Sailed on Sea Princess Feb 2006, flying from Manchester (Thomsonfly) flight delayed 4hours, not a good start! we were worried the ship wouldn't wait for us, but were informed by Princess UK that it wouldn't go without us! thankfully it didn't ans set sail 2hours late! we thought it was wonderful, the staff fab, food amazing, they treated our children like little king & queen, they always made a fuss and nothing was too much trouble! cabin was smaller than we expected (FF) but did for what we needed. We travelled the Southern Caribbean itinerary and it was a great 2 weeks, absolutly beautiful places, our favourites were British Virgin Is., Aruba & Grand Cayman. Tours were expensive but the ones we used were very good but it's very easy to make your own way around if you want to. The only complaint we have is that purchases onbaord are very over the top expensive, ie. photo's (which are took ar EVERY opportunity!) costing $20.00 each, the shops are expensive onboard and the $10.00 per person per day a little too much when you get charged it for your 3year old and your 19month old as well! the 2 adults yeah fine but we cancelled this off and gave the tips ourselves to the people whom helped us on the cruise. We also got married onboard and this was great, married by the Captain, decorated lovely, flowers, candles, music, photo's etc. all included in the package price, it was a lovely day and we would highly recommend this! the only thing which we would do different if to do it again is avoid Fort Laurderdale like the plague! embark in Barbados - much easier, in FLL you have to clear customs, get your visa (over an hour to queue!), luggage came out on 2 seperate carasols, no trolleys, yet another massive queue for the transfer buses, more forms to fill in before they let you onto the ship! nightmare! in Barbados we were told by other passengers you check in you luggage at the UK then don't see it until you get to your cabin! heaven! well overall a great experience & we would recomend Sea Princess.

I have just travelled, together with my wife, on Sea Princess on the 2 week cruise from Barbados. We have been on a number of cruises, including 3 with Princess and found this one to be excellant.

The food was the best we have ever had both in the main reatuarnt and in Horizon Court. The ship was spotless with staff continually cleaning. Restaurant staff were efficient and very friendly. A number of bar staff soon learned our names and knew what drinks we wanted without even asking.

Entertainment was good, but we have had better from Princess. I think staff rely too much on "Movies under the stars" to give them an excuse to make less effort.

The transfer in Barbados is excellant. Straight off the plane onto coaches to the ship without passing through the terminal building. Luggage is checked in at the UK airport and next seen outside your cabin. Far better than the stories we heard from Fort Lauderdale starters.

All in all a first rate experience. Well done Princess.

i sailed on the sea princess with my family for christmas and new year,i think i was unlucky to have had poor room service, i found them rude and not at all polite only one was at all nice to my grandaughter and me.The food i found quite boring,as for the shops where you could by clothes and such they were a rip off,ibought a pair of sunglasses and within the week they had broken but they said it was not there policy to change them so i lost $16,also the thomas cook plane that princess have for you was a nightmare,coming home took over 8hrs and yet we were on this plane where you could not move at all well,after paying all that money to go on a holiday of a lifetime i feel we were not treated at all well by princess and would not sail with her again ,particuly with Sea princess as i feel she has to get her staff and entertainment sorted out i do not know how they can call it entertainment

Hello There,

Sailed with Princess a few times but not on this ship, would go with Princess again but not on the Sea Princess.

Ship needs a good clean up, OK there is staff working away all the time, but ship needs a overhaul to get it back to standard of other ships in the fleet.

Food is OK but should be better.

The layout of the ship seems odd with access through bars and pizza cafe trying having a quite meal with kids running past.

Movies under the stars at night is good but grill bar is shut at night and pop corn lady does not do the late movie.

Entertainment is not as good as other ships.

As for the gaming tables etc well this area is a bit small and could be better used.

Found the staff to be very good had problems with a tour and with a local shop, ships staff came to our aid. Some problems onboard ship but again staff fixed everything, atleast when the plumber says he will be there within 15 minutes he turns up trying get that back in UK. Cabin steward did his job but nothing more. Would not get a job with Cunard.

Ship had lots of kids on it have to expect that at holiday times ship had kiddy police to keep them in check which was a good idea. Which worked most times.

To much smoking on ship for my liking.

Ship did not have fun party feel to it.

If you have never cruised before and the price is right I would go on the Sea Princess you will have a good cruise, if you expect better standards than Thomson cruises etc or a paying for a big cabin I would pick another Princess Ship.

