My Honest Opinion of Princess Cruises after 200 Days on 6 Princess Ships 🛳️
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- čas přidán 20. 03. 2024
- I have been on 6 Princess Cruises ships for over 200 days! Today I share my honest opinion about what I think of Princess.
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#solocruise #cruising #princesscruises
Due to your recommendation Im taking my first Princess cruise in May transatlantic solo. I did solo on Holland America last year and they didn’t have any solo programs either. I’m coming back from Europe in June on the Queen Mary in 6 days from England to NYC. It will be interesting to compare the 3 cruise lines. I can’t sleep on a plane so I hate those long flights to and from Europe.
I survived cancer and a spinal fusion last year so this is my year to travel while I feel good. I’ve been to 40 countries. Rarely can I find anyone to go with me but I enjoy making new friends on the journey. but Im used to living alone so it’s ok either way.
Thanks for all your interesting videos Kevin!!❤
Awww Im so excited for you. Queen Mary is like my dream ship cruise. Im excited to hear how you like it
Great job of explaining the best part of Princess Cruise Line…still my favorite. I have to agree the Medallion works beautifully.
i love that little thing 😊
I agree. I’ve sailed with 7 different cruise lines and always come back to Princess. In fact, I’ll be on Ruby Princess in a couple of days.
Sweet! See you soon! Im on Ruby until the end of May!
I love the huge writing desk in Princess inside cabins. Some other lines provide the tiniest tray table even in their suites! 📝🧑🏻💻
yeah i love the desk as well
I like Princess cruises. Sky Princess was my favorite. I don't cruise often enough to worry about loyalty levels.
Princess cruises remind me of the old transatlantic ocean liners. I love that cross between modern cruise ships and the grace of the classic ocean liner.
I spent a lot of time on Sky Princess. Really like her. You should try Enchanted ….very similar to Sky.
….what I love about princess is the walnut banana bread. Sooo good with coffee.
i’m going to have to try that! i love banana bread
hopefully you won't be disappointed @@30AndAWakeUp
Kevin, a plane went in one ear and came out the other. 🤣🤣
i was thinking the same thing when i watched the replay
I just booked my first Princess cruise for 2025. Very excited.
I would definitely attend!
344 on NCL ( next week going to do a 7 day Caribbean ) , 760 on RCCL and I am trying Princess B2B for 32 days in July solo. The ❤boat!! ❤ it!
oh wow!!!!! sooo impressive :)
We have 800 plus days on HAL and in my opinion they have a much wider selection of diverse itineraries. We 've recently been sailing more on Princess to experience another cruise line. Two things I've not cared for on Princess are: 1. Self serve buffet and 2. Lack of a forward facing interior public area on all of their ships like HAL's Crow's Nest.
that’s great feedback…i need to try HAL
Yes, to the forward facing public Crows Nest. Unbeatable views, bar, seating and lounging.
Great video! We’ll be on Enchanted Princess in a few weeks & have an early 2025 cruise booked on the new Sun Princess. 😊
nice! i love enchanted
One thing which is probably totally irrelavant to you but might not be for others is - some other brands owned by Carnival which don't have a loyalty program (ie P&O Australia for sure and I think the UK brand as well ) they count as days on Princess towards your number of days.
oh that’s good info for sure 🙏
That medallion seems like a game changer! Way better than a card.
love it
I enjoy your channel, thank you. You and Bram Seas the Day inspired me to try a cruise. I did my first in NCL 11 day transatlantic. My next two are on Prince Ruby 7 days to Alaska and then again the Ruby 16 days to Hawaii. Snuck a look at your previous land based travels and it was entertaining. Thank you for sharing your journey with us and your experience and insights.
what alaska cruise are you on. i’m on Ruby till 21 May
I used to watch love boat and that's what got me yearning to do a cruise. I didn't end up doing my first cruise until 2022 but love them now :) we have now been on 3 cruises and have 1 booked for today and 3 more booked between now and 2026 :)
today!!’ awesome! enjoy!!!
