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Princess Cruises
Sun Princess, Dawn Princess, Golden Princess, etc...Reviewer Photos & Videos
StuartSydney, NSW
- 17 reviews
Nice ship but standards slipping
We booked an 8 night cruise from Sydney to Melbourne, Hobart then back to Sydney. Boarding was easy and painless, about the best cruise line we have experienced for this. The ship is new, clean and despite it's large size it never seemed crowded or that big. There is a large central atrium with 3 surrounding levels. There are a selection of various shops on the top level, restaurants on the middle level and bars and a cafe at the bottom with guest services as well. The top level (deck 7) in the atrium extends forward and back through the entire...Read more
ship. The princess theatre where the main shows are presented is on one level and too small for a ship of this size. Not enough seats and non existent bar service, so get there early and take your own drink. There is a large lounge (Vista Gaming) at the rear of the ship where other shows are presented. Shows were typical cruise fare and standard- OK. We occupied ourselves with the regular trivia events which are great way to meet with people. The male entertainment crew member was a misery. Speciality restaurants- the Crown Grill steak house is good,the Harmony Chinese restaurant is certainly not for everyone. The normal restaurants were fine and the World Fresh Marketplace buffet is as you would expect-very busy. Food quality was good but variety not so good- very little daily change in the buffet. We selected anytime dining and met some entertaining fellow travellers from all over the world. Compared with other cruise lines and a previous Princess cruise, I did not find the crew generally that friendly this time. The dining room service could be slow, not sure if this is due to less staff? The lifts were always busy and pretty slow. Beer prices are not too bad but spirits and cocktails are too high. We had a day at Port Arthur which was the brilliant and this was accessed by tender- well organised and quick when we went. At the other ports we did our our own excursions. The cabin was a reasonable size, comfy bed, large TV, big walk-in wardrobe leading to a bathroom. Always kept clean by Rodrigo. Air-conditioning was efficient. The balcony was very small as usual and not used. Disembarking was also very quick- brilliant.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
NicoleGreater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
Pending trip with coronavirus in Singapore
I am totally gobsmacked that Princess Cruises will not allow a full refund for passengers leaving Singapore on 23/2/2020 considering Singapore is the next country outside China with the most cases with Coronavirus. It would be great Customer Relations if the cruise company gave us a credit on another cruise rather than forfeiting our monies as we all have lives to come back to, rather than risk another cruise ship in quarantine. My husband and I have many years of retirement to look forward to and cruising was to be a big part of our holidays with Princess however based on their uncaring policy, we will be using other cruise liners such as Cunard who are being responsible and diverting their ships away from Singapore.
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SteveJGreater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 3 reviews
Not Majestic at all
I’m not even sure where to begin with this review as I’ve never felt compelled to leave such negative feedback about a cruise, let alone whilst I’m still on the ship!
A bit about me first, I’m 31 and considered ‘quite young’ to be passionate about cruising however this most recent cruise (which I am still currently onboard) Majestic Princess is my 9th cruise in all, 4th on Princess. Other lines I’ve enjoyed time with have included Cunard, Holland America & Royal Caribbean. I consider myself a ship enthusiast, I love the history of passenger s...Read more
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LynettePerth, WA
Was a horrible smell in our cabin and on deck
Smell in cabin on boarding and then still there the hole 4 days cabin staff were told and the purser office the only thing they did was spray air freshener and tell us it came from the port that we had just left
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Davo
- 9 reviews
Don’t waste your time contacting a Princess Holiday Planner or you may miss the cruise you want.
