Ahoy Cruisers!
Welcome to this show all about Princess Cruises.
It's the Ultimate Guide and look at this, we're on a Princess ship right now!
We're going to give you all the information you need to see if a Princess cruise if the cruise for you.
We've done all of the research and hard work...
such as cruising like this, somebody has to do it, so we can help you make the
right decision in booking a Princess cruise.
So let's get on with the show!
To get started let's give you a little bit of background about Princess Cruises.
They were founded back in 1965 and massively famous by a little show called...
The Love Boat which featured the Pacific Princess.
It's currently part of the Carnival family
The line now has 17 ships sailing globe wide and offering a slew of itineraries that range from 1 to 100+ days.
They visit more than 300 ports.
Let's talk about the ships.
So the Princess Cruises fleet consists of five different classes of ship and first up we're going to take a the Coral Class
Built in 2002 and 2003 the Coral and Island Princess hold just under 2,000 passengers.
It's still a relatively small ship with a very intimate feeling.
It's on the more traditional side but still feels glitzy and glamorous.
It's known for its great service.
They currently sailed the Panama Canal, Alaska and the Caribbean.
You'll usually find a more mature crowd with the more unusual and longer itineraries.
But you'll find more children during the holidays
and there's a great adults-only Sun Deck.
It doesn't have the latest features but it still holds up really well.
The R class is the smallest class in the Princess fleet...
and it consists of just the Pacific Princess
She was built in 1999 and she holds just under 700 passengers.
She offers some really exotic itineraries in Asia, South America and Europe...
and she also completes world cruises.
She really resembles an old manor house.
You really get to know the crew and the passengers because of the lovely small size.
You'll usually find a more mature crowd due to the longer itineraries.
The Sun class was built in the mid 90s.
They hold just under 2,000 passengers and consists of just the Sun and the Sea Princess.
They offer some fantastic itineraries usually sailing in Australiaia, the Pacific as well as Asia.
It also completes world cruises.
They're elegant ships known for their outstanding food and service with classic decor.
They are older ships but still well looked after with several refurbishments.
They can be found to be quieter than some of the other ships and suits more a mature passenger.
The grand class is the biggest class with nine ships.
There's also a few subclasses in there but they're all very similar.
They were built from the late 90s to 2008 and they hold around 2500 passengers.
They pioneered the Movies Under the Stars outdoor theatre.
They are large ships with lots of great bars restaurants and activities.
Food and entertainment sometime is themed around the cruise itinerary.
There's lots of varied entertainment and activities through the day and night.
There's some great outdoor areas with lots of pools and some have solariums which is great for all weather.
They still look great despite their age with continuing refurbishments.
They have comfortable cabins and a large mix of passengers and great kids clubs on offer.
They offer really good value cruises and the sail all around the world.
Europe, Caribbean, USA, Asia and Pacific.
It's a great all-rounder ship.
It feels really like a Princess ship. and
Finally we have the Royal class built from 2013 it's the newest and largest class.
There's currently three ships in the fleet; the Regal, Royal and Majestic.
It's the flagship of the whole fleet. They feel grand and beautiful.
You'll find them sailing in the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.
There's over 15 dining options so you can have a great variety.
There's loas of venues to eat drink and relax in.
There's a lovely adults-only pool area.
They're stunning and glamorous ships.
With sophisticated luxurious decor.
You'll find features such as the sea walk and fountains.
There's also excellent entertainment.
They are modern ships but still Princess at heart.
It still feels familiar.
The cabins are smaller than some of the other classes but bright and modern.
There's great kids clubs. There really is something for everyone.
You'll find multi-generational groups with more kids in the holidays.
The Sky Princess is coming soon with a great new pool area.
Plus, Sky Suites offering an amazing 270 degree view and they sleep up to 5.
So, let's talk about my favorite part about cruising.
The food.
We'll start off with the buffet.
On Princess cruise ships you have the Horizon buffet.
This is a huge buffet on the brand-new ships such as the Royal, Regal and Majestic.