We are Platinum members of Princess's Captain's Circle, having had 6 satisfactory cruises, all purchased from Bolsover Cruise Club. Our latest cruise, C528 from New York to Quebec in October 2005, was simply unacceptable and we believe that Bolsover Cruise Club have sold us a substandard product. In particular we believe that all UK customers of Bolsover Cruise Club, from whom we purchased this holiday, should know of the way in which customers of Bolsover Cruise Club are treated by Princess.

We cannot recommend any UK person purchases a Princess cruise from Bolsover Cruise Club.

The following letter was sent to Bolsover Cruise Club on our return from Quebec. We received a reply stating that the matter was being taken up with Princess and we would receive further details within four weeks. It is now four weeks since that letter.

We have not received any further communication...

I am writing to inform you that the Princess cruise C528 which we purchased from Bolsover Cruise Club was of very poor quality. Indeed, whilst parts of it were as expected, there were so many deficiencies that I have no hesitation in requesting immediate compensation of at least 50% of the cost since 6 days of the 12 day holiday were unacceptable.

The principal problems were:

On arrival at New York we were transferred to a remote hotel. It was not near downtown New York, nor based at the airport from which we could access the downtown area easily. It required a taxi at $60 each way. We arrived at the hotel at 12:00 (the cruise departed at 20:00 the following day). We were ordered to present our luggage at 11:00 on the second day and await the bus to the ship at 13:30, arriving at 15:00. So, basically a full day of our holiday was wasted. Despite being listed as an attraction in the brochure, as far as we were concerned New York was not a destination for us. Whilst the hotel room was acceptable, the staff were not; service at the bar and restaurant was very poor. Clearly the hotel was not accustomed to large numbers of guests. We had to pay for breakfast which was both expensive and indifferent. At least we got it – later arrivals did not as both breakfast and coffee ran out. On the morning of day 2 all the passengers were waiting in the hotel foyer and bar (the bar was only opened after many strong complaints from passengers). At least four buckets were placed on the floor of the foyer and bar to catch rainwater leaking from the roof. Later we found that US passengers were placed in downtown hotels “because Americans complain louder than the UK”. The person who placed passengers on the bus was rude and dictatorial – he asked two couples to move from one seat on the half-empty bus to another, for no possible reason that we could determine. He kept re-iterating, when passengers complained, that he was not a Princess employee. There were no arrangements for a tour and no local attractions to visit within range of the hotel. It was a holiday day wasted.

On arrival at our cabin it had a very strong smell of stale smoke (Princess do not, unlike virtually any quality hotel these days, offer non-smoking cabins). Carpet, curtains, chairs, bedding were all foul. We mentioned this to our steward who changed the bedding (on the first night even our pillows reeked of smoke). Eventually after several complaints (initially we were simply told “nothing can be done”) they changed the curtains, chairs, bed coverings and steam cleaned the carpet and put a high powered, noisy industrial air blower in the room for two days. After which it was acceptable. But this took three days of our holiday during which we could not use our cabin except for uncomfortable sleeping and, even then, when we were elsewhere in the ship or on shore we could still taste and smell the smoke.

The return flight was simply unacceptable. After a day of waiting off-ship (again no tours were offered in Quebec) we waited for over 4 hours in a crowded airport with inadequate seating for a flight which eventually departed, an hour late, at 19:00. The flight was a charter from Thomas Cook and the seat width and pitch probably the worst I have ever encountered. One glass of poor wine was offered (“there will be no more”). Peanuts were 80p. Food was dreadful. On passenger complained to the cabin staff and was told “what do you expect – you’ve booked a cheap holiday and should consider yourself lucky to get even this aircraft”. This says it all.

We endured a tour on the last evening which was dreadful. We were taken to a “Sugar Shack” for an evening of good food. Neither the bus guide nor the food were appropriate. The food was very poor and obviously we had to miss the evening meal on board (our last) which we had paid for. The guide insisted on a “sing-along” on the coach which was very intrusive and not what was expected.