Virgin voyage is my all time favorite cruise line. I’m heading on a transatlantic on virgin next month. They use a wristband with a chip that is similar to princess.
i really need to try Virgin….Ive heard some great things
@@30AndAWakeUp they have a cool thing on board and it’s called shake for champagne where you open their app on your phone and simple shake you phone and someone will deliver a bottle of Dom to you wherever you are on the ship. I did that on my last cruise and it worked. Costs $95 but it was fun and tasty!
My grandparents were avid cruisers, I don’t even know how many. I got to go on my first cruise on the Regal Princess with my Grandma in 1993 after my Grandpa passed & she still wanted to go. I was hooked! I’ve also been on Celebrity, Carnival & Holland America, but always drawn back to Princess. Now I think I understand why😉, thanks for the great video.
awe that is awesome
Hi Kevin, love your videos, I am glad you are doing all this cruising so young ... my sisters and I have Platinum level with Princess Cruises, when we cruised 28 days with MSC last year (one of the best cruises I have ever done, staff fantastic, food great) MSC recognised our Princess level of Platinum and made us Gold. Sadly Princess Cruises does not recognise MSC to add to our cruising points ....do not understand this as being an Australian we believe in a fair go .... if one cruise line can acknowledge the points and the benefits that go along with it, why does another not. Anyway, not a whinger, just don't understand. Make the most of your cruising life while you can. Warmest regards, Beth
Thanks, Beth!
Love the casino but hate that smoking is allowed there. Used to spend a lot of money there but sadly no more.
so this one is actually well ventilated…i’m allergic to smoke and had no issue
@@30AndAWakeUp I will be on the Enchanted so hope it will be good as I have seen a lot of complaints about that particular ship.
Please provide an update. Thanks.
Cool information! As a solo cruiser I've always ignored Princess because they don't have solo staterooms and never seem to offer solo deals. But I did a ten-day solo cruise a couple of years ago, and I didn't realize until this video that I got credit for 2 cruises! Cool!
check out cruise plum search engine…lots of cheap solo cruises
@@30AndAWakeUp I've had that as a pinned tab on my browser ever since I saw it mentioned in your video! :)
Great video, do you see yourself experiencing the new class ships of Princess? From watching your videos seems like you enjoy the older ships more.
i do like the older but would love to try Sun!
Great video! Thanks for the valuable information.
thanks for watching and subbing 🙏
Congrats on hitting 200 days!
🙇♂️ty ty
Alaskan Cruise line didn't really like having a Disabled person on it. 2013, I spent most of the week trapped in the cabin. Not allowed out. Rest of family enjoy it.
That was my first time on a cruise.
aww that’s terrible… that doesn’t seem to be the case now
@@30AndAWakeUp: my second trip up there was on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. 7 days up. Dropped off at Petersburg AK. Then took a plane home. We each had a room.
I got a tour of the ship; being intrigued by the ship.
Great information! Thank you so much!!
Thanks for watching! 🙏
One cruise on Royal Caribbean, two cruises on Holland America. This coming fall we will do a trans pacific on Crown Princess, San Francisco to Auckland, followed by two princess cruises in Australia. We are really looking forward to experiencing Princess, especially the Medallion and the comfy beds.
Nice! That will be an awesome one!!!
Great advice. Thanks
thanks! 🙏
I have 10 cruises with Princess, with 2 more booked on the Ruby for April 2025. I've also been on NCL, HAL and Crystal. Princess is my favorite.
I’m on Ruby for an other 60 days. Love this ship 🚢
We just got back from our first Princess Cruise. Was NOT impressed. It was a Sunday to Sunday, out of ft Lauderdale. Pros, closet space, and the medallion and with drink package we both got internet. I have to point out this was an older ship.
Cons: There is only one outlet to plug in electronics. We had to unplug the TV to plug in our other device.
