Princess Difference

[Hobby3333]

My wife and I will be on the Sun Princess in July.   We have sailed on many Carnival ships mainly when the kids were younger, HAL three times in the past two years and really enjoyed HAL, RCCL ( not impressed), NCL and Celebrity ( which we enjoyed).   What does Princess do better than the lines I have sailed on?  Anything that really sets Princess apart?  We will be in a mini suite cabana in the Reserve Class on the Sun Princess.

[Ken the cruiser]

We have cruised with a variety of cruise lines over the past 12 years. Right now, Princess is our favorite cruise line for 3 reasons. We like their unique 3-5 week itineraries, booking cabins that allow us to dine in the Reserve Dining Room, and being able to laugh a lot when we go to their various evening game shows. But then, we're in our early 70s and fully retired, so that does help in our decision making process. 

[DHP1]

I have to much invested in Princess Cruise Line and for me to try another cruise line, I would feel uncomfortable.
Keep in mind, no cruise line is perfect. All cruise lines have there pros and cons. My advice to you is to try Princess and I beat you, you won’t be disappointed. The crew on Princess has “always” been “outstanding”. Hint hint, beware of the new Princess App. 😀. Have a drink or two before using it.  It can be frustrating. Don’t use Princess chat line or call Princess 1-800 or you will be waiting for a long time. Go to a CVP or TA or do it online which is much easier to do however, if you run into problems, no one my help you or it will just take time. 

Edited January 13 by DHP1

[Ken the cruiser]

I will add one note. The "single itinerary" cruises that are 12 or more days in length usually have an older demographic whereas on the shorter 4-7 day itineraries, there is usually more of a party-hardy crowd. For example, we were on a 21-day Med cruise on the Regal back in July 2022, which was actually three unique 7-day itineraries, but was packed on each 7-day leg with the party-hardy crowd. However, we were on a 12-day Canadian cruise on the Caribbean Princess from Quebec City to Ft Lauderdale this past fall and had a more relaxed older crowd, with maybe 3 children total. However, the 5-day Bahamas cruise right after it was packed with the party-hardy crowd. That's just a little tidbit to take in consideration when planning your next Princess cruise.

 

Regarding your upcoming cruise on the Sun in July, it looks like they have a combination of 7-day itineraries available in various 7, 14 and 21-day combinations. Since they are also in July when school is out, the chances are pretty high you will be cruising with a party-hardy crowd. 

[Torfamm]

We find the staff and crew on Princess to be incredibly warm and friendly. They really seem happy to make your experience special. I sailed almost  exclusively on Celebrity for a long time but enjoyed my first Princess cruise to Norway and Iceland so much that now it’s most often Princess.

 

Part of that positive impression may come from the Medallion technology that lets everyone greet you by name and find you if they have a reason to reach out to follow up on or notify you about something.

 

in addition to the Medallions we like self-service laundry (especially on longer trips), savory food in the International Cafe instead of just baked goods, and longer more interesting itineraries.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have to agree with the comments about the staff... based on our last cruise, which was last year.

There were a few Princess 'fails'....     

But, this was the best and most upbeat and friendly staff !!!

We actually had 'Hot Rod' as our room Steward...   Jooey at the bar at Crooners was great.  Our 'regular' table that we went to in the MDR, the waiter was not overly jovial,  but was just 'Spot On' when it came to providing service, and keeping up a good pace with the evening meal.

I have to say that my favorite things about Princess are the Piazza concept.. And, the Sanctuary.

Food...  be aware that it can be hit or miss...   Our last cruise, we were pleasantly surprised!!  Most everything was good!!!  In fact, our experience at Crown Grill specialty steakhouse was our least favorite.

[candy4040]

Things that I like (love) about Princess (20+cruises with Princess):.  We have previously cruised on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Oceania, Viking, Celebrity and Disney.  Overall our best experience was on Oceania but we can take 2 cruises onPrincess for the one on Oceania.

 

1) Employees - Always helpful and very willing to help.

2) Comfortable beds.

3) Good Spirits Bar

4) Crooners Bar

5) Variety of choices for eating

6) Afternoon Teas

7) Sanctuary

9) Fellow cruisers - generally in older range 

10) Room stewards

11) Itineraries

12) Plus and Premier packages

13) Medalion App

 

Things I don't like (no real deal breakers)

1) Art auctions

2) Pushy spa promotions

3) Piazza noise - way too loud

4) Soap in staterooms

5) Hair products in stateroom

6) Hair dryers in staterooms

[nini]

@Hobby3333 Please also keep in mind that the Sun Princess is a whole different species! However, I am assuming that the crew will be fantastic as they are 99.9% of the time! No seasoned Princess cruiser is too sure what to expect. It is quite an innovative design.

For us, there are no aft balconies (which we swear by). So, it would be tough to make a booking decision until we hear back from the pioneering Princess hang on CC.

Edited January 14 by nini