Not so Majestic cruise to Alaska on Princess

Stunning views and relaxing venues didn't quite make up for a nightmare 4-hour embarkation, long lineups everywhere and a cancelled glacier stop. Join me as I explore the highs and many lows of my May 2023 cruise to Alaska on Majestic Princess out of Vancouver.
Check out the daily programs and dining and drink menus at thechillcruiser.blog/
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📓 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Start
00:30 Introduction to The Chill Cruiser
02:04 Port of Vancouver
03:03 Royal class modifications
03:55 The Medallion Experience
04:12 Majestic at a glance
05:19 Scope of review
06:11 Access
07:19 Vibe
09:14 Cabins
10:07 Food
14:00 Drinks
15:40 Amenities
16:38 Entertainment
18:47 Technology
19:10 Casino
19:37 Service / Glacier cancelled
20:37 Princess has lost its way
21:30 Recap
#cruisetips #majesticprincess #princesscruises #alaskacruise

[@TheChillCruiser]

FEE UPDATES: Since posting this video, Princess has added a $15 fee (per person) for activating their OceanNow delivery service and a $5 fee (per cabin) for every room service order. Dining at Alfredo's also now costs $15. All of these new fees are waived if you purchase their Princess Plus or Princess Premier packages, which are $60 and $80 USD per day.

[@ebonytaylormorgan]

The Wi-Fi price has also gone up to almost $800 for 4 devices!!! Unbelievable

[@avaleesdad]

I just sailed the Majestic to Alaska and had a blast!

[@TheOriginalMarimoChan]

This is the kind of stuff I need to KNOW, not just the frou frou - you do the behind the scenes stuff which I love. Thank you!

[@Mrs.T504]

We did Majestic to Alaska last year. You are correct the embarkation was a mess and seemed very disorganized. The ship was difficult to navigate, but after the first day we figured it out. There were lines, but we just made sure to have a drink with us and we were not in a rush. There were lines to get back on the ship. If the line was too long we would find a place to sit and come back later. Whenever we were in line we had pleasant conversations with people so it was all good. The entertainment onboard was great, we had one bad meal, but just decided to order something else. Majestic was overall is a great ship, and Princess did a fantastic job of making our trip to Alaska unforgettable.

[@TheChillCruiser]

I admire your patience! Sounds like you adapted to similar challenges with much more grace and patience than I did! I’m glad you enjoyed the cruise. I would like to give Majestic another chance.

[@Mrs.T504]

@@TheChillCruiser I hate lines because I have a bad back. So I am always scouting a place to sit down. We also asked people how long they had been standing in line and estimated accordingly. We chose Majestic because it was a newer ship. My buddy went to Alaska a couple of months later, I think on the Ruby. I did not ask him about the lines, but he said they had an amazing time and will do princess again. We have a friend who is an agent and likes the older smaller ships. So I imagine the lines are shorter.

[@TheChillCruiser]

⁠@@Mrs.T504that’s good to know since I will be on Ruby soon! Thank you for sharing your (and your buddy’s) experience!

[@ballsstrikespythons7579]

We sailed on Discovery Princess June 25- July 2 to Alaska and it was AMAZING! We were on the ship within 15 minutes of arriving to the cruise port. The weather was great and we didn't have a single port or destination issue. Could not have been a better cruise. We only experienced one line getting on the ship in Ketchikan and it was only about 10 minutes before we were back on board. Every cruise port we stopped at the ship docked right in the middle of town, not at the outskirts. The food and portions on Discovery were more than adequate and we left each meal very satisfied. I do agree about mediocre food in the buffet and it being overly crowded. The main dining rooms did have excessively long lines on the first 2 nights, but we went to the Crown grill night one and were at 360 night 2, so these didn't affect us at all. I completely disagree with your analogy of Princess losing its way. Only one complaint was the excessively thick smoke in and around the casino(it was disgusting). It sounds like Majestic Princess has some issues to iron out, but our last 3 cruises with Princess have been FAR superior for relaxing and "chilling" than our previous cruises with Holland and NCL. We have been on Sky Princess and Regal Princess in the last 8 months and all 3 ships we absolutely amazing. We also LOVED the pizza in Alfredo's and it never once looked like what you received on Majestic(which looked pretty bad). Great video of your experience on Majestic Princess! But not good for putting Princess cruise line on blast across the board.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and sharing your feedback and experience. I’m glad you got to cruise Alaska on Discovery as it’s meant to be (aside from the MDR lineups, buffet and smoke). I’m Platinum on Princess with many great memories on board their ships so I want them to succeed - but I saw some of the issues like MDR lineups and port issues/delays on Regal earlier this year. When I saw the same issues happening on a much larger scale on Majestic it did feel like they were heading in a different direction.

