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What are the pros and cons of cruising on a Princess Cruises cruising vacation. I explore the best and worst things about a cruise with Princess. The things you need to watch out for and be aware of, as well as the great things about cruising on Princess Cruises. This luxury / premium cruise line is the Thord most popular line based on number of passengers they carry every year. Only Carnival Cruises and Royal Caribbean lines carry more. So, want are the Princess Cruises Pros and Cons?
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Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 60+ cruises.
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0:00
what are the pros and the cons
0:03
of cruising with princess cruises i'm
0:06
gary bembridge this is another of my
0:08
tips for travellers i'm on board a
0:09
princess cruise at the moment
0:11
and i thought it'd be a really good time
0:13
to share with you what i think are the
0:14
pros and
0:16
are the cons of cruising with princess
0:19
so let's start first of all
0:20
with the pros i think one of the biggest
0:23
pros of princess cruises
0:25
is just their size and the range of
0:27
opportunities they give you both in
0:28
terms of size of cruise ship
0:30
and also destinations they have at the
0:32
time of recording 17 ships but with many
0:34
more coming
0:35
on tap so in the next couple years
0:37
they're going to have way over 20
0:39
ships and they have small ships with
0:41
just under 700
0:42
guests up to what i'm on now skype
0:44
princess with 3
0:46
60 guests and so they have a lot of
0:49
options in terms of size of ships
0:51
but really importantly pretty much
0:52
anywhere in the world you want to go
0:54
you probably can do it on a princess
0:55
cruise one of the most
0:57
important regions for them is actually
0:59
alaska
1:00
in 2019 they had been in alaska for over
1:03
50 years and what's really interesting
1:04
about princess
1:05
is not only do they cruise to alaska but
1:07
they also
1:08
own different lodges so you can also do
1:11
land-based activities
1:12
as part of a whole princess cruise land
1:16
and cruise combined vacation they even
1:18
have
1:19
specific train journeys which will take
1:21
you off the ship and
1:23
to the various parts of alaska on a
1:25
land-based
1:26
trip but they cruise everywhere so
1:27
you'll find them in the caribbean the
1:28
mediterranean australia
1:30
south pacific mexican riviera they'll go
1:33
through the panama canal
1:34
canada new england world cruises you can
1:37
do anything from
1:38
a three or four day cruise up to over
1:41
100 day cruises on princess so there's a
1:43
huge range
1:44
in terms of ships and itineraries so
1:46
pretty much anywhere in the world you
1:47
want to go
1:48
you're probably going to be able to go
1:49
on a princess cruise
1:51
i think that's one really big pro i
1:54
think the second big pro
1:55
is the type of cruising they offer so
1:58
they offer
1:59
the premium luxury type of travel but at
2:01
a more affordable price
2:03
so they compete i would say with lines
2:05
like celebrity
2:06
or holland america so they're at that
2:08
sort of quality
2:09
and range but because they have a huge
2:13
range of not only ships but also types
2:15
of cabins so you can do it in a very
2:17
affordable way so you can go in a luxury
2:19
way in a premium way
2:20
but also within your budget so you have
2:22
everything from
2:23
big palatial suites so for example sky
2:25
princess which i'm on now
2:27
has sky suites these are monstrous big
2:29
two-bedroom
2:30
suites and they have then balcony suites
2:33
which i was staying in which is the main
2:35
class of suites they have ocean view
2:36
suites they have inside suites
2:38
they have suites mini suites so a huge
2:41
and diverse range of cabins so
2:43
you can travel in luxury but you can
2:45
also then do it within different
2:47
budget ranges so definitely a luxury
2:49
premium experience
2:50
but in an affordable way i think that's
2:52
a big pro for princess cruises
2:55
another big pro of princess is they
2:57
offer a traditional cruise experience so
3:00
they don't go for lots of gimmicks
3:01
and some of them all sort of funky and
3:03
unusual ways of cruising they offer a
3:05
pretty
3:05
traditional cruising experience so if
3:07
you are the sort of person that likes
3:08
a traditional cruising experience with
3:10
the sort of activities you would expect
3:12
so
3:12
production shows quizzes bingo
3:16
and facilities like you know you want
3:18
pools and fitness centers
3:20
and casinos and spas kids clubs
3:23
all the traditional things that you'd
3:25
expect on a cruise ship you'll have it
3:26
so you're not going to find big resort
3:28
ships with
3:28
water parks and really unusual rock
3:31
climbing
3:32
walls and you know go-karts and ice
3:35
rinks
3:36
and all that kind of resort stuff so
3:37
it's a pretty traditional ship
3:39
in terms of facilities and the format of
3:42
cruising is pretty traditional so you'll
3:43
find
3:44
it runs a fairly traditional cruising
3:45
program so even down to dining where
3:47
they still have
3:48
the traditional early and late settings
3:51
or you could also choose
3:52
to have anytime dining so there are
3:55
obviously some nods to
3:56
