Princess Cruises - Sea Princes Cruise Ship Review

Our resort hotel was located only a short distance from the port and drive time in traffic was no more than 15 minutes. We arrived at the terminal and noticed right away there were no lines at check-in. We walked right up to the counter, spent a few minutes with the staff person and off through security we went. We were thrilled there were no lines, but curious as to why. We left the hotel at 11:30am, and by 11:55am (no kidding), we were in our cabin checking out the view from our balcony.

Our cabin was located on Riviera Deck just off the pool area. We picked our cabin for the location, and as it turned out, we think we chose one of the best spots on the ship! We had a birds-eye view of the bridge so we could watch the Captain and Crew negotiate the ship in and out of our ports of call (all 9 of them).

Our cabin was a tad smaller as compared to our cabin on the Star Princess. We lost a few square feet of balcony space and had less room to maneuver around the bed. Still, the same amenities were provided so we had no complaints except for the bedding accommodation which was terribly uncomfortable. We have since learned that Princess Cruises is making an effort to improve their bedding accommodations. Thank you!

Maneuvering our way around the ship was easy and typical for a Princess ship. Three decks (11, 10 and 9) are passenger decks and cabins span the length of the ship. Decks 7, 6 and 5 at midship house the atrium, dining rooms, pursers desk, photo gallery, boutiques, excursion desk, lounges, bars, etc. We learned right away that most activities other than those in the main theater and lounges were in areas located midship (including the upper decks).

Deck 8 was the only confusing area we encountered. The Casino and Cafe are located midship deck 8, with passenger cabins on both sides. The easiest access meant taking the midship elevators, but the elevators don't span all of the decks (typical of most ships). We ended up using a walkway on Deck 8 that oddly had us entering through the cafe. The cafe server entrance to the kitchen was directly in the path of the walkway and we were always excusing ourselves as we passed by. Otherwise we found the ship to flow easily and getting around was a breeze.

Riviera deck was our daytime play area. Live music, deck parties, and movies on the big screen at night kept us close to our cabin. The deck space was vast, and well organized. All outdoor areas met our expectations for Princess Ships.

Buffet on the Lido deck - We found the buffet food to be as good as it was on the other Princess ships we've been on. Service was excellent as always and the area was well maintained and kept clean. We love Princess buffets especially since they serve coffee, tea and assorted foods 24hrs a day. A tasty variety of hot and cold food is served 3 times a day at regular times with light foods and snacks set out in between meals. The island buffet set-up is easy to maneuver compared to the single line concept used on some other cruise ships. The only headache with the island set-up is the occasional impatient passenger (you know who you are) that ignores the civility rule.

Dining Room - We ate the majority of our evening meals in our assigned dining room; we enjoy the fine dining experience and yummy gourmet entrees. The entire staff of the Rigoletto Dining Room provided exceptional service and we extend a special thank you to them.  Our one disappointment  - the "specialty restaurant" called the Sterling Steakhouse. They closed one side of the buffet area and turned it into the Steakhouse Restaurant every night. The food was excellent but the venue was lacking. We did however appreciate Princess's idea of "Dining Under the Stars" when the Riviera Grill was turned into an outdoor fine dining area. A few selected nights of the cruise, the menu from the Sterling Steakhouse was served at the outdoor grill; you could watch the evening movie on the big TV. or just appreciate the view. 

Leaving the ship was just as easy as getting on. It turned out that we were on a cruise that had two embarkation points - Ft. Lauderdale and Barbados. On the second day of our cruise, we heard some grumbling about vacations ending with only a few days left. We were confused by the comments and soon learned that about half of the ship passengers were debarking the ship in Barbados, and new passengers would arrive to take their place. We finally understood why there were no lines of passengers waiting to get on the ship when we embarked. By the end of our first week, it felt like we were on a back to back cruise rather than a 14 day cruise. We had no idea that our itinerary called for embarkation of passengers in Barbados; had we known this, we wouldn't have booked that particular itinerary.

The culture onboard the ship was unlike any we had ever experienced sailing the Caribbean from a U.S. port. We knew the Sea Princess had just returned from the European market sailing for P&O as the Adonia, however we expected the decor and public rooms to be revamped before the ship again sailed as the Sea Princess. Everything from the decor, the food, the public room, the activities and beyond had a European flair. Night life in the disco and lounges was low-key compared to other Princess ships. The Casino shared one third of its space with the Card Room/Big Screen TV/Game room.

Our visits to the ports exceeded our expectations. Beautiful and magnificent, the islands were esthetically pleasing. They offered diverse cultures - Dutch, French, British, American, and more. 

Excursions were rated average and we had a few disappointments along the way with cancellations and availability. Selections were limited for some ports of call but we don't blame that on the cruise line. The crew kept things organized on the pier and our excursions were without incident. The weather was warmer than expected for December and it got down right hot in Trinidad. The water was warm which helped make snorkeling and scuba more enjoyable for those of us who care about that sort of thing. We also learned the most Southern Caribbean islands rarely experience Hurricanes; an important point worth noting if ever considering a cruise during Hurricane season.

Other than the break in itinerary, our cruise aboard the Sea Princess met or exceeded our expectations. We look forward to another voyage with Princess Cruises in the future.

Overall layout of the ship

Ample outdoor deck space

Crew and Staff service excellence

The Itinerary

Food quality, selection and presentation

Big Screen TV on the Riviera Deck

Our convenient cabin location

The bedding accommodations

Not being told about the stop in Barbados to pick up passengers

Casino and the lack of night life onboard.

Too many nights we were given last call in the disco at 12:30am, even though a group of us were dancing, ordering drinks and enjoying ourselves.