[@andershay99212]

I had a similar experience to yours on the Discovery Princess May 28th to June 6th cruise. It was wonderful and we loved every minute of it. We had table buzzers if there was a wait and the wait was never longer than 15 minutes. Wonder if his cruise was just a one off or if maybe Princess just is no longer the line for him.

[@karenjones1427]

But Discovery didn't add any indoor pool area. That in itself is plain ridiculous. Swimming is great for arthritis, but the cold weather not so much :/

[@Girasole5849]

Was on Majestic last week and respectfully disagree with the negative comments as I did not experience any of that. It was easy to know which side your cabin was on - blue carpet on the port side, Red carpet on the starboard side. Embarkation/disembarkation very smooth. Food was delicious, Reservations for main dining rooms made for easy access without a wait. Had a fabulous time and would definitely do this cruise again.

[@TheChillCruiser]

I'm glad to hear they have improved since my sailing a year ago. It's a great ship it was just not managed well on my sailing.

[@taniadowzansky9542]

Wonderful information! Thank you for your review 😊

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching Tania! Glad you found it helpful!

[@rungee1335]

A very honest, well balanced, honest and helpful review. Well edited and produced. I just subscribed and am looking forward to your future work. Best of luck.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Wow! Thank you so much for watching, subscribing and sharing your feedback! Really appreciate it!

[@cindyraedeker9027]

Wow, I just found your channel. I love your format, very straightforward and honest about the positives and negatives. Thank you so much!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and for the feedback!

[@kimberlyh4663]

Wow! Awesome review of your experiences. I’m excited to be among your first 10 subscribers, and look forward to sitting down and watching all your videos!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you so much Kimberly for the feedback and for subscribing!

[@janetcomeau9002]

Well done, Andrew!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you so much Janet! That means a lot coming from you!

[@melaniepattonraleigh9663]

I really liked your video and just how thoroughly you explain everything. It's nice to watch a cruising video that is so chill and relaxing.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Melanie for watching and for sharing your feedback!

[@seadub1958]

Port of Vancouver/Canada Place is at fault for your 4 hour embarkation. We had a 2 hour embarkation in Vancouver to get onboard Grand Princess in early May 2023. It was also very very disorganized and when we asked the port staff a question, many did not know where to direct us. They need to get their act together and educate/train their port staff better. I don't blame Princess for the slow embarkation.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Vancouver does seem to have more issues and delays than other ports - which is why I did a separate video focused on that issue. The port itself causes the delays but Princess could have stepped up and tried to minimze the negative consequences to its guests through communication and a presence in the terminal. They did neither despite obviously knowing in advance that Vancouver is a challenging port. Airlines send alerts and change boarding times even though weather and airport issues aren't their fault -- I don't understand why we shouldn't expect similar simple gestures from a premium cruise line.

[@irishinusa1615]

Agree

[@SilverDraco]

​@@TheChillCruiserthe Princess app isn't near good enough to do anything like that. Airlines have quite the advantage over cruise lines as far as having money to spend.

[@billsnyder1021]

We sailed Quantum of Sea in May from Vancouver. The worst embarkation ever. Passengers nearly come to blows, 3 hour standing for 70YO will not work. A total zoo

[@SilverDraco]

@@billsnyder1021 oh, that sucks!