Don’t waste your time contacting a Princess Holiday Planner or you may miss the cruise you want. My wife and myself returned from a Princess Cruise in December. Early January, I received a Welcome Home email from a Princess Travel Planner. Three days later I replied to the Princess Travel Planner seeking information on 2 cruises back to back which occur around our wedding anniversary in nine months time. The prices advertised on the Princess site and the cabin available were good. It is now thirteen days since my email, with no reply and cabin ...Read more
availability disappearing with prices increasing. Two days ago, I contacted Princess Cruises via email, receiving an automated reply saying it may be up to 5 days before they reply; at which time all suitable cabins will most likely have disappeared. I refuse to pay the increased prices because Princess Cruises failed to get back in contact with me within an appropriate time frame. This is the second time that a Princess Travel Planner has failed to reply to a future cruise inquiry. We have only travelled Princess Cruises and have over 80 days sailing with them and have generally been very happy with their service. My advice is if you see a good price on the Princess Website, book it online as you may miss out on your cruise or be forced to pay extra costs, if you wait for a reply from Princess. From previous posts it appears that Princess do not respond well to emails. If I do not receive a reply today I will spend my money elsewhere for our anniversary and seriously consider not sailing with Princess again.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
jmichael d'angeloGreater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 7 reviews
love princess but follow up on billing error is horrible
have been trying for several months to clean up a billing error made by them. keep getting run around and no solution or call backs as promised. NOT HAPPY! they need to do betterr
1 comment
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RobPerth, WA
- 3 reviews
Poor After Sales
Trying to get replies from emails is extremely poor. I was sent a copy of my payment confirmation but am unable to download it to print. Have sent reservations 3 emails asking to resend but one replies. Once they have your money no one seems to care
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Never again
Travelled to N.Z. had our money stolen first day cabin searched like we were the thieves. Security rude. Confined to cabin sick last 4 days . Hygiene lacking at mealtime after first couple of days.
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BarbieGreater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
no more golden princess trip
Travelled on Golden princess before but this time was not good. Entertainment for teenagers but most persons were pensioners. We walked out on two shows. Hannah Howie was very good.
Food for gluten free person was not good hardly any choice. Never going again.
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RobPerth, WA
- 3 reviews
CONCERNED
Paid a deposit for cruise next year and received a final notice of the payment date with the wrong amount of deposit paid in their favour.
Have emailed them a copy of the receipt showing what I have paid a few days ago and still waiting for them to adjust with the correct amount.
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challissydney
- 11 reviews
- 10 likes
very nice cruise 1st timer ruby princess
1st princess cruise in 8 years,felt like stepping into a luxury hotel.
whats not to like?
a abscence of kids is nice,pools are heated ,movies under the stars,exellent sound and screen,
food aplenty,cafe coffee better than any sydney cafe,without the attitude
get a coffee card for 15 first day
never bored,only a 6 nighter.shows are so so,good dancers,but themes are all over the place,,dancing camels,zorba the greek morphs into disco...
seen small seals swimming off the coast,dolphins
cabin mini suite-club class perks for me.worth every cent
ho...Read more
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Grandpa.Ears
- 7 reviews
Cost cutting taking its toll ...
Wine is still insanely expensive, e.g. $AUD15+ for a glass. It was cheaper to drink cocktails. I don't really mind having to pay $AUD50+ per bottle (Princess has to make money somehow), but if the wine list states that the bottle is a certain vintage, then don't bring me a bottle that is 1-2 years later vintage (e.g. 2016 instead of 2014) than what is claimed. This happened repeatedly. Info in room promised bathrobes and fresh ice every day - neither of these materialised (and no, I shouldn't have to ask, if you tell me in the room info tha...Read more
t it's going to be provided, then provide it). I'm not sure about the "new beds" claim, yes they were nice and squishy, but it looked like the old wire bases to me, and we both sank a little lower than we would have preferred (and neither of us is overweight). The meals in the main dining room and the buffet on Deck 14 were good. But Curtis Stone? Really? It's just a token on the menu that is well past its prime. And Princess doesn't seem to realise that Mr Stone's main image in Australia is flogging a major supermarket chain on TV. And what's happened to the creme brulee? We didn't see it as an option on any of the menus, not even once. The meal in the steakhouse was very good indeed - beautiful piece of meat and cooked perfectly. I tried to book the Chef's Table by dialling the number given on the Princess Patter, to get a recorded message saying they would only answer between 8am and 5pm. So why not say that in the Patter? We had a voucher for the Balcony Breakfast, that said to call the day before, with no indication of what time to call would be suitable. But when I did (in the evening before), the staff person said they needed 24 hours notice. Sure enough, there was another brochure in the room that said they needed 24 hours notice. So why have two different messages? There seemed to be a relatively large number of events that were 'unhosted' - cost cutting again I guess. The main stage shows were good, even though we had seen most of them on previous cruises. Good seating in the main theatre was easy-peasy to find, probably reflecting the age range on board, and the likelihood that many had gone to bed by the time the late performance (9:30pm) came around. Dr Happy was hilarious. Boarding and disembarking was easy and painless.