Brutally HONEST Review of Our Princess Cruise

[@cruisingwithkristie]

If you love to watch reviews, full ships tours, and get all the tips and tricks to make your cruise GREAT, consider subscribing to this channel. www.youtube.com/@cruisingwithkristie?sub_confirmation=1

[@MangoTechBytes]

Thanks for this more updated review! Going on an the ship soon, but many of the reviews were from a few years ago... Great to see a newer review!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Glad it was helpful! Have a great cruise!

[@dottyanna53]

Great video! We are going next August on Sapphire Princess and I am already excited! Can you tell us what you and your hubby got for your medallions? Thanks so much!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Do you mean how we carried them around the ship? If so, I put it in my purse and my husband in his pocket.

[@FangFan-q9r]

Great tip on moving away from the crowd “pods” during glacier viewing. Very grateful for your well done and informative videos Kristie!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Thank you for watching and commenting. I’m glad that you found the video helpful. Happy sailing! 🚢🛳️😊

[@judithcardoso6682]

Wow, you two need to evaluate all cruises and itineraries. Very well done. I especially liked that you took into consideration, the age and size of the ship and rated accordingly. So many of these tend to look at older ships and criticize a lack of pizazz. Y'all presented a well rounded review that lets me really know what I would experience if I went on this ship. Which I am very soon. Yay!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Thand you so much for your kind comment. I was sure to share it with Noah. We enjoy cruising and want others to enjoy it too. No ship of cruise line is perfect, but there is ALWAYS more good that needs improvement. You will have a great time. Be sure to go to True or Moo! So fun! 😊

[@JanetUngurs]

Just so you know for next time you sail, they DO have cookies in the International Cafe. They keep them in the back, not on display. You just have to ask. And they're really good.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Good to know! We are sailing on Discovery Princess in November and will be sure to ask for a few. Mmmm. Cookies 🍪 🍪🍪🍪

[@stephenhourigan9763]

Hey guys. Thanks for the comprehensive review. My wife & I are flying into Vancouver from Sydney to board the 14 Sept. Sapphire 10-day round trip sailing. We are really looking forward to it and thank you for the insights. Some solid tips there that I have ‘file-saved’.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

You will have a great time! The cruise director, Oz, really makes things fun. I’d seek out the activities he is part of for sure, especially the game show True or Moo. You will love it. We ate lunch in the main dining room many days and it was delicious. Get the chocolate tart. So good. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy sailing!

[@josephbrandon5824]

I've sailed on the Sapphire four times. I personally love the ship even though kind of old. The one great thing is Skywalker's Lounge in the aft end. We spend hours up there and it's a nice quiet place suring the day

[@cruisingwithkristie]

We loved the ship too. So many lounges with fun activities and music. 😊. And the skywalkers lounge was perfect for glacier viewing.

[@liseoppenheimer7255]

When we were in Juneau, our pre booked shuttle to Mendenhall was cancelled at the last minute… we ended up taking a city bus that dropped us about 20minute walk from park but was $2 per person..epic!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I’m curious how long it took for you to get to the glacier by city bus. The woman at the visitor’s center said to leave 5 hours for a round trip including time at the glacier.

[@jacquelinef9632]

We're doing the Alaska and land tour next summer on the Coral, so this was super helpful! Thank you.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I’m so glad. DEFINITELY do the Bering Sea. And booking direct saves $70 per person and it is the exact same boat as people who book directly through the cruise line. On the other hand it doesn’t save money to book the train direct. AND be sure to use AARO to get gift certificates to pay for your cruise and save 8%. I prepay gratuities so the I save 8% on those too or get Princess plus and use gift certificates you get through AARP. that is if you live in the US. You will love Alaska. 😊

[@liseoppenheimer7255]

Indian / Asian passengers would look at cold cereal , scrambled eggs etc and think why does anyone eat this stuff for breakfast

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I thought about that. What do Indian and Asian passengers look for at the breakfast buffet?

[@suznhorn]

Great tip about asking the omelette-making staff to make you plain scrambled eggs. Having cheese in my scrambled eggs was an unwelcome addition when I cruised with Princess.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

You can ask for an egg white omelet or scramble too if that is what you prefer. Thanks for watching and commenting! 😊🍳🥚

[@wilsonwilson4559]

The buffet does have 2 lines when it opens, but they shut down 1 of the lines about the last hour of the meal when there are not as many guests eating. This also gives them time to start preparing the next meal. If you go on a Royal class ship it is completely different. The buffet is divided into sections, i.e. salads, deserts, main course, sandwiches, etc. It really helps with crowd control since everyone is not standing in the same line. You didn't mention the hamburger/hotdog stand nor the pizza stand. Both are very good alternatives if you don't happen to see anything you want in the buffet. Pizza stand is also open late for a snack while watching a movie under the stars. I've done the Alaska cruise 4 times and 2 times doing the land portion. It used to be that you would get on the train right at the port and it would take you all the way to Fairbanks. The train was one of my best experiences on the land tour. You only get a short section of the land tour on the train now. The rest is on a bus. You should try the Panama Canal cruise. I rate it right up there with Alaska.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Wow! Thanks for your contribution. I guess we must have gotten to the buffet late. Thanks for the suggestion to do a Panama Canal cruise. It is definitely on our bucket list. Thanks for watching and commenting. I ❤ hearing from long time cruisers!

[@max902]

Loved medallion system on Princess

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I know, Right! It has motivated me to get Princess Plus so I can use OceanNow delivery in the lounges. 😊. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@max902]

@@cruisingwithkristie I found a rubber holder on Amazon that slipped on my IWatch. Worked so well. No lanyard or another wrist holder.

[@majek7777]

Great video! Thank you for sharing!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I’m glad you liked it.

