Unique to Princess

• This was our first cruise with Princess.  We had the impression that Princess might be more formal than others, but did not have that experience.  We packed more “smart casual” attire, but did not find that necessary to blend in (to any formality).
• Instead of the standard “Sea-pass” we received a wearable Medallion device.
• Princess offers a choice of 2 packages, or a la cart.
  • We chose the Princess Package, for $60 per day, per person ($60 x 6 x2 =$720.00).  It included gratuities, wi-fi access for one device each, unlimited beverages (alcohol, coffee, soft drinks and bottled water), room service delivery, a couple “casual dinners” which were very nice restaurant choices, but a step below the specialty restaurants.
    • Note:  The cost has since risen to $65 pp/pd in advance, $70 pp/pd once aboard.  We will choose the Princess Package again, on our next Princess cruise.  Gratuities, beverages and wi-fi purchased individually would easily exceed the combined cost.  We often share one internet access, so having one each was a pleasant upgrade.
  • The Princess Premier (was $90 pp/pd; now $100 and $105 pp/pd) provided all the above, plus unlimited specialty and casual dinners, photos and some excursion credit, along with special seating at shows.  Wi-fi access is bumped up to 4 devices per person.

Cabin Plusses and Minuses - location - February 2025

• #C103 - Forward Starboard (Rightside) - Princess names its decks and abbreviates with a letter.  With 17 decks overall (9 with passenger cabins), we were on the “Caribe” deck, which is #10.  Our cabin was just the second from the extreme forward and therefore had little foot traffic, given the dead-end, except for crew access just beyond.
• The cabin was very quiet, somewhat attributed to having passenger cabins both above and below, insulating us from noise-producing activities.  We saw some neighbors but never heard them.
• The balcony was mostly private, but with a sight line available to our downstairs neighbors, if we stood at the balcony while they were also outdoors.
• The cabin was comfortable and sufficiently spacious, with good closet space.
• The cabin steward was friendly and happy to supply our requests.

Cabin Plusses and Minuses - location - June 2026

• #B338 - Mid-Forward - This is the 11th deck, or “Baja”
• Similar cabin to the previous.  Evenings on the balcony could be noisy due to the proximity to the top deck, but nothing to keep us awake.
• Most notably, the balconies are smaller on the 11th.  Ninth deck balconies are largest, with the slight inconvenience of having overlooking guests from the decks above.  Tenth is probably the sweet spot with more comfortable balcony space, while limiting the overlook.
• The cabin was looking tired, especially the bathroom.  The shower head needed some repair, and the shower curtain was inadequate, accentuating the fact that this was the smallest shower I have experienced  in over 50 cruises.
• Electrical outlets were inadequate.  Our steward brought an extension cord to allow use of the outlet hidden behind the TV (so that was a plus).  We also used the outlet in the bathroom, on occasion.  Otherwise, it was a rotating activity to keep phones and iPads charged, along with using the cruiseship-provided hot water kettle (which ships now provide in order to replace any need for a heating pad).

Crowded?  Kid Friendly?

#1:  The ship never felt crowded.  We only saw children at the family friendly entertainment venues.  Given the month of February as a school month, the number of children was quite limited.  We didn’t notice many child-specific areas or activities.  

#2:  The experience was similar on our second voyage.

Entertainment - February 2025

We were pleased with the many musical offerings.  Our favorite lounge was the Crooners Bar on Deck 7.  It often offered a small jazz band, and great drink service.  Seating was comfortable and plentiful.

The mix of shows was both familiar and unique, including the following:

• A magician with television experience on his resume
• Broadway music from the very experienced “Soul of Broadway”
• ”Sand Art” (see photo below) which was hard to describe beyond:  nothing we’d ever seen before
• Singers, Dancers and Orchestra
• Acrobatic Juggler

Entertainment - June 2026

There were a couple production shows with a very energetic “Born to be Wild” featuring music from my era.  Comedians were pretty good.  Our best choice was always an acoustical set in one of the Deck 7 lounges - there are three in a row, but the sound never bleeds over.  Seating was always good; bar service needed work.

Fitness Center - deck 16 Fwd

• Fortunately (for committed exercisers), not everyone hits the gym while aboard.  The gym is open very early to late.  (4am - 10pm)

Ports

On this trip, we visited Nassau, San Juan and Grand Turk - February 2025

• Nassau - we have stopped in Nassau numerous times, and only walked around the market this time.
• San Juan - this port has a lot of history and can be explored on foot, or by booking one of several excursions.
• Grand Turk - on our first visit to Grand Turk, we enjoyed sitting in the water, in sight of our shoes and bags under a shaded tree in a free seating area.  As you enter the beach area following a short walk from the ship, many entrepreneurs offer lounge chairs and refreshments for a fee.  We walked less than 50 yards to a designated free area.

On our second trip, we visited Nassau, Princess Cays, Dominican Republic and Grand Turk - June 2026

• Nassau
• Princess Cays - requires a tender; not well organized and no appealing (to us) excursions, we remained aboard
• Amber Cove, Dominican Republic
• Grand Turk