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
IanFar North Queensland, QLD
I won't travel with Princess Cruise lines again
We travelled from Hong kong to Sydney - and almost missed the ship because Princess cruise lines advised us, and our Travel agent, that the ship departed from the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Fortunately, we had booked a transfer from our hotel and were surprised when we found that the cruise actually departed from the new Kai Tak terminal. Great information from the Cruise line - and that standarfd of service continued. We had occasion to seek assistance from Passenger services - but all we got was cover up and blame shifting. Not one person was ...Read more
prepared to offer a concrete suggestion towards solving our dining arrangements. All tyhey did was defend company policy. Our cabin was good and the steward was terrific. the food in Regency was excellent as was the service. The food in the Horizon buffet outlet was like a mining camp kitchen. Overcooked, sometimes stale and quite often rude staff. Drinks were absolutely outrageously priced as were two of the specialty dining options. try dining in the Steakhouse - pay $35 per head and then not have access to steak on the menu unless you're prepared to pay and additional sum. Entertainment is boring - with most musicians having a four or five day repertoire - and then the cycle starts again. On a 19 night cruise the repetition became very tedious. Disembarking for a shore excursion was a nightmare when tenders were required. It took up to three hours to get people off the ship - and our tour for which we paid $130 ea was cut short and we missed out on the shopping excursion we had planned on. Overall - a very tired old ship that rewarded us with overpowering sewage smells almost every night - so bad that on one occasion we had to leave our cabin in the middle of the night and go up on the deck to get some fresh air. Thankfully we were not novice cruisers and know that other cruise lines are far superior to princess - even with its' antiquated social caste system they use to reward travellers.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
winkeySydney Surrounds, NSW
Stinks, overcrowded and bad food couldn't get worse
When we booked, the ship was scheduled to depart from Ocean terminal Hong kong, however our friends were told different, they were told Kai tak cruise terminal hong kong, so I rang princess Sydney to be told they didnt know, so I emailed my travel agent who replied with an excerpt from his enquiry from princess which assured him the ship departed from Ocean terminal....so we booked accommodation pre cruise at the ocean terminal Marco Polo hotel.... but no the ship actually docked at Kai tak ... we even checked the Princess cruise personaliser ...Read more
the evening prior to departure to confirm it was Ocean terminal.. Many passengers were caught out and were seen at the ocean terminal waiting ..... next, first night, shower drain blocked and bathroom flooded, and bedroom flooded.... safe did not work after numerous attempts to get it to work... Fail gave up, Foul smell of sewage flooded the room, from the aircon and from the outside... room was unliveable, after numerous staff attended to confirm the stink, nothing happened, complaint after complaint, to no avail, arranged meeting with hotel general manager, who agreed it was an issue and he and his staff were aware of it but ship was full and could not move us. Others on the cruise were also in same problem. We arranged another meeting for 2 days hence to see if the problem had improved. Prior to our second meeting, we knew of other passengers who had decided to disembark in Bali due to the foul smell, so they requested there passports be returned, prior to arriving at Bale, only to be told that they could not get passports until after the ship departed Bali, tried to explain that they were leaving in Bali but the conversation just went around in circles about not getting passports back till the ship departed Bali... during the second meeting with the hotel general manager, this issue was brought up as well as the ongoing foul smell, and the passenger was assured their passports would be returned to them when the ship arrived in Bali, showing ONLY an arrival Stamp and they would then be able to depart by air with out problem, but when they got their passports, they were stamped with both an arrival and departure stamp, even though they were departing the ship and staying in Bali awaiting there flight to depart.... YES they encountered problems departing Bali at Indonesian Immigration. further we were told by loud speaker on the ship that the ship would be late departing Bali due to problems with immigration issues.... left 4 hrs late. and yes our cabin still