Lack of communication, they totally ignored us. Staff never said hello or was friendly. We thought it was just a couple of staff, nope, it was the entire staff the entire week. I noticed no life jackets for the little kids at the pool. Parents brought their own. No life guards for the kids. (We did not have kids) it was my observation. We like to sit down at the group table and get to know other passengers. Again, staff showed up, took our orders, dropped it off, and left. We had to hunt them down to get coffee. Staff stood there chit, chatting with each other. No staff at the pool asking if you would like a drink. So we had to get up and get our own. And was totally ignored by the bartender. We had to get their attention. We were standing there. I can go on and on. I was not impressed with the food either. I was standing at the bar trying to get a drink and was talking to another passenger. She said this was the worse princess cruise she ever took and not to judge this cruise with other princess ships. That gave me hope!
appreciate the feedback and sucks you had a bad experience
I’ve never been on a cruise but here I am watching every video you have about them. Great information for if and when I do take my first cruise!!
haha I do the same thing…appreciate you watching 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Princess used to have great deals on drinks during happy hour. Also you could order a six pack of beer or half bottles of booze to your room for very reasonable cost. I wonder if those things still exist.
unfortunately no 😢
Thanks Kevin for the info....Getting on Regal Princess Sunday for 12 days out of Galveston...had to cancel my Hawaii trip on Crown because of illness very disappointed....hopefully I can feel better for this cruise....Thanks for the fun Bruh
hope you’re feeling better!!!!
@@30AndAWakeUp thanks
Good morning. Thank you!
thanks for watching 🙏
Hi Kevin thanks for sharing
You bet! 👍 🙏
They used to have a coffee card about a year or so ago! I am surprised they didn’t bring them back!
agree
Princesss is my favourite cruise line after over 50 cruises on various cruise lines. 👍👍
mine too
Wow, look at the color of the water, wow! And you still answer all of the comments 😊
I do!
Sold! Princess it is. Congratulations on your milestones.
haha…well don’t just take my word for it! :) All the cruise lines are a little different….some like them better. It’s really about finding the one that fits your personality.
Good morning from Florida ! 😊 haven’t started cruising yet on any ship yet will do so as soon as i am able
Hi Deborah! i hope life back in the mainland is treating you well!
I’m so happy to see that Princess is getting their kudos. I’m a solo traveler and I have 4 booked for 2024. I made elite very quickly
It really is a great line for solos but most solo cruisers don’t know about it.
I hope to see and meet you on the Ruby in the next few days. We embark tomorrow.
absolutely!
The loyalty on Princess is certainly wonky. I’m elite but seems it took me forever to get there. I was on the 2023 WC and should have turned elite ½ way thru but because I didn’t book segments I booked the entire world cruise I didn’t get credited until the cruise was over. So no perks for more than ½ the cruise where I think i should have. The laundry benefits would have been good. I always travel
Solo and always cruise with princess.
yeah, that is a flaw for sure…they should recalculate every individual cruise connected with your world cruise
Heading back on Princess next!☺️
yay!!!
We’ve just disembarked from the Ruby this morning. Saw you a couple of times and really wanted to say ‘hi’ but didn’t want to intrude since it was usually during the morning when you were getting your steps in. Thank you for making cruising on the Ruby simpler for this first timer and her wee family, and hope you keep enjoying the next part of the adventure!
awww you should have said hi! wouldn’t have disturbed me at all
I'll be in Aruba for my 1st time late April on RC from Colón to FLL. Can't wait
It’s gorgeous!
First time watcher. I am in the same boat as you. I loved Saturday nights at my grandmother’s house watching loveboat. She never got to go on a cruise but I’m sure she would have been thrilled to see me enjoying the cruise line we used to watch. ❤
Yeah, I feel the same about my grandparents! Say hi if you see me walking around!
Nostalgia!!
I hear ya -- I think I must have been 9 or 11 at the time, and had the hotts for Vicki Stubbing, Lol. Enough that I remember it still today. You make some great points, including a few I hadn't realized, like the diverse combinations of routes and destinations as well as solo prices.
I think they eliminated coffee passes so that people will spend more on alcohol, maybe --- betting it's just more profitable for them if folks do that instead.
Cheers!...from North Vancouver
yeah that makes sense about the coffee cards. I’ll be sailing out of Vancouver soon!
🎉 congrats on the first 200 days!!! Thanks for sharing your memories at your grandparent's home!
Did you notice a plane landed at and departed from your ear?
haha…I did later when I watched!