[@jessicaraga3495]

Can you recommend the binoculars you purchased? We are going on this cruise July 2025!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

These are the binoculars that I brought. I got them at Costco. Bresser Pirsch Compact Binoculars

[@didididi4613]

Try one of the big Princess ships, the buffet is much larger and has more choices.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

We are sailing on Discovery Princess in November and I look forward to comparing. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😊

[@suzettehillis4673]

I am not to worried about the weight of the ship. I am more wanting to know know how many people are on the ship. Great review.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I know, Right! I prefer midsized ships that are geared for adults. Less than 4000 is ideal for me. Do you prefer mid or mega? Thanks for watching and commenting. 😊

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

The Pacific Princess, the original 'Love Boat' by today's standards was tiny. At 554 feet long and roughly 20,000 tons, and carried 646 passengers.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Wow! What a difference a few decades makes. I am not a fan of larger ships. I am hoping that cruise lines don’t all go the way of Icon of the seas. For me the ship is NOT the destination. Thank you for watching and commenting. 😀

[@bimiup1]

Were the shows more crowded for the early time or for the later show?

[@cruisingwithkristie]

We not went to the easily show. We just made sure to get there about 20 minutes early and had no problem getting a seat.

[@bimiup1]

@@cruisingwithkristie ?

[@cruisingwithkristie]

So sorry. What I meant to say is we only went to the early shows, so I am not sure how packed the late shows were.

[@bimiup1]

@@cruisingwithkristie thanks! Figured you might have been using voice to text and random words showed up! 😂

[@fw7993]

I love Erasure and Depeche Mode!

[@cruisingwithkristie]

You are my kind of people. I think I need to look for an 80s themed cruise. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@DavidHayes-sx5xj]

That’s exactly why I don’t like Princess; the Piazza has so little seating for all the activities. I was seldom able to find a seat, so I usually didn’t stick around, but my favorite thing on the ship was the International Cafe.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

What cruise line do you prefer? Thanks for watching and commenting. 😊

[@davidhurwitz2291]

@@cruisingwithkristiePrefer Celebrity - 27 cruises. Princess - 10 cruises. Will be sailing on Holland America for the first time next winter. Have done over 50+ cruises on various cruise lines (Carnival, NCL, Cunard, RCCL, Viking - as well as Princess and Celebrity).

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I’ve lined up two Celebrity cruises in the next 9 months since we had such a good time on Celebrity Summit. One on the Equinox, have you sailed on it? And the other on the Edge? How about that one? Do you have a class you prefer? Millennium, Solstice, or Edge? Thanks for sharing your thoughts?

[@davidhurwitz2291]

@@cruisingwithkristie We have sailed on most of the various classes of Celebrity ships and enjoyed them all. The food in the MDR and the buffet are better than the other premium lines IMHO. We enjoyed the Summit in May 2023. It had been completely refurbished and it has a great itinerary. The Solstice class ships are a little bigger . There are a lot of lounge chairs in the shade near the outdoor pool; we like sitting in the shade. The Edge class ships are even more beautiful and have some very interesting venues. We like the four included dining rooms and the theater. Don’t miss Eden and the Sunset Bar. Celebrity is a cut above the other premium cruise lines.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Thanks for the recommendation. I look forward to my upcoming sailing on Celebrity.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Thanks for following up. I hope you have a great cruise! 😊

[@ronhorn5058]

Air tag accessories work with the medallion

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Great tip! Thanks for contributing to our community. Happy sailing!

[@bfreeman2121]

I'm always a little suspicious of people who review technology by writing on a piece of paper and holding it up. Not exactly tech savvy.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Well, I am a KZbinr, so I do have some tech chops, but I’m also always looking for ways to keep my audience watching to see what I might try next. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@bcarol2484]

The food onboard sounded dismal. Shame on Princess. There are so many other choices.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

For us the main disappointment was the buffet. But, you are right. Since food is such a big part of the cruising experience, they need to up the their game. Thank you for watching and commenting. 😊

[@Retiredtraveler1961]

I've done Alaska on HAL, waste of $$$. Norway is so much more beautiful & majestic. Other than glacier bay.......my 7 night experience in September was really poor. Anything worth seeing was $500+ pp The ride on the 14 night trip through the Fjords of Norway are unlike anything else.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Well, I’ve done Alaska twice and have another cruise scheduled for next May. Living in Southern California, we don’t have the crisp air and green that you see in Alaska, AND the airfare is doable. BUT Norway is on our short list. Thanks for the recommendation.

[@liseoppenheimer7255]

Also big negative is the crazy port fees compared to Norway and Europe

[@cruisingwithkristie]

Another reason to cruise in Norway and Europe! 👍🏼

[@cruisingwithkristie]

I’m curious how long the ride took.

[@Retiredtraveler1961]

@@cruisingwithkristie I took a 14 night trip out of Southampton. I HIGHLY recommend 12+ nights. The stops most impressive include Olden (must do Loen sky lift); Lofoton islands; Tromso & Honingsvag. There was only one stop most of us aboard felt was a waste, Alta. If I were to do it again (we will likely) I'd do Sept/ October for three key reasons -chance to see northern lights -cheaper -less crowded Safe travels!

[@waynechinander7771]

Sorry, but I'll give my "brutally honest" review of this video and site--Kristie should stick to being a travel agent and forget about tour videos. Silly visual aids are for kindergarteners, not adults.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

You caught me. I am an elementary school teacher that loves to cruise and share my experiences on KZbin. Sorry my videos aren’t your cup of tea, but thanks for giving me a shot.

[@emler1234]

There is no mention of the restaurants on the ship. Have you tried those? there are three of them.

[@cruisingwithkristie]

⁠we didn’t go to any of the specialty restaurants. We spent our extra vacation budget on excursions and the land portion of the trip. 😊