The start of the process for booking the cruise went really well, moreover to be able to book the excursion with Princess online was a great help.
The new Ocean app makes it so much easier, I was able to register all my details, book the medallion which you could have posted or pick it up at port.
On the app you are able to add all of your details to board the ship, also allows you to start seeing weeks before what will be going on with entertainment on the ship.
Make sure you look a week before embarkation on the app as you can book for any time dining as this can get very busy and fill quickly, if you like late dining then this will not be a problem about creating a reservation.
Drop-off at the port was perfect you can choose your time to board on the app about 2 weeks before you set sail.
They give you your medallion when you check in, this acts as your room key, payment method and security on and off the ship, it has your name printed on it and it is yours when you leave.
We were on the ship within 30 minutes, cabins were available at 1pm so we had lunch then headed to cabin to unpack.
At this point all was amazing, friendly port staff and welcoming staff in the restaurant.
The food in the World Fresh Market Place was often cold and had to ask them to put it in the microwave which they will do reluctantly for you.
We met the cabin stewardess her name was Mary-Grace who introduced herself and checked with us that the cabin was all ok.
For the very first time on any cruise we had been on it was perfect, all clean and fresh and could not fault it at all.
I was very impressed with how nice and polite and helpful she was, this makes a massive difference to us? In your cabin you will find coffee and tea-making facilities.
I would suggest you bring your own plugs for charging your items as there are USB plugs on the lamps but they’re not very strong and do not charge very well.
There is a laundry service that you can pay for or you can go to the self-service laundry which is located on every floor and a reasonable price.
We bought our own laundry liquid it takes about 30 minutes to wash and 30 minutes to dry good for late at night or sea day.
Be careful the driers are on a timer and if you open the door make sure that you press the little white button again at the top to start it off again or you will lose your money.
We went for dinner in the evening which I had already booked at 7pm at Cielo dining room, we were seated with 4 other guest who were really nice.
Food was good service the same.
Now it was time to test out the so called amazing app used onboard.
The first time we ordered drinks was at deck 16 aft, arrived in 6 minutes after that became very hit and miss many times you were charged and it did not arrive especially on deck 16 LIDO , the Mix Bar where the pizzas and hotdogs are, our drinks never arrived.
I did find that the staff here appeared unsupervised and would just spend their time chatting or on their mobile phone when there was not many customers.
If you are charged for drinks that fail to arrive then you must go to Guest Services to have it removed from your account.
During the cruise, it was my Birthday and received an amazing surprise, on the big screens by lifts appeared Happy Birthday a nice touch this also appeared on cabin panel.
Using the app in the piazza for ordering drinks worked well and arrived very quickly.
Ordering food anywhere on the ship worked well.
Word of warning the bread appeared very dried up.
I would not recommend the sandwiches also the same for filled rolls at the 24 hour internationalCafeon 5th deck, the lettuce had seen better days and the food is not of a very good standard.
The portion size for most of the cakes is like an appetizer (very small) but the plus side it’s completely complimentary.
Always check your ship account as there are a lot of over charged mistakes.
Be warned that the so-called support for the medallion and app on Deck 7 is not always the friendliest place to get help.
Found certain staff demoralizing rude and unhelpful.
On a lighter note if you can get a signal for your phone to use what’s app, on most phones it will not work if you have flight mode on.
If you are on the medallion Wi-Fi then it will stop your provider connecting.
Otherwise try to use the free Wi-Fi at port where you need to have the Wi-Fi on.
In the 3 main restaurants service in my opinion the Cielo on deck 6 at back of ship was very slow and did not always bring correct items.
On one night the food was cold they did replace it but the leg of lamb that I had could not cut it with a knife, the manager did come over and changed it for Salmon which came very hot.
The best service by far out of the 14 days is the Soleil restaurant on deck 5.
Food excellent staff excellent unfortunately you cannot control other rude guests on the table so after 3rd meal we made the decision not to share and had a table for two.
This worked out better as you were close enough to talk to other couples but were not part of a large table.
When you look at the menu it can be very confusing but always ask for alternatives to the potatoes and vegetables offered on the menu as the waiters will be more than happy to accommodate any requests.
Another issue I had was with the shore excursion desk again there were a few rude members of staff that can be your best friend when buying an excursion but when things are not correct they get very aggressive, talk over you, make you feel very uncomfortable and make you feel that you are a big inconvenience to them.
I felt very intimidated.
One of the best experiences is complimentary room service, any food that is available on the app can be delivered to the cabin and moreover can be delivered anywhere on the ship at any time.
If there is a cost for the food then it will tell you before you order it.
Unfortunately, as the app only allows you to order at that moment and the same goes for ordering on the TV.
I would have liked to order my breakfast for the cabin using the app or TV if but unfortunately you still had to use the old-fashioned breakfast card and leave it out the night before.
Guest services are always there to help some are more thoughtful to your needs than others but you soon learn.
Overall they didn’their best to help.
I found the shows on sky princess very good.
Unfortunately, the sky princess band can be overpowering and can drown out some of the singers which is a big shame.
If you want a good seat you will need to go at least 45 minutes before the performance otherwise you will struggle to get a seat.
The adult outdoor-only pool is situated on the 17th deck at the front of the ship it is very warm but shallow, there you will find plenty of Sun loungers and on the upper deck of 18 there are lots of Sun loungers and this is not part of the retreat moreover there are two Jacuzzis which are often missed by the passengers.
You don’t have to worry about going to the bar to get a drink or any food, order on your app and it will arrive with a very friendly member of staff.
They have a gelato ice cream station on deck five which is a must to visit it, costs about $5 for 4 scoops I asked for it to be put into a glass as more pleasant than a small metal dish.
Be aware the sky live lounge which is alongside the main walkway on deck seven has very strong LED deep blue lights this can cause problems if you’re light-sensitive or have migraines.
The Take/Five lounge is available for anybody remember to open the door there is a proper handle to push down it can be a nice quiet space air-conditioned and also has a bar where you can order drinks and you can order them on your app with food.
They’re lovely seats their very comfortable with quite large windows to look out at sea.
But be aware activities like the choir take over the lounge.
Also events like the dance mob take over the lounge so look on your events planner so it doesn’t clash with you