Thanks for another great video. Question: Are you planning to publish your westbound transatlantic cruise video on Enchanted princess? We have not done a transatlantic cruise so far and are debating which direction we should hop on. We enjoyed your eastbound video, but looking forward to the westbound one .
no…i took that cruise with my mother and focused my attention on spending time with her. i’m sorry 😢
Hey Kevin, great video. I want to say I was surprised to find out that on the Princess Cruise/Land Tour you only get sea days for the cruise. I thought we would get sea days for the land days too. It was still Princess, we stayed at the Princess lodges. And, on the land tour there is no food provided for you…it’s all on you. FYI
I too, love the technology on Princess ships.
awww that sucks…..I would think you would!
Great video & great points - Couldn’t agree more
In FACT - we took the same Princess Panama Canal cruise in February’24
Amazing
Nice!
Princess should provide “meet-ups” for CZcamsrs - would have been great to have met you and all others providing content
We have a 2 night cruise booked for 2026 on the crown Princess ❤ it'll be our first Princess Cruise. :) im really excited for that cruise as we have purchased the princess premier package, we have never got anything like this before, so im very excited for it ❤❤
i like that class of ship
221 days on Carnival since 1995, 21 on RCCL and 7 on NCL. All 6-, 7- or 8-day cruises in the Caribbean except 12 days in the Med. It is by far our favorite way to take a vacation.
very cool
Great video Kevin! I agree with your comments about the lack of a coffee card. I always used to get that. The drink packages don’t make sense for us either. Connie doesn’t drink at all and at most I would have 2 drinks a day (and not every day). The best thing about being Elite (we made that last year) is the free laundry! They do a great job.
yeah it is great. not sure if you know but if you want to do your laundry yourself, you can go to guest services and the give elite passengers tokens for the laundry machines so they are free as well
@@30AndAWakeUp thanks for letting us know about that, Kevin. We weren’t aware of that. Connie likes to do some of her laundry herself, so we’ll definitely take advantage of that.
Steve
Looking at Princess to continue feeding my newly acquired cruise addiction esp after MSC totally destroyed my previous loyalty to them. Nice to know about the solo double credit thing! Thanks
yeah, it’s an easy loyalty program to top out in for sure
Suite pax get 3 credits as solo
nice!!!!!! so if you’re in a suite solo for 5 cruises…you’re elite!
So agree about the coffee card.
🙏🙏🙏
I was only on one carnival cruise and disliked it. You are making me rethink this. thanks!
each cruise line has its own feel
So many great tips here. I’m a solo cruiser going on my first Princess cruise later this year. I don’t know about the sailing days and cruise credits for solos. Thank you so much for sharing all the information about solo cruising on Princess! ❤❤❤
Sweet!!! What ship?
@@30AndAWakeUp I’m sailing Sun Princess on October 14th. I’ll be solo and it will be my 1st Princess ship. Trying to do start now to learn more about their policies, procedures, perks, etc. 😊
@@SIGCruiser Wow! Sun! That will be awesome!
@@30AndAWakeUp I hope so. I'm excited about it!
Thank you, I just did my 2nd cruise with casino (from Las Vegas)with free interior cabin, Princess Casino has been sending the same offer, I think I’ll do my 3rd and subsequent cruises with Princess Casino offers.
Very cool!
Hi Kevin, It looks like you may be on the Ruby to Hawaii April 14th that my friend and I will be on. If, so, I will watch for you...Lynn
I will be on that one!
I love your show. I am new to it but am a member. I will soon be a solo traveler, keep up the great work. Have you been to Latvia?
Not yet! But I really want to visit.
Great video. Heading out on Emerald Princess the last week of April for 10 days. Tried a few Celebrity cruises and was less than impressed.
i’ve never been on Emerald
I LOVE celebrity!