It's a little bit smaller on the older ships.
But the main dining room is so good.
I really think that they try and push you towards this instead of eating in the buffet.
So Princess offers set time dining and more flexible anytime dining.
The complimentary restaurant Alfredo's pizza serves up award-winning pizza.
The 24-hour international cafe offers complimentary snacks and pastries and it's absolutely delicious.
It's great for a snack any time during the day or night
If you fancy a night in or a lie in.
Room service is available 24 hours a day with a breakfast menu available to pre-order.
Speciality dining onboard varies depending on the ship.
Some favourites include Share, a restaurant helmed by celebrity Australian chef Curtis Stone.
The Salty Dog Gastropub, Sabatini's Italian, Bayou Cafe and the Crown Grill.
The Chef's table experience is awesome.
You get your own private table.
You visit the galley with the chef. He'll show you him making your meal.
Then he will join you for dinner and walk you through all of the amazing courses that he specially created for you.
Princess is also famous for its Ultimate Balcony Dining.
For this of course you need a balcony.
You can pay for you and everybody in your cabin to be served an amazing dinner on your balcony.
With private waiters, half a bottle of champagne, it sounds amazing.
Just imagine the sunset going down while you're being served delicious gourmet food right on your balcony.
Vines also offers small gourmet dishes, canapés and sushi with no extra cost if you buy a drink in the bar.
Afternoon tea service can sometimes be found in the buffet.
For an extra charge sometimes they will run a white glove tea service.
Very British and very posh!
We do recommend this as it's quite an experience.
With lovely little finger sandwiches scones and your favourite tea.
Chocolate journeys created by Norman Love are available throughout the ship.
In the main dining room dessert menus.
You can discover even more unique creations in Sabatini's Italian restaurant,
Crown Grill, Sterling Steakhouses and the chef's table experience.
Entertainment on board is extensive and wide-ranging.
You are sure to find something that suits you.
In the main theatre you'll find big production shows.
Including new original musicals created exclusively by Stephen Schwartz.
The Grammy and Academy Award winning composer of Wicked, Godspell and Pippin.
The theatre also hosts visiting acts including singers, comedians, magicians and illusionists.
Around the ship there's music happening during the day and into the evening from the resident bands onboard.
There's even karaoke in the nightclubs.
And if you love karaoke you will love 'The Voice of the Ocean'.
A new spin on the worldwide TV show.
Where guests compete throughout the cruise to help crown 'The Voice of the Ocean'.
Don't forget to catch Movies Under the Stars.
You can watch the latest blockbusters on a gigantic screen under the night sky.
Princess also hosts various parties throughout the cruise including;
The Love Boat disco deck party,
the captain's reception featuring the champagne waterfall
and the farewell party featuring the huge balloon drop.
During the day there's loads of activities going on including;
quizzes, game shows, cooking and cocktail demonstrations, dance classes, seminars and even language classes.
If you're looking to keep fit on your cruise.
There's a wide array of complimentary fitness classes including Yoga and Zumba.
Plus, the onboard gym which is also free to use.
If you feel in lucky all Princess ships feature a casino which also hosts special events throughout the cruise.
With the recent ship refurbishment came a new youth program.
Made in conjunction with Discovery.
With different clubs and activities for children aged from 3 to 17.
So what's included and not included on a Princess ship.
So I can tell you what is included quite a lot.
Room service is included apart from the $3.00 charge for pizzas.
All of the main dining restaurants as well as the buffet are also free.
Soft-serve ice cream is completely free as well which is great because on many cruise lines you actually have to pay extra for this.
The International Cafe, the 24-hour server, is also free.
All of your entertainment is included as well.
So the big theater shows, the visiting artists and comedians, the movies under the stars experience.
As well as all of the quizzes and everything that goes on around the ship is completely free.
Including the pool areas.
Of course as with most cruise lines - the children's clubs are completely free.
So you can send your kids off to enjoy themselves.
While you get up on deck and just soak up the Rays and enjoy yourself.