[@kathleenabell5933]

Great eye opening review - I’ll be on Majestic in May so this video was so helpful - and a bit disappointing but when I travel I always stay positive and happy to be on a vacation. We’ll see - thanks so much!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and sharing your perspective! I hope you have a great cruise. It’s a nice ship overall so with different management, it could be a much better experience by now. I’m on another Princess ship and someone I met last night said there’s a great new Cruise Director on Majestic right now so that’s good news! A program that wasn’t all trivia and opera would have made a big difference on my Majestic cruise. Let me know how it goes. All the best...

[@imalltheway]

Great reviews covering so many areas! Cleanness of public restrooms is one of the main indicators for me, wine lists, and port distance to attractions, which not too many talk about. Thank you!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and for the great feedback! I’m happy to see that someone appreciated the wine commentary! 🥂

[@imalltheway]

😊🍷🥂

[@ExploreTheWorld703]

We sailed on her in May out of Vancouver and agree. For the indoor pool space though, there is elevator access and automatic doors to this space, there is a hallway center aft from the pool, it is automatic and leads to bathrooms and the elevators. 😊

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Hailey for watching and for sharing your experience! Thank you also for keeping me honest regarding accessibility of the Hollywood complex! I couldn't find any sign of stairs or elevators when I was onboard or after a quick scan of the deck plans. Your comment prompted me to take a second closer look and now I see the vestibule you mentioned outside in front of the complex. I guess I'm due for an eye exam 😂

[@ExploreTheWorld703]

@@TheChillCruiser We took a bit to find it too, we found a lack of signage to be an issue throughout the ship (but still enjoyed it and plan to sail on her again in 2024). Have a great day! :-)

[@peterlongo3343]

Booked a solo trip on this for september. Very helpful thank you!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Glad to hear Peter! Thank you for the feedback. I hope you have a great cruise! Be sure to check the activities for all the various gatherings (including for solo travelers). They're listed in the app as the cruise gets closer and in the program sent to your cabin daily. You can see sample programs on my website: thechillcruiser.blog/2023/06/29/daily-programs-on-majestic-princess/ Cheers!

[@peterlongo3343]

@@TheChillCruiser this is amazing! Thank you

[@davyf7620]

Very informative video. Thanks for sharing although I’m really depressed now thinking about my upcoming Princess Alaska cruise… 😂

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you! I hope you have a much better experience. Alaska is beautiful!

[@pennynoel6921]

I’ll be in Majestic in 3 weeks. I’ll let you know then if I agree/disagree. Thanks for the info.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Penny! Would be great to hear about your experience. Hope you have a great cruise!

[@cheryldiegel5603]

To help you navigate: Other than the glass elevators around the piazza, when you get off of an elevator, you will be facing the front of the ship.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Cheryl! I just noticed after watching the video again that the carpets seemed a different colour on each side of the decks with cabins - maybe they're supposed to denote odd/even? If so, I wish I figured that out on the cruise!

[@SilverDraco]

I just learned this today. Your think I'd know after 10 Princess cruises. 😢

[@montyboswell6509]

@@TheChillCruiser I’m surprised there was no mention of that. I wonder how many others were not aware?! Lois

[@timtim36457]

great review! I almost thought Id go on that ship! Not now.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for the feedback! It's still a great ship - it just wasn't managed well when I was onboard. It was a perfect ship for Alaska with the indoor pool and lounge. I would maybe check out other reviews (like Cruise Critic) before giving up on it completely.

[@uba51]

Solo traveler here and a new subscriber! Good job.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching, subscribing and sharing your feedback! Really appreciate it!

[@montyboswell6509]

Wishing you much success with your channel! Very good points about the Majestic. I have to say that, although the Royal class ships are new and beautiful, I much prefer the older and smaller ships. Wow! There are so many things I want to address from your video, but I’ve already forgotten most! I’m not concerned about wine, or what cruise line has the best selection, but I’m impressed with all your information and how you present it and have gladly subscribed. Lois😊

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Lois for watching, subscribing and sharing your feedback! Really appreciate it. Sounds like the older Princess ships are much more chill!

[@cindyziegler2462]

Has it been mentioned that the carpet is a different color depending on which side of the ship you’re stateroom is on? Majestic Princess has red roses on one side and blue roses on the other.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for bringing it up - yes someone did mention it and I noticed after posting the video. I was always looking for signs and don’t think to look at the carpet!