Ì have 214 days on Royal Caribbean. Currently have 3 cruises booked on Princess and can't wait to try them out!
very cool
👍🤩💝Fantastic info. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙏
Agree about the coffee card.
other than the sucky solo program it’s my biggest complaint
Great Video
ty 🙏
I agree with you on adding levels- but as I finally made platinum hope they don’t take perks for platinum and move it up to elite etc. I have been on 12 lines for 35 cruises growing to love Princess
keep the perks for existing levels and add more for the new levels 😊
Love you are on Ruby for so long as we cruise on her for first time in April 2025 on pacific coastal cruise round trip from San Francisco stopping at Astoria, Seattle and Vancouver
that’s the cruise I do in about 3 weeks! i’m so excited for it
Have you done a transpacific cruise? Slow traveler heading to Asia from USA west coast@@30AndAWakeUp
Agree about the love boat we went on our first cruise in 1979 because of the love boat
very cool!
Love the Love Boat!
me too and all episodes are available to watch on Princess ships
One of my favorite cruise in Princess, asides of Cunard and Royal Caribbean, I did about 26 cruises
very cool….i need to try Cunard
It is worth mentioning in a future video if you discuss Cruise Plum again - that site is only relevant if you are from the United States or Canada. If you are from anywhere else you won't be able to find any cruises at all because it requires you to select either the US or Canada first as your country of citizenship.
that’s fair but lots of the cruises you find can be purchased in other countries….maybe not at the exact price but close. or at least that is the feedback I’ve received from european friends
Love that Princess reminds you of your Grandparents!
☺️
You are doing exactly what I would like to do... but I have had trouble figuring out how to plan a bunch of back to back cruises so that I can not be stuck in a region during peak season... but also how far in advance do you book cruises? I'm concerned about the tension between getting the best price and booking ahead--- because who knows when something will mess with your plans? If I have to fly back to the states for a funeral and I have 14 cruises booked up, it could get messed up.
Check out my vid on how I find cheap cruises. There is a website called Cruise Plum and it’s a search engine like google. It’s great for planning but cause you have so many ways to view the data. It’s what I use. I usually book my cruises a couple months before. As far as canceled trips go, you can get trip insurance or get a travel credit card that refunds you for that kind of thing.
I have 248 days on Princess. See you in 17 days!
I loved seeing Greg on the video! Have you seen him since?
Yay! I haven’t seen Greg since but Im sure him and his wife are on one of the ships somewhere! They usually cruise the Pacific stuff…so I bet they’re over in Australia or something.
Great video, Kevin - thanks! I know your casino video and how you got your "free" bookings. Do you ever go back in the casino now to show them you are still putting money into the machines? Or are your gambling days done, thus the end of that 'hack' coming to an end as you suggested in this video?
Yep, I mentioned in that video that I use all my free play, anything i win with the free play and any onboard credit I have left over a few days before the end of the cruise.
all hover-arounds to the dance floor, stretcher crew to the casino !!!
🙌🙌🙌
I did two Princess cruises on Discovery last year that were 80s themed - so much fun! They don’t seem to be doing that any more which is unfortunate. I agree that they have untapped solo potential!
i’d love to be on an 80s themed cruise!!!
204 days is almost equivalent to 1 Navy sea deployment. Easy money for you Kev. Thanks for another great video.
haha..i never thought about it that way…but yea!!! haha
We cruise consistently between Royal, Princess and Carnival so we dont grow our cruise loyalty points very quickly. Interesting re: casino - never ever think of Princess in terms of casino - will have to go look at your other video! :)
they definitely have the best casino benefits
Good morning Kevinnnn
hi! 👋
Sorry Kevin, just another quick point I noted, the benefits of Princess Cruises loyalty program is less than it was previously. Talking about the love boat, my sister and I were departing a port in New Zealand, there was another Princess boat in port, and our ship played the Love Boat theme, what a pity the younger ones on the cruise did not appreciate it.
I love the ones that can play the theme with their horn! :)
My favorite cruise line is Celebrity. Princess has really gone down in many ways, food quality, taking benefits away, increasing prices for many things. I have 558 days with Princess but decided no more for me.
understand for sure
I am looking forward to my first Princess Cruise in Sep 2024.
yay!! what ship?
Regal Princess
Sorry, I meant Royal Princess
Can you upgrade your free cruise to balcony or inside. Enjoy your content
You can bid to upgrade.