modern cruising trends but it's a pretty
3:58
traditional experience so if that's the
3:59
sort of cruise
4:00
you like and i think that's a big pro
4:02
there's not lots of fancy bells and
4:04
whistles around the princess
4:05
experience linked to that and part of
4:08
that
4:08
is a lot of their entertainment and
4:10
activities are enrichment focused
4:12
so they have partnerships for example
4:14
with excursions with things like the
4:16
discovery channel
4:17
and animal planet they will have guest
4:19
speakers on board they'll have cooking
4:21
classes
4:22
and demonstrations so quite a enrichment
4:25
focused
4:26
activity which i think is a big pro if
4:28
you're looking for that
4:29
another really big pro of princess
4:31
cruises is actually a big innovation
4:33
and that's the ocean medallion device
4:36
and
4:36
the app so princess cruises were the
4:39
first cruise line to introduce
4:41
this the ocean medallion which is a
4:42
wearable device
4:44
and it's a very clever device and their
4:46
fleet is slowly being converted to that
4:48
and ships like the one i'm on now sky
4:49
princess
4:50
is built with it integrated into the
4:52
whole system and it's designed to help
4:54
make the cruising experience much more
4:56
personalized and also
4:58
much smarter so for example the sort of
5:00
things you can do with ocean medallion
5:02
is it helps you check in much faster
5:04
because
5:05
you've uploaded all your information
5:07
your passport details photographs
5:10
so you then depending which country
5:12
you're in you can either get sent the
5:13
ocean medallion in advance
5:15
or in some countries you have to pick it
5:16
up when you check in but you get into
5:17
the ship really quickly
5:19
it also then becomes your card so
5:22
it's a thing that you'll clock in and
5:24
out of the ship on you can use it to buy
5:26
things with and importantly does a
5:28
couple other things so for example
5:30
as you head towards your cabin it
5:31
recognizes you and it unlocks your cabin
5:34
you can also use it to do things like
5:36
order drinks or
5:38
buy things wherever you are on the ship
5:40
and get it delivered to you because a
5:41
smart device
5:42
the crew is able to track you down so
5:43
you can be sitting by the pool and you
5:45
can order drink and they know where you
5:47
are it also means that over time the
5:50
crew get to know your preferences so
5:53
they can start to tailor
5:54
service much more for you it also helps
5:57
you unlock a whole lot of features
5:59
both on an app which you can have on
6:00
your smartphone or on these big
6:02
interactive screens around the ship
6:04
where we can do things like
6:06
you can have a look at the daily program
6:08
and you can plan
6:09
your activities you can track your
6:11
friends and family you can find out
6:12
where they are on the ship
6:14
you can message them and arrange to meet
6:16
them
6:17
you can also play very interactive games
6:20
you can even if you want to
6:21
play things like bingo and gamble with a
6:23
combination of the device
6:25
and the app so the smart device is
6:28
really designed to make your cruising
6:29
experience much more personalized
6:31
because
6:31
the crew can start to know your
6:33
preferences but also to
6:35
simplify and speed up a lot of the
6:37
activities around the ship
6:38
and have a whole separate video about
6:40
the whole ocean medallion process
6:41
but certainly that whole smart
6:42
technology is making the whole cruising
6:45
experience
6:46
smoother more personalized and much
6:49
easier so what then are some of the cons
6:51
of cruising with princess cruises well
6:53
the first one probably
6:54
i think the biggest one is that the fact
6:55
that their fares are not all-inclusive
6:57
so when you do book a princess cruise
6:59
you need to be aware of
7:00
what the extra charges are so let me
7:02
talk through some of those so your fare
7:03
includes obviously
7:04
lots of dining options so you can have
7:06
lots of casual dining options
7:08
and formal dining options so the main
7:10
dining rooms
7:11
you have things like for example on this
7:13
ship you have a the salty dog grill
7:16
you have sliced pizza you have
7:19
alfredo's pizzeria you have the world
7:22
fresh marketplace and the horizon
7:24
buffet you have the international cafe
7:26
so lots of
7:27
food is included all your
7:29
entertainment's included and access to
7:30
pretty much all of the facilities are
7:32
included with one key exception which is
7:33
the sanctuary
7:34
which is a very quiet space where you do
7:37
pay to get access to so lots of things
7:38
are included so what's not included
7:40
what will you have to pay extra for well
7:42
gratuities are charged extra
7:45
and they're normally added on board
7:47
although you can depending on when
7:48
you're booking
7:49
pre-pay those in advance so gratuities
7:52
at the time recording were 16.50
7:54
per person per day in a suite 15.50 per
7:58
person in a mini suite and club class
8:00
14.50 per person per day per guest
8:03
in an interior ocean view or balcony
8:06
staterooms
8:07
you'll also have gratuities of 18 added
8:10
to drinks you buy and things like the
8:12
spa
8:14
excursions are not included so those
8:16
obviously are extras and you can decide
8:18
how many of
8:19
those you do drinks are not included