[@dc7879]

Great review similar to our cruise to Cabo on Princess, Celebrity seems to have a lot going for it in this respect

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you! I can't wait to experience Celebrity again!

[@briansiddles7456]

We have done 2 Royal class voyages (Majestic and Sky) in last 4 months. Enjoyed both, but yr criticism of dining rooms and queue's did occur for first 3 nights only, BUT if you book sametime everynight before 6.30pm you will walk straight in, and MatreD will (if requested) give you same table and wait staff, so you can build a friendly repore..... i.e traditional dining. Our only complaint on both ships, was the lack of use for the rear Vista lounge. But also we prefer smaller 2-2.5k pax ships. One more comment... on Sky in Europe they allowed smoking in Casino, disgusting smell, and something we haven't seen for many years. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experience! I think Princess allows smoking in the casino on all of their ships now - it was allowed on the starboard side on both Regal and Majestic earlier this year. Very few NA cruise lines have banned smoking outright in the casino (Celebrity and a few Holland ships as far as I know) with a few Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships apparently testing separate smoking and non-smoking casinos.

[@miguelavendano2530]

Great information, thank you so much. All these long lines and waiting, is it the same for other cruise liners. What about NORWEGIAN.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and for the feedback! I haven't taken Norwegian to Alaska - but there were no lines on the Escape last November in the Caribbean. It's a big ship that was close to full so it did feel crowded at times but lineups weren't an issue.

[@tonyvaninetti3429]

We cruised out of Vancouver last summer. What a mess! We will avoid embacation there. We also sailed this May on the Ruby Princess for 3 backtoback 10 day cruises this summer embarking in San Francisco. It was a snap. The ship was full and all the lines and crowding was as you said about your cruise. We will not be curising on large Princess ships again.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Tony for watching and for sharing your experience!

[@georgemaltese]

I’ve done several Princess cruises out of Alaska, never had a problem. I disagree with on most of what you have said. I do agree the buffet is not the best. The ships are nice, no issues in getting around. All cruise lines have cut portion sizes. Princess has an incredible wine selection. I realize it was your opinion. I’m glad I didn’t have your experience

[@TheChillCruiser]

I just had a great cruise to Alaska on Ruby Princess, which I think is more the norm than what I experienced on Majestic where for various reasons a lot went wrong.

[@kathleenabell5933]

Wow what a great review - and you hit a lot of issues. Unfortunately I have heard quite a bit of negative reviews from close friends who have cruises in Princess in the past recent years and they will not cruise on this line again. Customer service - or lack thereof - was the major complaint and they felt as though concerns were never taken seriously. Too bad.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and for the feedback!

[@Moksha-Raver]

Very organized presentation and the use of diagrams is unique. Ben, David, and Emma would never think of that! If you need a tagline, how about "Carooosing, eh".

[@TheChillCruiser]

Haha - thank you for watching and the suggestion!

[@paulready8897]

Tony from La lida Loca uses that tagline

[@Moksha-Raver]

@@paulready8897 But does he have the Canadian eh? 🙃

[@daigoomah]

We were on the Star a few yrs ago for our first and only Princess cruise. We were assigned to the Allegro dining room and I think we finally found it without getting lost on the 2nd last day 😂 We've booked on the Majestic for Sept 26 and did NOT book the Allegro for dinner. 😅

[@TheChillCruiser]

I’m glad I’m not the only one! Hope you have a great cruise!

[@daigoomah]

@@TheChillCruiser Thank you! 😊

[@anne-marievr5710]

Sailed the Majestic last June to Alaska. Never experienced those lines. Embarkation I think is a Port of Vancouver problem…we were delayed but we sat and Princess served food and drinks. I completely disagree with many of your complaints. Buffet was excellent (HAL and Royal buffet are horrible) Beds are awesome, I love the International cafe, entertainment staff was awesome.You are this first person I have heard complain about Alfredos. I have cruised on all the major cruise lines…Will take Princess over all the rest except maybe Disney. Never lined up for dining room.