One thing you didn't mention but really bugged me is those Royal-class ships have the whole front of the ship off limits and the promenade deck is limited. Few years back when those ships first came out I went to a talk on board with one of the engineers that worked at Princess and he talked about how they had made a tradeoff in the design for that.
Yeah, Im on Ruby now with a promenade deck and prefer that.
I love your honesty when talking about Princess...hopefully they will listen and take your suggestions to heart!! Really cool tracking system and door opening medallion...love it! Cruise on my friend!!
ty ty 🙏🙏😎
Their coffee pass was $30 for I think 10 coffees and you could carry the card over to your next cruise. I still have one in my dresser. Yes, they should bring this back!
Yeah, that’s my one big complaint is they got rid of that. They definitely need to bring it back.
Question about coffee card: Wouldn't the Plus package with wifi and tips cover enough coffees to make it as good or better a deal than you got with the card?
nah..the math still doesn’t work for me
Favorite cruise line is princess
me too
I think this might be the thing I was looking for. I’m looking to sell my condo. I work online. I’m kind of an empty nester these days.
And I love to travel.
i really enjoy it…search for super mario. he’s been working remotely from cruise ships for a long time
Can't you use your onboard credit for your coffee cards? How are you doing your laundry?
yes i can. princess has send away laundry and self serve laundry mats
If you are still on the Ruby, say HI to Felix at the bar:)
which bar 😊
Princess is currently my favorite, but I do want to try Virgin Voyages. I currently have 28 cruises for 113 days on Princess, 7 cruises for 36 days on Carnival, 1 cruise for 6 days on Royal Caribbean, and 1 cruise for 1 day on Holland America.
Yeah, I want to try Virgin as well. I love that it’s adults only.
we've been on Princess and Virgin. Won't go back to Virgin. Not as great as it would seem.
after viewing few virgin videos not for me. It's more like young adults I'm 58 so not my thing.
Actually Virgin has quite a diverse customer base. I thought it would be all younger adults but that is actually not true. While those are the people you see in the deck party videos, there are lots of older adults as well.
My favorite as a solo has been ncl. However my last cruise in April on Encore has made me change my mind. Too many drunks, in addition I was staying in a solo cabin saw a little girl alone the studio lounge using the espresso machine. I called security, had a bunch of teenagers as well in the studio lounge. They were rowdy and screaming called security again. Now I'm looking in princess and Holland
Actually a world cruise would be multiple cruises in some because there broken down in segments!
true
It’s hard to remember every detail when your recording I get it I’m not trying to show you up just clarifying. You have great information and got me solo cruising. See you on board!
We have sailed with Princess numerous times. We are platinum members. We usually get the drink package, but no more! On our last cruise Princess would not honor the drink package until they were so many miles out to sea. This would happen around 6 p.m. We has been on the ship since 12. Until that time you were expected pay for ALL DRINKS. Soft drinks, bottled water, specialty coffees, cocktails, etc. I was livid. So guess what Princess? You won’t be able to rip us off again with your “drink package”.
yeah there are different laws that come into play based on which state you’re pulling out of
Yes, that is something that all the cruise lines have to deal with, quite irritating, a major drawback to embarking in Galveston, though there are other embarkation ports that have this rule as well.
Just got off the Coral doing a circumnavigation of Australia. Hubby and I love to play blackjack but unfortunately the casino was dead. There never seemed to be anyone playing when we walked through. Apparently Australians aren’t big gamblers and the ship was predominantly Australians and also super seniors. Needless to say we hardly played in our 26 days and our hope of scoring a casino discount probably won’t happen. Fortunately the times we did play we walked away winners!!
sometimes when there is no one playing…it’s easier to score the free cruise deals cause you’re the only ones gambling
Thanks! We'll see how it goes. Happy cruising!
Like you, i was lucky enough to get some free cruises from the casino and will be taking several over the next 12 months. Did they still credit you for 2 cruises as a solo, even on "comped" cruises?
yes you still get the double cruise credits for being solo
@@30AndAWakeUp awesome to hear! Thanks!
A solo Solo meet-up? 😆
haha..it happens