There were many differences generally between the previous standard on board and this cruise (we are Princess platinum members). Food in the Horizon Court was indifferent. Breakfast choice was identical every day and poorer than previously. Entertainment on board was poor – several nights there was very little except films. Musicians in the various locations were not of the quality previously encountered. Service in the main dining rooms was not what it was – for instance plated meals rather than silver service. On two occasions the portions were so small that we left the dining room feeling hungry. The advertised Anytime Dining is a lie. Between 6 and 8pm it does not operate – surely the most usual time for dining on board.
To summarise, it is obvious that Princess have changed their market positioning and I am disgusted with Bolsover, a company which presumably has knowledge of Princess and from which we have purchased five previous Princess cruises which were fine. I have no hesitation in re-iterating my request for compensation since the cruise was purchased from Bolsover Cruise Club and inform you that I am also intending to write to the travel editors of the weekend papers. I know that many other UK passengers, many of whom also purchased from yourselves, are also disgusted.

what an absolultye amazing experience.the greatest holiday we have ever had.we booked a mini suite with balcony and this was well worth the money and then some!!our cabin steward was fantastic and a credit to Princess as a company in our opinion.the food was amazing in all the restaurants and the bars and entertainment absolutley spot on,loved the casino and the nightclub!! the caribbean themed deck party was brilliant and the staff on board are second to none.completeley and utterly fantastic.we made some really good friends both in the sense of other passengers and the staff.we visited some breath taking places.our favourite being st lucia and we did some fantastic excursions.the 4 wheel jeep safari in st lucia is a must!!!there really is not one thng we can fault about the whole holiday.they do say that once you go on a cruise you wont go another normal holiday again and will be hooked on cruises and this is so true.we have alread booked to go back with Princess again this year and cannot wait.

Italian Delights Itinerary – 20 August to 3 September

Embarkation was a bit disorganised. The ship was 3 hours late in docking due to a medical emergency and there were no porters available to take our luggage. The embarkation staff didn't seem to know what was going on. Expected more from a port such as Southampton. We were among the first to board at 1.45pm.

Had to find our own way to our cabin which wasn’t a problem, but on previous cruises we have been escorted by a member of staff. The cabin was a standard size with two large mirrors and lots of lights. The bed was in a queen size configuration, but there was no room to get in and out at the sides which meant climbing over it to get in or out of bed. We asked for the beds to be split after a few days and this made the cabin appear more roomy. The bed and pillows were extremely comfy.

There were 2130 passengers onboard and 900 crew.

There was Molton Brown shower gel/shampoo and the other toiletries were Lotus Spa, the onboard beauty salon. There was one 13 amp UK style socket and one 110v US style socket, mini fridge complete with ice bucket, two hanging closets and one shelved, two sets of three drawers, a bedside cabinet, a small table and a chair.

The TV showed various satellite channels including BBC Prime, Sky News, CNN, etc as well as films and ship’s info.

Room service is available 24 hours, but we only used it for breakfast each morning – fruit juice, cereals, pastries and coffee/tea are available and we tipped the steward $1 each time.

The Princess Patter was delivered to your stateroom every evening and outlined all the activities for the following day – trivia quizzes twice a day, occasional bingo, seminars, ice carving demonstrations, lectures and some sports activities. The Cruise Director, JJ King, was always around and seemed very personable.

We were a bit disappointed with the evening entertainment. Although there were two show lounges, there was often only one show on while a film was shown in the other lounge. We don’t regard a film as entertainment. There were three guest comedians – Steve Womack, Duggie Brown and Diane Coussins. We found their material to be quite old and only Duggie Brown managed to raise a smile.

In the evening Alan and Alana provided live music in the Crooners Bar and either the Guy Fox Trio or Walking Miracles played in the Wheelhouse Bar. DJ Matt played the discs in the Razzmatazz nightclub, but it didn’t have much atmosphere apart from the first formal night and there were quiet lounges such as Explorers or Premier Cru.

The food onboard was outstanding! Afternoon tea is available both in the Horizon Court buffet and in the Traviata restaurant. In the restaurant white-gloved waiters serve sandwiches, biscuits, cakes and warm scones with cream and jam. Lovely!

The Horizon Court is open 24 hours, but we preferred to eat in the restaurant most of the time, although we only had breakfast there twice as room service provided enough to see us through to lunchtime.

As I said, the food was superb and I took the opportunity to sample things I would never have at home such as lobster thermidor, scallops, clams, oysters, caviar, escargots and frogs legs. I like my beef medium rare and every cut of meat I had was tender and melt in the mouth from prime rib to beef wellington and sirloin steak. There are various items always available such as shrimp cocktail and dry-aged sirloin if you don’t fancy anything on the menu. We did have one duff meal which was the second time we had duck. It was just bones and skin with no meat and in hindsight we should have returned it to the kitchen

There is the Café Corniche on deck 8 where you can have pizza and pasta, although the menu is limited.