[@TheChillCruiser]

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise last year and had a much better time. Agree that the port itself causes delays but don't think that gives Princess justification to do nothing when a 5 hour delay is negatively impacting 3,000 of its guests. Despite weather and airport issues not being the fault of airlines, they still send alerts to communicate delays and change boarding times. I don't see why we can't expect the same simple gesture from a premium cruise line. Especially since Princess has the means to do so via text, email and the Medallion app. I have lined up for the dining room on my last 2 Princess cruises, which is why I called it out. But if you're happy with the product then that's all that matters! Happy cruising!

[@ivamarkham6876]

i TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!! I had a great time and loved the ship. Also, Port and Starboard cabins are distinguished by the carpet...red and blue.

[@ganderson158]

I am on the Majestic in a few days and nice to hear a positive! Not looking forward to the embarkation but that is not the cruise line.

[@robertpendzick9250]

We had a pre-covid cruise that was so bad in Alaska on Princess that we will never cruise with them again. When the problems were explained and brought to the attention of the crew later their corporate headquarters the reply was, "there are a lot of cruisers out there we don't have to correct problems". Our problems were everywhere from lack of cabin prep for allergies, propping open fire doors that allowed stairways to transfer a private venue sounds to cabin, poor attention to detail in food services, lack of 'open seating' during 'any time seating', etc. Princess a waste of space on the sea.

[@skchan2940]

I think you hate Princess. 😢

[@guintama]

Thanks for a great review. I had a similar experience in Vancouver in 2022 on Majestic Princess. We believe it was due to a Covid situation. After some time, they did provide refreshments and baked goods in the holding room. That evening, we all had free house-wine in the dining room. Nice gesture. While we were on Majestic, they had dancing in the Hollywood Pool Club after 10:00pm with a fun EDM vibe and a very fancy projector on the aft wall of the natatorium. I, too, enjoyed the hot tubs each evening - in Alaska, what a great way to enjoy pushing off from the dock! We were only 2/3 occupied on this sailing, so I think we experienced less congestion. I agree, Princess is "finding its way" right now, and deciding how they will cater to a younger demographic as Boomers make fewer travel decisions for the family. I look forward to our first Christmas Cruise with the line this year. Have you cruised at the holidays? Any suggestions?

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experience! Dancing in the Hollywood Pool Club sounds fun - too bad they didn't offer that on my sailing. I unfortunately haven't cruised at Christmas - but there are a few articles and videos out there. This is one that I have seen and found helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nITUkoWiba1lppo. Sounds like they can get very busy so I would definitely recommend booking more meals, activities and excursions in advance than normal. I hope you and your family have a great time!

[@warpedweft9004]

We're cruising on the majestic out of Sydney just before Christmas. I hope it's not a 4 hour wait because they've provided a three hour window to board all passengers. Being that it will have mainly Australians on board (cruises out of Australia usually do), very few of us are going to be green lane passengers since we can't get the medallion mailed to us. We have elite status from other cruises within the group, (although have never been on a Princess ship before). This apparently gives us priority boarding. We'll see how that affects the wait. Its leaving from our home city so we know what we are up for if it's a long wait. There's lots to see and do around that terminal as it is in the heart of the city, the historic and tourist areas, so if it's too busy we can drop our bags and go for a walk while we wait for the line to thin out.

[@23oakhill]

I am from the UK but I have travelled with Princess many times. I so agree with you about Royal class ships. P&O has a royal class too, Britannia, but I have used Regal and Royal too. The big problem is the lack of central stairs and yes so many dead ends and ups and downs to get around. Very badly designed. I now enjoy the ships Iona and Arvia with P&O , I think Carnival have two ships of the same design now ? Celebration perhaps. Maybe Princess will try this better and more modern ship?

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Alison for watching and for sharing your experience. I haven’t been following Carnival closely but Princess does have a new class of ship coming out next year (first ship will be Sun Princess) with a dome that looks similar to Iona. I was surprised to see in the deck plans that they’re sticking with the isolated Allegro dining room concept and introducing several new kid/family-friendly attractions on the top decks similar to NCL and Royal Caribbean.

