Because I cruise so often, people often
ask me which is the best cruise line. I always answer that it depends
upon your lifestyle and tastes. Each of the major cruise lines sets
out to present a different cruise experience. At the extremes, some
seek to present a lively party atmosphere while others seek to
present a refined cultural experience. If you want a party
experience, you are not going to be happy on a culturally-orientated
ship no matter how well the cruise line presents its concerts and
lectures.
With that caveat, I thought I would do
a series of postings offering some general observations about the
various cruise lines. Hopefully, this will give you some indication
of whether a particular cruise line is for you.
Recently, I have been cruising on a
number of the Princess Cruises ships. Therefore, I thought I would
start this series with Princess Cruises.
In the U.K. a few years ago, Princess
ran an advertising campaign that characterized the line as “American
luxury.” I think that was a good description. To me, the
Princess cruise experience is one of relaxed sophistication. It is
upmarket but not stuffy.
Based on my observations rather than
on any scientific study, people who travel on Princess tend to be
educated and what used to be called upper middle class. Their tastes
are correspondingly sophisiticated but they also like to relax in the
sun by the pools or in the adults-only Sanctuary area. Hairy legs
competitions and throw the cruise director in the pool are not for
this crowd.
While Americans and Canadians
dominate, there is usually a good mix of nationalities with the U.K.
well-represented.
The passengers range in age from young
families to retired people. Of course, the mix of ages depends upon
the time of year (less children when school is in session) and the
itinerary (some routes attract a more mature crowd). As is true
throughout the industry, the average age goes up along with the
length of the voyage.
I often meet experienced cruisers on
Princess ships. The line has a very strong loyalty program and a
devoted following. But, I find that experienced cruisers who travel
on Princess also seem to like Celebrity Cruises.
Inside, the public spaces of the
Princess ships are eye-catching but at the same time they avoid being
glitzy or garish. The interiors of the two latest Princess ships,
Royal Princess and Regal Princess, are spectacular. Over several
ships, Princess' interior designer Teresa Anderson developed an
elegant signature style for Princess. Beacuse the line's new ships
are so much bigger than the other ships in the Princess fleet, the
designers were able to combine space with the traditional Princess
style making for a grand result.
I have always found the food on the
Princess ships to be to my taste. This is particularly true of the
line's Italian offerings. Early on, Princess merged with the Italian
cruise line Sitmar and that Italian heritage is still reflected in
the culinary operations on the Princess ships. The Alfredo's
Pizzerias serve the best gourmet pizza at sea - - and it is
complimentary.
An important part of Beyondships is
our interviews with the people who operate the various cruise ships.
I have been impressed with the captains, hotel managers, maitre d's
and cruise directors who I have interviewed at Princess. The people
that I have met have been intelligent and able to see the big
picture. I believe that this benefits the passengers through
increased innovation and efficiency.
They also seem able to motivate the
crews to provide good service. Princess calls itself the consumate
host and my experience has been that the crew understand that they
should act like the passengers are guests, not just customers. Of
course, in any business you have some people who just don't get it
but overall the morale and therefore the service level is quite high
on Princess.
Overall, Princess is a very strong
cruise line.
This week on Beyondships, we have an
update on Royal Princess. We have a new photo
http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-photo-feature.html
and video feature showing the ship in various ports.
http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-video.html
There is an interview with Hotel General Manager Martin Bristow.
http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-hotel-manager-ii.html
We also review the Crab Shack dining event
http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-crab-shack.html
and the Gelatto ice cream parlor.
http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-gelato.html
