal to kids anyway - the only ones we saw on Aurora were toddlers tied to their mothers' apron-strings.

No negatives at all - but I rate  Princess more  up-market & sparkly.

 

Cunard just isn't my scene - the odd formal night (as on P&O) is OK & my other half enjoys dressing in her finery, but jacket & tie every night just isn't me & I don't rate buffet dining in the evenings.. And shades of First Class & Second Class, with some segregated areas, takes me back to the fifties & sixties.

But that's just a personal view.

 

What about itineraries?

We sailed (from Southampton) to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn (1/2 day), St Petersburg (2 days), Helsinki, Zeebrugge. 

Good itinerary.

 

Make sure that "Stockholm" isn't actually Nynashamn - that's a port on the coast, & used by ships which are too large or unwieldly to sail the archipelago to Stockholm. The archipelago is a four to five-hour sail-in through islands so close you feel you can reach out & touch the trees  - one of the world's very best sail-ins. Stadsgarden berth is hard by the city centre, Frihamnen is a little less convenient requiring a very short bus or taxi ride, but Nynashamn is an hour overland by train or bus

 

And make sure you have at least one overnite in St Petersburg - it's well worth two full days plus an evening. Browse the contributions on https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2696545-master-thread-of-st-petersburg-advice-and-recommendations-from-cruisers-whove-been/

But there's one P&O-specific for St P.. Ships' tours are in big buses, with all the negatives which that involves. But P&O also offer more-intimate tours in 16-seat minibuses. These will be the self-same tours as offered by local operators, indeed these ship's tours will be conducted by local operators.

Presumably those tours are more expensive bought thro the ship, but some folk are more comfortable sticking with ships' tours. Other than that P&O minibus prospect, I agree with the vast vast majority of cruisers who advise to book with local tour operators. Our tour by Alla was excellent, but ALL the local operators in St P are well-recommended.

 

Hope this helps more than it confuses 😉

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

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You dont need to use your phones or the app if you don't want to. Just use the Medallion in the same way as you would do you key card. 

And if you do book, book the Princess Plus at £30 pppd - an absolute bargain.

And I agree with JB - Princess is a step up in quality from P&O. 

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On 9/21/2021 at 9:54 AM, 2BACRUISER said:

Although this is an old topic its still very current for us as we never got to take our Baltic cruise in 2020 obviously and not this year either so we're now looking at 2022. However we have really really gone off the idea of going with Princess because of the medallion and phone situation. 

When we go on a cruise we put our phones in the safe (we're in our late 50's so remember a time without them lol) and they never see light of day until we disembark, princess seem intent on making everything 'smart' via phone apps etc so its now dropped out of favour for us.

I've looked at two Baltic cruises for next Spring one on Cunard QV and One on P&O Arcadia both similar dates and itineraries. P&O works out marginally better value at the moment.

Any thoughts or experiences of this trip on either ship gratefully received. 

I’m not going to compare the other lines, I just want to share my experience on SKY Princess last month regarding the app and phones.

 

I too used to leave my phone locked in the safe, but carry it now as it is my camera.  However, for me the medallion simply replaced my cruise card.

 

I never ordered a single drink via the app or scanned a QR code menu for the entire cruise.  So don’t let that be a reason to not cruise Princess. A slimmed down version of the Princess Patter was still delivered to our room,  I never made a conscious effort not to use the app it just wasn’t necessary to use it.

 

I let my worry of the app glitches spoil the anticipation of sailing on the Sky, today I board Regal Princess, other than achieving the Green Lane Status for boarding I haven’t worried about the app at all.

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I would highly recommend the Baltic cruise with Princess Cruises. I would also advise to take out the plus package currently £30 per person per day….pays gratuity, wi if and all drinks ( max 15 alcoholic drinks a day but as many soft drinks and speciality coffees and bottles of water as you like). As for the medallion app, don’t worry about it , the setting up on a phone before you travel can be problematic but they help you at the port and on board. As others have said once on board you do not need your phone just the medallion  which is just like a modern cruise card. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Having heard Princess are now going to bring back a web based version of their personalize your trip and comments above, I've added Princess back into the mix. Finding the Cunard board very off putting and the cost eye watering so I think its between PandO and Princess now. Hope to get something finalised with DH this week when I get chance to pin him down 🙄 

Edited by 2BACRUISER
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On 10/9/2021 at 10:19 PM, 2BACRUISER said:

Having heard Princess are now going to bring back a web based version of their personalize your trip and comments above, I've added Princess back into the mix. Finding the Cunard board very off putting and the cost eye watering so I think its between PandO and Princess now. Hope to get something finalised with DH this week when I get chance to pin him down 🙄 

We are going to the Baltic on Saga next year. You might want to take a look.  Small ship (999 pax) all balconies, all inclusive, no tipping. 

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  • 1 month later...

We normally sail P&O but recently did 2 cruises (one 4N and one 14N) and as a result we have decided not to sail Princess again.

 

Yes, it is more American but not overly so. The beer  choice is more international/USA based with almost no British beers but the beer choice is still quite good. You pay in dollars. Drink prices seem similar but the drink package is much cheaper on Princess.

 

Many have raved about the food in the MDR on my last cruise and if that was your experience then I am happy for you but our food experience, for the entire 14 days, was not good in the MDR. Service was very friendly but incompetence and errors were frequent, the food choice was poor with many dished repeated several times in the 14 days. OK, there is a pandemic and so I am not surprised they had a few issues but nevertheless, a good exec chef should be able to still come on with an interesting menu even with limited ingredients. 

 

However, the main reason we are not sailing Princess again is the total lack of concern over the implementation of covid safety protocols. Most people complied without needing to be told of course, but when people didn't wear a mask where they should (such as when walking around inside), during disembarkation etc they did absolutely nothing to remind people even after us pointing it out to the crew. We felt quite unsafe on board at times especially at disembarkation. If this is how they try to keep us all safe then I am concerned for our safety in other areas too and so won't sail with them again.

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4 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

However, the main reason we are not sailing Princess again is the total lack of concern over the implementation of covid safety protocols. Most people complied without needing to be told of course, but when people didn't wear a mask where they should (such as when walking around inside), during disembarkation etc they did absolutely nothing to remind people even after us pointing it out to the crew. We felt quite unsafe on board at times especially at disembarkation. If this is how they try to keep us all safe then I am concerned for our safety in other areas too and so won't sail with them again.

Just for balance, that was entirely the opposite of our experience. 

We would have no compunction about cruising with Princess again, and indeed have three weeks booked on Regal in May.

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2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Just for balance, that was entirely the opposite of our experience. 

We would have no compunction about cruising with Princess again, and indeed have three weeks booked on Regal in May.

Well... I have the pics and video to prove it 🙂 

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Update:

We have decided to defer our Baltic on Sky Princess to May 2023. 

We are doing a Marella cruise 7nts out of Malaga next week last minute bargain. 

As 2022 is in flux as the moment due to work commitments not sure what we will be able to squeeze in between projects but have eastern med on the radar on either Royal or Regal. 

 

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We too have cancelled our Baltic cruise in April 2022. We have decided that we can't expect to cruise again until May 2023 and so we are looking at a smaller ship... Viking perhaps... possibly to the Eastern Med. There is a nice one from Venice to Athens taking in Croatia and Montenegro. We might do a Staycation from Southampton with P&O if one comes up cheap but not until next winter.

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