Why Should You Cruise On Princess?

Julie and I have cruised on Princess so frequently that it seems self-evident that I endorse the line, but why should you cruise on Princess?

While we enjoy the warm, welcoming ambiance on the beautiful ships, what has brought us back to cruise with Princess so frequently comes down to their itineraries, and it's not surprising that surveys of travel agents and travelers regularly award Princess for Best Itineraries in most regions. 

Princess happens to go where we want to go, and they do so at very competitive pricing.

Princess pioneered Mexican Riviera cruises when they began 50 years ago, and from late September to May, they have ships cruising regularly to the region, including introductory 3 and 4 night voyages.

They recently began mixing in some 7 night California coastal cruises that make a stop in Ensenada as their international port.  California is a beautiful, diverse state, and this cruise makes it easy for people from all over the world to visit places like San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Francisco, but it has also proven to be very popular with West Coast residents.  Princess also does Mexican Riviera and California Coastal cruises from San Francisco, plus repositioning "wine cruises" along the coast on the shoulders of the Alaska season.

Another popular cruise from the West Coast is their two week Hawaii cruise, which now embarks from San Francisco and Vancouver as well as Los Angeles.  Every now and then, Princess has an extended month-long voyage that takes you round trip to Tahiti by way of Hawaii, or repositions all the way from Australia to California by way of Tahiti and Hawaii (or the reverse).

As you can tell, for people on the West Coast, Princess gives us wonderful opportunities to cruise from close to home from fall through spring.  I wish they kept Carnival company during the summer months, but at least they stay focused on the West Coast, with the largest fleet deployment in Alaska, including sensational cruise tours that take you to gorgeous Denali and beyond.

Princess also traditionally does more Panama Canal cruises than any other line.

Yes, with those cruises alone, Princess would be popular with Californians like me, but they go all over the world, with terrific itineraries everywhere, including the Caribbean, where despite also leaving the region for summer they have been re often ranked number 2 in itineraries.

Princess does a terrific job in Europe, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Japan, other parts of Asia, South America and Canada/New England, too.

The Princess fleet covers the world more completely than any other cruise line, and besides providing all the comforts and entertainment you would expect on a fine cruise, they have a terrific education program on board, so that when you visit a region, you have the opportunity to learn more about it while cruising between ports.  As is obvious to anyone who reads my blog, I find the history of regions give depth to the vacation experience that makes the sites more vibrant and memorable.  Having tried many ocean cruises, I haven't found one that has the consistently high quality of Princess regional experts sharing information on board.

Does Princess do everything great?  For the most part, yes, but of course some cruise lines will have their own specialties that make them superior choices for some people.  And I have to say there are some chinks in the armor, too. 

Because Princess attracts the same guests again and again, their cruises sometimes fall prey to the madness of crowds.  By that I mean that people who found they could arrive early and get the best seat begin showing up earlier and earlier, to the point where a nighttime showroom event, dinner or pub lunch might have a line forming outside 15 to 30 minutes or more before the doors open.  The same people hold preferred lounge chairs with towels early in the morning, even though they may not sit there until afternoon, if at all.  In short, despite the fact that there is actually plenty to go around, the guests themselves make it reminiscent of bread lines in a communist country, where they might actually starve if they don't get in line early.

That situation has been compounded by open dining for half the guests, with too many people often deciding the same show time works best for them so that they can squeeze in all the other events on board.  Plus, as the ships get bigger and are filled with experienced cruisers who love to do all the events, crowds will congregate at popular venues.  That being said, there are lots of places where you can relax with alternative entertainment instead of trying to jockey for a seat in the most popular one.

Lest I be incomplete on my madness of crowds whining, I will also mention that during our transpacific crossing on the roundtrip Hawaii cruise, we found it frustrating to watch a movie on the large screen by the pool, not because of kids being loud but because of senior citizens rudely yelling about their plumbing problems in New Jersey so they could be heard over the movie, which to them was apparently only background noise.

I write that not to complain, because quite honestly none of that madness of crowds is sufficient to stop me from choosing Princess again, especially because I am enough of a contrarian to understand how to avoid the crowds to have a better time, but as a voice asking Princess and other mainstream cruise passengers to start acting like leisure travelers rather than cattle.

As I said, Princess itself does everything well, with delicious meals, dynamic entertainment and a wonderful menu of daily happenings.  Their optional shore excursions regularly win awards.

Value wise, it is hard to beat Princess, whether you book early or wait for a last minute deal.  As with all cruise lines, Princess has been front-loading cruises with on board credits, reduced price air and other sweeteners, combined with reduced deposits, to get prospects to commit early, but when it gets down to 3 to 6 weeks before the cruise, they may be the most aggressive in filling their ships through "flash" promotions.

As I've often said, however, waiting for a last minute deal rarely seems to work out, unless it just happens organically, suddenly finding yourself with a hankering to travel at the same time you notice a couple of free weeks on the calendar a month away.  For most of us, events already on the calendar make us their slaves, unless we make the plan months in advance and the cruise gets a priority position around which the other appointments must compensate.

When you're ready for a cruise, don't be surprised if Princess pops into my recommendations, because their itineraries and deals always seem to jump out at me.

In the mean time, you undoubtedly noticed that I added lots of videos so you can explore the world from your easy chair.

Pick the one that intrigues you most and dream.  That's the first step in getting there.

"Better service leads to better trips!"