stank, so did deck 7 port side fwd, the wheelhouse bar on deck 7 copped a lot of the smell, when passengers exited to the deck in this area, the smell came right on in. We arranged an appointment with the ships doctor to discuss possible effects of this constant exposure with the sewerage smell, we were told that the fumes were not toxic, however we may experience side effect, like irritated eyes, sore throat, head aches, runny nose and even fluid on the lungs, however there was nothing the doctor could do until these symptoms arose and then she would treat them at OUR cost.. We decided to depart the ship in Darwin. The Ships general Manager offered us nickel and dime bribes, like free meals, free wine, free canaps , toiletries from the sap, bur we refused all, as this was not going to fix the issues.. the fouls smell... In the mean time in an attempt to get away from the smell, I took the opportunity to undertake some acupuncture , first appointment was at 4.30 for a 50 min session, went in a little late around 4.45 had the needles inserted and was then forgotten till 7.00 pm, yes 7.00, I tried to get attention but no one came was assured this was not going to be ongoing, so made another appointment next day, got in promptly, had needles inserted and was told that the acupuncturist had to leave me to undertake a seminar, I was extremely hesitant but agreed, yes he was back on time and in a rush as he was late for another booking. Quickly took out the needles and told me to get dressed and go, I did this and went back to the SMELLY room ... shortly after arriving back, the phone rang and the acupuncturist told me to check my buttock area as he thinks he forgot to remove some needles.. My wife took a look and found Yes, he had, so removed the remaining needle. We requested assistance to depart the ship in Darwin as i was to be a 1 day stop for the ship, so the customer services manager assured us all would be ok and he arranged for our luggage to be taken ashore. He also insisted that he would arrange for a car to collect us at the dock at 10.00 am to take us to the airport. We agreed but assisted we pay, he said, that Princess would pay as it was the least they could do for the issues we had encountered, so we disembarked at Darwin and waited on the dock from 10.00 to 11.00 , no car .... so we jumped a taxi to the airport.... Got home and tried to pass on this information to Princess so they could lift their game.... well good luck. No one in Sydney cares... directed us to the US... on calling the US were told that the ream that dealt with these issues were busy, could I call back... I did, to be told the team that dealt with these issues were gone for the day. So I tried again to get some one in Sydney to listen or at least care... but NO just the company line, that no one here can help , you need to send my complaint to Princess in the US and that the reply may take 4 to 6 weeks to be addressed... Customer service at its best..... We have now cancelled our Princess cruise next year to Iceland.. and will make sure we spread the word and we will never use Carnival EVER AGAIN....Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Michael C.
- 5 reviews
- 1 like
The most perfect ship in the world
I went on this cruise earlier this year from brisbane to fiji and it is so incredible the lengths that the staff of this ship go to to determine that everyone has a great cruise. They work 12-14 hour days and the room attendants, the galley staff, the entertainment staff and all the rest of staff they just dismay with their hospitality and how great we feel at the end of cruise.
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The reviewer stated that an incentive was offered for this review
Disappointing Alaskan Cruise with only 1 day in Alaska!
Recently boarded the Island Princess for a 5night ALASKAN cruise to Ketchican and Juneau. Travelled from Australia. The ship had mechanical issues and we were meant to have sailed at 4.30pm. We were told at 4 there would be a delay and an update at 5.30. A passenger on the boat who knew someone in coastguard already knew we were not sailing that night.
At 5.30 we were told this and that itinerary would change. We were not going to Juneau which was the highlight of this trip. We had Glacier walk booked. We immediately went to the service desk to...Read more
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Kay
- 4 reviews
Worst Cruise Ever
Great embarkation and disembarkation but imagine my horror when the Customs Officer had my shipboard account in front of her, so now Princess works in Collaboration with Customs by divulging your private and personal purchases at the Gift shops onboard considering the trip was a woeful 35days there was nothing else to spend money on whilst at seas for five days at a time. Rude, fat and highly obese pax, tatoos on every patch of skin, studs everywhere, body piercings, bitchy nasty women, there was a fight in the Horizon Court between two wome...Read more