[@23oakhill]

@@TheChillCruiser Oh yes I have looked at it, On Iona they have joined the two rear dining rooms with a beautiful staircase which makes it feel much more joined in. How odd that Princess would not do they same. Thank you for your reply.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Sorry Alison I seem to keep struggling with deck plans! That is what they've done with Sun - 1 large multi-level main dining room. The bottom level is isolated on that deck like other ships but I didn't notice the stairs to the other levels.

[@23oakhill]

@@TheChillCruiser It does feel much less cut off as Iona has an open balcony in the dining rooms. Thank you for checking for me.

[@SilverDraco]

We did this itinerary last August and the only real trouble we had was at embarkation. The signage was nonexistent, the check in took forever and don't even talk to me about customs. They took a good 2 hrs! It was hot as heck in the terminal and I was starving by the time we boarded. We actually loved the buffet. Maybe we went at non-peak times, well, except for breakfast and then we sat outside on the aft bar area with the infinity pool. The only problem out there was the sugar, salt and pepper weren't restocked very often and kids took over that pool. Agree with you about the reduced portions in all dining areas. If we're paying premium $ in the specialty spots like the Crown Grill we should get decent sides. I can't complain about the cut or grilling of the steaks, though. The dessert sampler in the Italian specialty dining spot was amazing! We didn't have a problem getting lost after the first couple of days but we really missed the promenade deck. There's an open deck area almost all the way aft but we didn't find it until the last night. It's adjacent to the Vista lounge on both sides of the ship; unfortunately one side is a designated smoking area. So sorry you missed glaciers... Not even College Fjord or Marjorie glacier? 😢😢😢 💔💔💔 We had no problems with queues to get on or off the ship on any port and we even had to be tendered at Skagway because of the landslide danger at the south end of the pier where the huge ships like Majestic have to dock. I wonder why you had such a different experience? I wonder what they're doing differently. You did have different ports than we did, IIRC but I can't remember which you said. We were in Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and did the Marjorie glacier and College Fjord. That's a shame about the medical emergency. You'll just have to go to AK again on another ship, right? 😅

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Wendy for watching and for sharing your experience! I'm glad you had a better Alaska cruising experience. Sounds like you were on a newer Royal class ship since you had an aft infinity pool, which started on Sky after Majestic. Our ports were the same except no glacier and we stopped at Sitka on the way back to Vancouver. The landslide you mentioned did impact where we docked in Skagway. The awkward gangway setup at each port contributed to the long waits with the main gangway using stairs and ramps going all the way up to deck six, which really slowed things down. There was usually another accessible gangway on a lower deck with just a ramp but that was generally reserved for guests in wheelchairs. I would love to return to Alaska but it will definitely not be on Princess and very likely not through Vancouver.

[@warpedweft9004]

If the portions are too small for you, you can ask for more than one dish in the dining room and go back as many times as you want in the buffet. The thing is, not everyone is a big eater, so its a really big waste of food to give bigger portions to everyone. It's better that they give smaller portions and you order more if you are a big eater.

[@SilverDraco]

@@warpedweft9004 3 very small asparagus pieces is a ridiculous 'portion' when you're paying extra for the meal and it's a pain waiting for 2nds.

[@warpedweft9004]

@@SilverDraco then don't pay extra for these dining options. There's virtually nothing on those menus you can't get in the main dining rooms. These speciality dining things are just another way of wrangling as much additional money out of people as possible. Play them at their own game by just refusing to use them.

[@SilverDraco]

@@warpedweft9004 so you think you can tell me where to eat on my cruises? Think again. As your comments here have proved, you think you know a lot, don't you? If you'd been to the Crown Grill, you'd know there's nothing at the main dining room that can compare.

[@janetwright6837]

We sailed on the Majestic last year around Tasmania and we did not enjoy the ship at all. It does not have a lot of seating compared to othe Princess ships, like the Diamond, Emerald etc. Everywhere we went there seemed to be queues.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching Janet and for sharing your experience on the Majestic. Sorry you had to experience all of the queues as well!