Also in your room there's an extensive list of on-demand movies,
television shows and other things like that.
And it is all free.
We were absolutely amazed by the awesome selection of the latest movies and TV shows which are available
at a click of a button for completely free here on Princess Cruises.
One great money-saving tip to save money while bang drinks onboard is to bring a bottle
of wine per adult per cruise.
So if there's two people in your stateroom make sure you bring two bottles of wine onboard.
Not beer or anything else just wine or champagne
and you can enjoy that in your stateroom for free.
If you want to bring on extra bottles of wine there is a corkage fee for each bottle of wine you bring on.
So David what's not included?
Thanks Ben.
So speciality dining starts from around $20 and upwards depended on the restaurant and the ship.
Gelato, espresso coffee and premium teas from the international cafe are also an extra cost.
The Sanctuary, which is the adults only private Sun Deck, is also an extra cost.
Passes are available for a half-day or a full day.
Activities such as the Ultimate Ship Tour or wine tasting also cost extra.
Onboard internet access also extra and packages start from $69 for 100 minutes.
Just like all major cruise lines.
Shore excursions, spa treatments and special fitness classes and not included in the cost of your cruise.
A daily gratuity charge is also added by per-person per-day.
For sailings that are not from Australia.
Check the description below for up-to-date pricing on everything that we've mentioned in this video.
Princess also offer various drinks packages that are available to pre-order or you can buy them onboard.
The 'Premier Beverage Package' includes a wide array of cocktails, ...
... wine, beer, bottled water, speciality coffee, smoothies and fountain sodas.
The 'Unlimited Soda and More' package includes unlimited fountain drinks,
mocktails, juices and complimentary hot chocolate throughout your cruise
The canned soda package includes any six sodas in combination for the price of five
The five four four beer package allows you to choose five bottle beers for the price of four.
There's also a bottled water that you can pre-order and be delivered to your cabin.
Finally the 'New Grounds Coffee Package' gives you 15 espresso based hot or cold speciality coffee drinks.
With complimentary brewed coffee and premium teas for the duration of your cruise.
Check the description below for up-to-date pricing on all the drinks packages that we've mentioned in this video.
Some of our highlights onboard include the food in the main dining rooms and the desserts.
Yes it's been so good.
The main dining room has been just as good as some of the specialty restaurants
have been to another Cruise Lines.
It has it's been delicious every evening and as you just said
the quality it has been outstanding.
One thing that have to say is that the buffet particularly on the smaller ships is very small
and we were quite shocked when we first saw it.
But it does include all of the basics and it really just push you to go and enjoy the main dining.
The biggest thing that has made an impression on us is the service on board.
The staff have been outstanding.
Providing us with a smile and friendly service every day.
It's a really friendly group of fellow travelers.
We have met loads of new friends it's been a really enjoyable cruise.
We've really enjoyed ourselves here on Princess Cruises and we felt like it's for us.
We enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and the hearken back to some of the traditions of cruising
but still being a modern cruise line.
We're absolutely chuffed that we can add Princess Cruises to our already now expanding group of cruise lines.
Who do we think Princess Cruises is for?
Well they have a really widespread passenger base.
But we tell you to choose carefully as the ships vary in size, in service and the people that are on board.
It depends on the type of cruise.
So or longer cruises, outside of school holidays, you're going to have an older clientele.
But during summer holiday.
You will find a lot more families and children on board.
That goes for the sizes of the ships.
The smaller ships tend to do longer more exotic itineraries.
So you're gonna find an older crowd on board.
But the larger, bigger and newest ships like the Royal, Majestic and Regal have a really wide spread
amount of people and also attract multi-generational families.
So we think Princess Cruise is for people who enjoy a traditional cruise but not a stuffy cruise.
It's still got its modern elements.
But it's still got its firm traditional feelings such as the dining and the sort of the style of the ships.
As well a very traditional very beautifully a moderately decorated.
So I guess that's it for our Ultimate Guide to Princess Cruises.
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Happy Cruising