The Sterling Steakhouse is open in the evening and has a cover charge of $15 per person. There is a wide range of steaks available ranging from 8oz to 22oz. We had intended to try it, but the food was so good in the main restaurant that we didn’t find the need.

The Bistro is open next to the Horizon Court from 11pm till 4am serving cooked to order items including sirloin steaks.

Drinks prices were $3.90 for spirits and mixer, $3.25 Bud Lite etc, $6.00 750ml Fosters, $4.95 cocktails, cocktail of the day was $3.25 small, $4.95 medium and $6.50 large. The medium was large enough for me and I imagine the large must have been fishbowl size. Draught Stella and Boddingtons was available in the Wheelhouse Bar at $4.50/pint. There is a 15% gratuity added to all drinks orders. You can purchase a soda sticker to attach to your cruise card for $49 which allows unlimited amounts of fountain soft drinks, but not cans.

Be sure to specify the type of drink you want as some of the waiters/waitresses would ask if you wanted a tall glass when in fact they meant did you want a double measure. Also I ordered a glass of wine in the restaurant expecting to get the house wine, but instead was served the most expensive wine instead.

There were five weddings and two renewal of vows while we were aboard. Weddings are normally held in the library although one was held on deck, but apparently this is unusual.

There is a self-service laundrette on each passenger deck, each with two front loading washing machines, two tumble driers and three irons and boards. They are free to use and you can buy detergent for $1.00 from the Purser’s Desk or from the boutique.

There are four pools onboard, two of which are adults only. They were very busy especially on sea days, but we always managed to find a couple lounger even if i

Movies Under The Stars – We watched Queen in Concert and enjoyed it for the novelty factor of lying on a sun lounger, wrapped in a blanket, eating popcorn in the open air. The sound quality was very good as you didn’t need the earphones in the evening. The Three Tenors in Concert was also very good and there were several films shown during the day.

Lotus Spa – I found the treatments very expensive, eg $109 for an Ionithermie massage. They did do daily specials at around $79 for a back massage and facial of 25 mins each which I enjoyed. However I didn’t enjoy the hard sell of products which followed it, one of which was a moisturiser for $134.

Cadiz – We arrived late morning which didn’t allow much time for shopping as the shops close for siesta at 2pm. There is a hop on/off bus which does a tour for €10. The department store El Corte Ingles is a 25 mins walk from the port gates.

Barcelona – The port authority provides a shuttle bus which is €2.50 round trip or €1.50 one way. A taxi should cost approx €5 although we met a couple who were charged €15 so beware. There is a hop on/off bus which covers three routes for €17.

Monte Carlo – This was a tender port. We were on one of the first tenders and didn’t have to queue to get on. It is very hilly. In a very ordinary café it cost €9 for ½ litre of beer and €4.50 for a cappuccino. There is a mini train which leaves from the Oceanographic Museum, near the Palace, and does a tour which includes the Grand Prix circuit for €6. You can do a circuit of the track in a Ferrari for €35. Entry to the Casino is free if you only want to play the slots. If you want to enter the Grand Salon where the tables are it costs €10 and you must be wearing long trousers, no shorts allowed, and have your passport with you. It is beautiful inside with very high ceilings and lots of dark wood.

Livorno – There is a free shuttle bus from the port to the centre of Livorno which has a good shopping centre. From there you can catch a No1 bus to the train station, buy your ticket before boarding at any newsstand €1 and validate it in the machine on the bus. Train ticket to Pisa is €3.40 and to Florence €12. Remember to validate your ticket in one of the yellow machines within the station or on the platform. Train times are available on www.trenitalia.com In Pisa either take a No.1 bus to the Leaning Tower or take a taxi €6. It costs €10 to climb the tower and €2 to enter the Cathedral. A taxi from the centre of Livorno to the ship cost €15.

Civitavecchia/Rome – Turn right at the port gates and walk to the train station. Ticket to Rome €12. After approx 40 mins you will come to San Pietro station which is the stop for the Vatican, after 1 hour and 10 mins you will come to Rome Termini which is the main station. You can use the train ticket on all metros and buses within Rome.

Alghero – This is a tender port, again we didn’t have to wait for a tender. There is a small mini train which does a tour and also a horse and carriage which takes approx 25 mins and cost €4.50.