n a Punch up in the glass lifts Man and a woman. The one thing that was truly good was the staff mostly Philippine they were wonderful. All the sun lounges were taken before breakfast and books and hats left on them even though no one was using them. Race for the shows every night after dinner as theatre filled up an hour and a half before hand. Otherwise you don't get a seat. Rude people rushing out of the theatre before show was finished.I have never seen so many badly dressed and behaved people in one place looked like they were all going to MacDonalds as for a Dress Code Princess just gave in and allowed these Bogans in to the Dining room. Princess its up to you to set the standards. Do something about it or you are going to lose a lot of very loyal clients. One obnoxious man sat in Atrium all day in a singlet, I spoke to a lot of people who said they would book on Celebrity next time. I have never seen so many badly dressed people in one place, it looked like Pensioners Paradise to me. We Australians must be the butt of many a joke by the staff who work on Princess. Loud mouthed and uncouth people who whinge about everything. There was only one night we had piped classical music played Rigoletta and Bizets Carmen otherwise it was Lollipop Lollipop over and over again, and the wheelhouse bar was for the very rough, common people every night, and the music played was deafening, no staff around to monitor the sound and no staff to monitor the theatre I will be cancelling my world trip and seeking out a better Cruise ship and clientele. to travel with than having to put up with the level of Pax on this cruise.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Newcastle181818Hunter Region, NSW
Worst Call Centre Experience
I have had over 2 hours of phone conversations across 4 consultants. 2 of which told me that I could swap 2 people with another 2 people in our party of 4 cabins. The 3rd consultant ‘made the change’. We were then locked out of one of our cruise personaliser bookings. The fourth consultant that I spoke to told me there was absolutely no way that they could change passengers without one original guest remaining in the room. And told me that the other consultants phone conversations would be listened to for coaching purposes, because she had give...Read more
n me incorrect information and we now had duplicate names in two or our cabins. They then couldn’t correct it back to the existing bookings, and had to pass it onto another team to try and fix, which could take up to 3 days. They then said once we are on board we can swap all we want (“as long as the staff onboard are okay with it, people do it all the time, but they can say no”). Honestly one of the biggest stuff arounds I have ever experienced. I have never dealt with this level of unprofessionalism and poor customer service. It makes no sense at all for us to be able to make changes onboard, but not before we actually get on. Surely it’s easier for everybody if we do it now to save the hassle for all guests and staff on board. To make it worse, it’s most of our party of 10’s first time cruising/leaving the country, so everyone has been really looking forward to it. If i could cancel without forfeiting all of our booking fees I WOULD. Do not recommend cruising with Princess at all. These interactions have left nothing but a bad taste in my mouth, so disappointed.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
shannon s.Sydney, NSW
terrible experience
I cant comment on the cruise its self as due to visa issues I had to cancel this.
I asked for a change of date on the cruise to allow for the visa to be processed but I was told this was not possible and I would have to cancel the cruise incurring a 1000+ dolla cost.
Understanding this was the company policy on the 24th July I agreed to a refund for the remaining amount to be sent as they stated they had no means to issue a refund via paypal or bank transfer.
On the 27 August I was still awaiting the cheque, I called Princess who stated this...Read more
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Antonia and PeterMid North Coast, NSW
Lovely cruise , Food very poor
My husband and I traveled on Sapphire Princes on the 27th July 2019 to 10 August , leaving from Southampton to Portimao , Cadiz, Sete , Ajaccio , Malaga , Ceuta, Lisban and Back to Southampton.
Fantastic trip best ever, great staff and fabulous shows. BUT the food was extremely disappointing, sent the dishes when fine dining back several times, like all the other quests we spoke too. Food is part of your holiday, we have been on other Princes cruises and food fantastic.
We are now booking another cruise but not with Princes again,London to Sydney, we will either go Cunard or Celebrity, pay a little more and have real fine dining with great food.
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Questions & Answers
Janasked
I have just cancelled our cruise to Tokyo to SanFrancisco on the Sun Princess due to the Corona Viris. Our consultant told me to contact you to receive an email saying that we cancelled because of the viris so that we can claim our deposit back. Have I contacted the right department?
Barbara B.asked
Can you drink your pre ordered beer anywhere on board? and not just in your stateroom?
1 answer
I do not know for sure as I only have a few beers a cruise at the bar and don't pay much attention to where people are drinking but I don't see why you cant walk around the ship with a beer as there are bars located at various points around the ship. On Captains nights you see people everywhere with champagne glasses. The stateroom is probably the last place you would drink beer as the beer makes us more relaxed and talkative.
kayeasked
is it best to get visas for Vietnam and Cambodia before leaving Australia. I know they). state can get visas on board but information very confusing and keep getting told different things (i.e. visas only issued on board if you go on a Princess excursion if not have to get your own. how withover 2000 people do they handle this
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jmichael d'angelo
just on hold for over 30 minutes waiting for a supervisor who was not interested in talking to me about this problem.. very disappointed in them.