Princess has been around for more than 50 years, and for many of us, they were our first introduction to “cruise life”. When we book a Princess Cruise, we know that we’ll have a great time, with a combination of activities and relax time that fits our vacation style.
Here I’ll review some of the best reasons to cruise with Princess, and what we enjoy. Hopefully, this will give you a good idea of what to expect if you’re considering booking a Princess Cruise.
Things We Love About Princess
Elegant Cruise Ships
Princess ships are so elegant. A few years ago we took our first cruise on the Ruby Princess to Alaska, and I can honestly say that was the most beautiful ship we’ve cruised on.
Now we haven’t been on every ship in the world, but let me tell you the Ruby Princess was magnificent. We loved the glamorous brass, crystal, and glass highlights found throughout the Piazza. Beyond the Piazza, there’s attention to detail on the pool decks and lounges, and other public spaces. Princess just has really beautiful cruise ships.
The Piazza
While other cruise lines have atriums, Princess Cruises has a Piazza. This center area in the middle interior of the ship houses bars, shops, guest services, and casual restaurants.
What makes it unique, is that it takes on a bit of the “center of everything” feel. This is where you can sit and meet others for a coffee or glass of wine. You can also see one of the many entertainers that will perform there throughout the week.
The Piazza is one of our favorite places to sit and relax on a Princess Cruise.
Whether we want to sit and watch one of the game-show style contests, dance to an amazing live band, or just sit and read while drinking coffee on a sea day – the Piazza is the place to be on a cruise ship.
Plus, the Piazza houses the well-loved International Cafe, an included restaurant on Princess cruises. At the International Cafe, you’ll find quick breakfast options, as well as lunch, snacks, and delicious desserts. Unfortunately, the coffee at International Cafe is not included, however, you can purchase a beverage package or opt for Princess Plus, which includes the Premium beverage package.
Ship Cabin Design
The cruise cabin layout might be the most practical reason to love cruising with Princess. While not the largest or most luxurious staterooms in the industry, they have a practical spacious design.
When you enter the cabin, there’s a separate area that includes your washroom and an open closet area, sectioned off from the main bedroom by the closet wall. There’s both shelving and loads of space for hanging clothes. Plus, 2 full-length mirrors.
I don’t like living out of a suitcase and prefer to hang my clothes. Princess allows plenty of room for both clothes and shoes. Even an over-packer, such as we sometimes are, will find that this alleviates some of the cruise packing stress.
The Food
In our opinion, Princess has some of the best food at sea. We particularly like that we could balance between the options of casual, dining room, or room service at our discretion.
From the International Cafe in the Piazza to the pizza by the pool, and everything in between. The food is absolutely fabulous!
There are even special food experiences, that are included with your cruise fare, such as the British Pub Lunch on sea days. I particularly look forward to the fish and chips during our cruises.
Movies Under the Stars
Princess Cruises was the originator of the Movies Under the Stars® experience. Many cruise ships today have copied the concept and also have a big screen by the pool but, in my opinion, Princess does outdoor movies so much better than the others.
Princess makes Movies Under the Stars is an experience. The pool deck is transformed at night and lounge chairs are covered with Movies Under the Stars chair coverings. Cozy blankets are provided, popcorn is ready, plus there’s fantastic pizza within arm’s reach.
Watching a movie on the pool deck under the stars is a great entertainment option for one of the theater shows or if you’re not up to going to the disco.
You should give it a try on your Princess cruise; you just might discover it to be one of your favorite cruise ship activities.
MedallionClass
As Princess Cruises return to service, all ships in the fleet are now MedallionClass, which means, no matter which cruise you take, you will have the MedallionClass convenience with the option for MedallionNet.
The MedallionClass is a wearable disk that replaces the cruise card and adds a lot more convenience to the cruise experience. Plus it helps you to stay connected with the people you’re traveling with.
On top of this, there’s an entertainment component to MedallionClass in interactive games, interesting original programming, as well casino games.
MedallionNet (Cruise Ship Internet)
Princess Cruises has updated the technology on all of its ships which greatly enhanced internet connectivity that is fast, reliable, and reasonably priced. If you’re a cruiser, you know how this seemed impossible just a couple of years ago.
Lido Deck and Pools
Okay, I’m going to be honest; we are not “pool people”. We are lucky to live in Hawaii so we never find ourselves lacking sunshine.
But not everyone is so lucky and realizes one of the things people really love when they cruise is the pool and deck space. If you love relaxing by the pool then you are going to love the gorgeous Princess pools. Whether it’s one of the main pools where you can hear while drinking Pina Coladas or one of the spa pools, they are awesome.
Most Princess Cruises’ ships have 3-4 pools, and ample deck chairs all along the lido and top decks. If you enjoy your sea days by the pool, you’ll love cruising with Princess.
Princess Value
We believe that vacations and travel experiences are important and meaningful. When planning vacations we always look at the overall value. When it comes to cruises, Princess isn’t always the cheapest option; but for us, we always feel we are getting more than our money’s worth for our vacation dollars.
Princess Cruises offers a lot included in their cruise fare that other cruise companies charge extra for. If you are like us, not fans of “nickel and dime”, I think you will appreciate Princess Cruises’ value.
- Room service, for instance, is included with Princess. We love this little luxury that can actually be super convenient on port days, romantic dinners for two, and even for late-night snacks.
- Fair shore excursion pricing. One thing you do not want to do is skimp on shore excursions and experiences. This doesn’t mean that you should never have ‘do it yourself’ excursions in a port when you can, or that you shouldn’t sometimes use a local tour operator. But Princess Cruises offers shore excursions that are fun, educational, and very reasonably priced. And, if you do find the same excursion with another tour operator online for less, Princess has a Best Shore Excursion Price Guarantee and will actually match the lower price and refund you an additional 10% of the difference as an Onboard Credit (OBC).
- Captains Circle Program. Princess Cruises has a very generous loyalty program with some of the best perks for returning passengers. From past passenger discounts even in early membership tiers, growing to free internet minutes, free mini-bar, and complimentary laundry services at higher tiers.
Friendly Crew
Finally, this probably goes without saying, but the Princess Cruises’ crews are friendly and accommodating. It’s nice to be on vacation and really feel so taken care of. Every crew member we encounter on our cruises is genuinely friendly and they do everything in their power to make us feel valued.