Palma – Shuttle buses to the centre of Palma were available for $4 one way or $8 round trip. The Porto Pi shopping centre is within walking distance of the port and has a Carrefour supermarket and an internet café. There is a smaller internet café and access is €1.50/hour. Cigarettes cost approx €27

Gibraltar – A shuttle bus is available £1 one way. There are taxi tours available outside the port gates, £16 which includes the £8 admission to St Michael’s Cave and the Siege Tunnels. The tour also goes to the Apes Den and to the point where you can see both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Main Street is the main shopping area. Cigarettes £8-9 and spirits £4.50/litre.

Princess provides an excellent complimentary celebration package if you are celebrating a major anniversary. We received a one category cabin upgrade, a bottle of champagne, two engraved champagne flutes, two long stemmed roses, chocolate dipped strawberries, a huge framed photograph, balloons outside our cabin on the day and a gorgeous chocolate cake after dinner.

Gratuities are added to your onboard account at $10 per person per day for your cabin steward, waiters and all the back room staff. You can adjust these at the Purser’s Desk, but we were told that staff have to pool any tips received personally up to £10 per day. They can keep any amount over this.

When we received our disembarkation information we were initially concerned that our luggage had to be outside the cabin between 5-8pm the night before which we felt was too early. However we managed this and just put our evening things into a small holdall. Disembarkation went smoothly, we had to be out of our cabin by 8am, breakfast was only served until 8.30 and we didn’t feel it was crowded as we waited on Deck 14 to disembark. We were off the ship before 10am.

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and felt the lack of entertainment was the only thing that let it down slightly, although the food more than made up for it.

My experiance on the cruise was amazing.The trip was excellent as my little brother had fun and made new friends and I made new teenage friends too.The whole time we were there no probelms were discorvered apart from a man had a heart attack and him and his mother were taken offt the boat.I thought the staff were lovely our waiters Catalin and Alexandro made eating a joy the food was brilliant and everthing you ordered was delicous.These staff were very wooried when I told them my dad had to leave the table due to a cold he had before he came on the trip. The room staff were friendly and let me in my room every time I forgot my key(which was very often).I became good friends with a lot of the staff.I never felt forced into buying anything.
In the mornings we would always be sat with people who were perfect for us to get along with.WE were all sad when the last day (my birthday) came round and I was crying when I had to say bye to my friends and the staff.Now I would love to live onboard the sea princess in my room on Plaza Deck.

This had to be the best holiday i have ever been on. the ship was wonderful, the food was lovely, the staff was kind. the onboard entertainment was good. all the places we visited was speactualr. but the best bit of the holiday had to be all the friends we made, they are all great. the cruise was the best overall expect for the man suffering the heart attack. i will be def going on the ship again, we have booked it for next year already but it wont be as gd as this year but the people we meet next year will no way be better than the people we met this year!!! if you ever get the chance everyone should sail on the SEA PRINCESS

The ship cleanliness was good but considering that this ship has just been refurbished there were some areas especially around the tennis courts and sporting areas that were lacking paint and cleanliness. Towards the back if the ship was dirtier as i suppose there isnt as many people using it and it is forgotton about.
After going on the Golden last November, we were dissappointed as the menus were exactly the same( every night) The Horizion Court wasnt as good as Golden and the drinks card had gone up to $28 compared to $22 last november, quite a increase. Really annoyed that the staff are on an incentive to sell as many cards on the embarkation day but after that we found the staff quite rude as regards to filling them up as they werent getting any tips.
Overall cabin boy very good but the waiting staff in our restaurant were awful. Even though we were very early in on the first sitting 6.15 on the dot, we failed to get out before 8.10, the waiters were so slow and very disorganised. They only talked to us on the last day when they were looking for extra tips.
Onboard entertainment was ok, but last year there were alo of activites and fun around the pool but nothing this time, in fact we rarely seen the staff at all. The razzamatazz lacked atmosphere and nobody went there. The shows were good but there was too much emphasis on the duo singers, and most of the shows had other good entertainers.
Movies under the Stars - biggest joke going - what a load of rubbish - when you embark you get a set of headphones - none of ours worked and it took 3 days to get replacement batteries. The films were all old and there was no popcorn and all the loungers were wet and very little blankets.
We were wanting to get married on a princess cruise next year and after asking the consultant onboard- she had no ideas about it as the wedding packages were done by outside contractors. Dissappointing that there wasnt one person allocated to know a little about them.
The carribean cruise last year was much better overall and the overall atmosphere on board Sea Princess wasnt impressive. Wouldnt sail on Sea Princess again - was put off buy the reserved english ways - but would definitley recommend the american run ships as they are much more fun and its nice to talk to different people from different backgrounds, nothing against us english.