8:21
they do have various drinks packages
8:23
though which will include both alcoholic
8:26
drinks non-alcoholic drinks sodas for
8:27
example
8:28
and coffees so for example they have a
8:30
premier beverage package which is 59.99
8:34
per person per day they have a premier
8:36
coffee and soda package which is 19.99
8:40
person per day and a classic soda packet
8:41
which is 9.99 per person
8:44
per day there are also some dining
8:46
options that are not included
8:48
within the price so a couple of
8:49
specialty dining options
8:51
these differ slightly based on the ship
8:52
but for example i'll give you example of
8:54
sky princess which i'm on when i'm
8:56
recording this
8:56
what do they have so they have one of
8:59
the princess
9:00
classics which is the crown grill which
9:02
is a steakhouse
9:03
they have sabatini's which is a really
9:05
nice italian restaurant
9:07
which is extra and across many of the
9:09
ships they also have the ocean terrace
9:11
seafood bar which is the sushi and they
9:14
also have the bistro
9:15
sir lemare which is the seafood
9:18
restaurant they also have many ships
9:20
have a gelato
9:22
shop where you do have to pay extra for
9:24
as well
9:25
so one of the downsides of a princess
9:26
cruise fare is once you're on board
9:28
there are going to be
9:29
extras gratuities drinks especially
9:31
dining and excursions
9:33
the other big wine of course is wi-fi
9:35
now
9:36
they are actually introducing really
9:37
fast wi-fi as they roll out the ocean
9:40
medallion
9:41
and they have medallion net which is a
9:43
really fast wi-fi
9:44
and at the time recording that was 9.99
9:46
per day and i must say it was
9:48
really really fast wi-fi i was very
9:50
impressed with the wi-fi so those are
9:51
the main
9:52
costs that you will be paying extra
9:54
above your fare on princess
9:56
the next key con is i think princess is
9:59
probably really catering much more
10:01
for couples it does slightly more mature
10:04
crowd
10:04
and certainly as i mentioned earlier
10:06
people who like traditional cruising
10:08
experience it is very much
10:09
a more mature couple's experience not
10:12
saying that
10:12
it doesn't have families on board so
10:14
certainly you'll get quite a few
10:15
families on board
10:16
and particularly multi-generational
10:18
families on board
10:20
during the summer and sort of christmas
10:22
holiday season period but the overall
10:24
experience the entertainment the food
10:26
the excursions
10:28
i think are really very much for that
10:30
sort of crowd so
10:31
there are probably other lines that
10:33
cater even better for families
10:34
than princess cruises do so it really is
10:37
very much
10:38
a mature couple's experience
10:42
link to that i think another big con of
10:44
princess cruises if you're a solo
10:45
traveler
10:46
princess cruises is not really catering
10:48
for you so there are no
10:50
solar cabins on board their ships and
10:52
they don't
10:53
unlike some lines offer lots of solo
10:55
discounts so you're
10:56
likely to find you're going to be paying
10:58
up to 100 surcharge
11:00
if you are going on a princess cruise so
11:02
certainly as a solo traveler
11:03
princess cruises is probably a real
11:05
downside because there's not a lot of
11:07
flex in terms of finding a good fare
11:10
through a cabin or
11:11
deals they do cater for solar travelers
11:13
on board so they'll have things like
11:14
solo traveler
11:15
meetups as well so they do cater for you
11:17
once you're on board but financially
11:18
it's probably
11:19
a downside for princess the next con
11:23
of princess cruises is for those people
11:25
who have an issue with dressing up
11:27
so princess cruises being fairly
11:28
traditional does have a dress code
11:31
most of the nights are smart casual so
11:33
that's sort of they describe it is the
11:34
sort of things you'd wear
11:36
out for an evening in a restaurant so
11:38
they do encourage men for example to
11:40
wear slacks not really jeans
11:41
although you probably can get away with
11:43
dark smart jeans
11:45
in practice i certainly saw that a lot
11:46
across the cruises that i've been on
11:48
on smart cash leavings they do really
11:49
expect you to wear things like collared
11:51
shirts
11:51
maybe long sleeve shirts and more slack
11:54
type stuff and ladies the sort of
11:55
equivalent
11:56
but they do have formal nights where
11:58
you'll find everything from tuxedos
12:00
through to suit and tie and that is the
12:02
expectation you'll normally find
12:04
there's a formal night roughly once
12:06
every five days so if you're on a cruise
12:08
of five to seven days you'll have at
12:10
least one formal night
12:11
and there is an expectation and
12:13
requirement really that you stick to the
12:15
dress code so if you're the sort of
12:16
person
12:16
that really hates dressing up and you
12:18
want to be able to wear jeans or shorts
12:20
or whatever
12:20
then definitely princess cruises is not
12:24
the right cruise line for you princess
12:26
cruises has a lot of pros it has
12:28
some cons for some people if you found
12:31
this helpful i have lots of other videos
12:32
about cruising princess cruises so why
12:34
don't you watch another one of those
12:36
right now
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