[@montyboswell6509]

I agree about the seating situation on the Royal class ships. And I really dislike the activities held in the Piazza due to the fact that they have removed the venues where they used to be held. I always enjoyed sitting in the piazza, enjoying something from the International Cafe, or drinks from the bar, while listening to the musical entertainment provided. Not when there are dance lessons and such going on! And no promenade decks?!!! The best part of the Majestic, and something I did love, was the Conservatory and the covered pool. When I sailed on her in 2021 I understood that the plan was to eventually change the Conservatory to a Sanctuary. I guess it is too large a space on board to not generate revenue. We’ll see what happens. I imagine the covered pool area will stay, though! Oh, and I really do prefer the older, smaller ships. We’ll be on the Sapphire in October. She and the Diamond hold a special place in my heart. Lois

[@cruisingforone]

Too bad this went south on you. I sail Princess a lot but only in the Caribbean. There are rarely any embarkation issues in Port Everglades. Usually can get checked in in about 5 minutes.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching! Agree - embarkation at Port Everglades is usually very smooth.

[@CookieCrumbzz25]

never seen someone complain about too much cheese on a pizza

[@TheChillCruiser]

Haha it does happen! Margherita pizza is supposed to somewhat resemble the Italian flag: Red (tomato sauce), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_Margherita

[@montyboswell6509]

@@TheChillCruiser that’s a good explanation of a Margherita pizza! Is that what that was supposed to be?! I do love Alfredo’s, particularly for the eggplant dish that is available. I’ll be on the Sapphire soon but I’m not sure they serve anything other than pizza like the newer ships do. Lois

[@dennism7032]

To travel all that way and miss seeing the glaciers would be tragic.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you for watching! Agree it wasn’t ideal. Glaciers are accessible from other ports like Juneau but you had to figure that out on your own, which was a missed opportunity for Princess to try and make the most out of a bad situation.

[@juliejones8074]

We were just on the Princess Discovery July 2023. Worst trip ever. I’ll be brief, food wasn’t the best. The buffet after a couple of nights was the same every night. The worst part was the customer service. I got Covid the third day on board. The cruise line didn’t treat us very good after catching this. So we spend the next five days in isolation. By the day before disembarking, they canceled are bus ride to the airport. They never offered to help us find our own way they just left us hanging in a city were we’ve never been. I thought at least help set up something. They could have got a smaller bus and took us to the airport, because we were grouped together to get off the boat. There was only about 20-25 people.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Sorry to hear about your experience!

[@BCPOMY]

We got covid too on Crown Princess this Aug. We didn't know until back to home had covid test kit..Princess didn't care about travelers safe or not they just want your 🤑

[@elliechristie2498]

I have to comment on Princess…..when Covid happened, my friend and I waited 2 years after booking and paying in full to board the Ruby Princess last November 2022. We were finally so excited to board for 15 day cruise to Hawaii. Here’s a list of disappointments: boarding was confusing with no fan fare or welcoming 🎉……room was dated and didn’t feel clean, including the absolutely filthy safe…..deck for customer service on same deck as casino and the smoke coming from casino was nauseating, and my friend could not even go there and she loves casinos and gambling…..tours were not really good….dining was a mess and the food was exactly the same in both MDR’s….. I go go on and on, but the bottom line is that there was no life on the ship. Everyone was stand offish…..perhaps a little due because of Covid lockdowns and fear….. My friend and I are total optimists and easy to please, but this was the ship from hell…..the horrible cruise we’ve ever had and we will no longer sail with Princess cruises. We are going on Carnival Panorama this November for 7 day Mexican Riviera…..hope it is more enjoyable and funner!!🎉. Good review….just brought up bad memories for me…..

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Ellie for watching and sharing your experience. Sorry you didn’t have a good cruise on the Ruby. I’ve heard several folks say that they preferred the older Princess ships like Crown so it’s unfortunate Ruby wasn’t at its best when you sailed. I hope you have a blast on the Panorama!

[@warpedweft9004]

That's odd. The Casino and Casino Bar are non-smoking areas on board, with the exception of designated slot machines where guests are permitted to smoke only while playing at those machines. All table games are non-smoking.

[@warpedweft9004]

If you didn't like Princess, for all the reasons you've stated, I'm afraid you're going to like Carnival even less.

[@cherylkoski7184]

As a solo traveler, I want set dining times, so I will no longer sail Princess.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Hi Cheryl - to be fair to Princess, you can make the same reservation every day of your cruise in the app if you want. I'm not sure if that means you get the same table and server. On Regal earlier this year the hosts in Allegro were proactively trying to seat regulars with the same table and server but I think this varies depending on the individual restaurant's leadership since Majestic was such a mess. But it's definitely not the same as traditional dining with a dedicated dining room or area of the dining room with the same table neighbours etc. I agree - I think it was a big mistake.

[@cherylkoski7184]

I want the same tablemates at every evening meal.

[@shawnedwards1844]

Port of Vancouver /Canada Place is an embarrassing excuse of a port. We had the worst embarkation experience ever from there last October. The staff lacked knowledge and many were downright rude. I wrote a review on Cruiseline of our experience. Never again!

[@montyboswell6509]

Oh dear! I’ve only embarked in Vancouver twice, a number of years ago, and only one time was remarkable in how disorganized it was. The stories I’ve been hearing the last couple of years are awful! I will be leaving from there in October and was hoping things might be better as things should be slower with the Alaska season having ended, or ending, but now I’m questioning the ease of our October departure! Fingers crossed! Lois

[@TheChillCruiser]

Sorry to hear about your experience!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Hi Lois - you can check to see how many other ships (if any) will be in port on your embarkation day here: www.portvancouver.com/cruise/cruise-schedule/. I also did a separate video with Vancouver embarkation tips that might help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3rCg4WMedpphdk .

[@paulready8897]

From watching a lot of videos, I refuse to sail on Princess because their corporate management does not care about their customers at all. They cancelled a 19 day cruise that a lot of people had paid for, to rent the ship to a private party. They also like to deliver hot food that is already cold to your staterooms and the managers just do not care. There also has been a lot of instances of employees and supervisors being rude to passengers, even threatening guests. Until they replace their corporate managers and change how they treat guests I will refuse to sail with them. They need to sold to another company.

[@TheChillCruiser]

I heard about that canceled cruise in Japan. Very frustrating when that happens - especially with so little compensation and alternative booking options.

[@heatherhunt6305]

Wow, this video was annoying! Is there any part of the cruise you didn't complain about? I had a fabulous vacation on Princess 2 months ago. To me, this video sounds like you're the type of person who will find something to complain about.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Just in case your question wasn’t rhetorical, I’ll answer it for you. Yes, there are indeed areas I didn’t complain about. If you actually watched the video before passing judgement, you’d have noticed I praised 21 areas of the ship. Here they are in order: the Medallion concept, disembarkation, indoor observation lounge, the SeaWalk, balcony cabin, on-demand entertainment, room service speed and selection, lido fast food, main dining room food and selection, Harmony restaurant, bar service, beer and cocktail selection, pools and hot tubs, lido lounger setup, the Enclave thermal suite, laundry room option, the Majestic Orchestra, activities selection, guest opera singer, the app/internet service, the casino and the crew. That’s too bad you found the review annoying. I found your comment annoying so I guess now we’re even! Happy cruising!

[@heatherhunt6305]

@TheChillCruiser-ot1ex well, I guess we are even.😊 I hope you have a better time on your next cruise. Thanks for putting out content about cruising.

[@SheilaStewart4354]

@heatherhunt6305 I agree with you. This vlogger I won't be following.

[@user-pd4qv9yk7m]

You digress and complain a lot !!!

[@TheChillCruiser]

That’s what happens when so much goes wrong on one cruise! If you’re not interested in constructive criticism, I suggest the Princess Cruises YT channel.

[@carolpeterson8947]

Wow, I hope my trip in September is better than yours was🥲🥲🫤🫤🫤

[@TheChillCruiser]

Me too!

[@peterlongo3343]

Your videos are perfect. I love to chill on travels and this channel is great for my first solo chill cruise 🚢!

[@TheChillCruiser]

I'm blushing! Thank you!