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Princess Cruises


caribbean-princessPrincess Cruises
24305 Town Center Drive
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
(800) PRINCESS
www.princess.com

SEE 2009 ITINERARIES AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE

2009 NEW YORK DEPLOYMENT: In 2009, three Princess ships will sail between Red Hook, Brooklyn and Bermuda/the Caribbean; Canada/New England and Europe: Caribbean Princess, Crown Princess and Tahitian Princess.

Company Overview
In 1975 a tiny cruise line said “yes” to “Love Boat” and charted a course that has led it to become one of the cruise industry giants. There are few industry leaders who don’t credit Princess with launching cruising as a mainstream American experience by agreeing to host the show.

Owned by Carnival Corporation, Princess is distinguished by beautiful ships and my pick for the cruise industry’s best dining program. “Personal Choices” means you can choose between traditional two-seating, assigned dining in one dining room or, opt for open seating in another dining room, where you may dine when and with whom you please. Add to that two alternative restaurants and a Lido Buffet by the pool that stays open 24 hours per day.
The food is good and the ships’ crew well-trained. If you want a classy, more sophisticated, cruise experience, Princess is for you. While the company does offer children’s programs, you won’t find 600-700 kids aboard that’s the norm on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL vessels.

The Princess Experience
In my opinion, Princess builds the most beautiful ships afloat. While not everyone loves mega-liners, those found in Princess’ fleet are so superbly designed one never experiences a crowd, waits in line or feels that they’re just one of a mass of bodies. Instead of crowding everyone into a huge dining room, there are two or three smaller restaurants with etched glass partitions, giving a more intimate dining experience. In a similar fashion, the larger ships offer two main show lounges so there’s always a choice between Broadway-style revues or cabaret. Public rooms are small and intimate, while one finds upscale touches such as caviar and champagne bars.

These ships boast a multi-million dollar art collection, an enormous number of cabins and suites with private verandas and the most beautiful libraries afloat, complete with plush leather chairs with headsets for audio tapes. They have state-of-the art fitness centers, beautiful outdoor pool decks and several venues for dining, including the Horizon Court, the casual restaurant near the pool where more casual fare is available each evening.

Princess has always had the reputation of being a classy cruise experience and indeed, the ambience encourages dressing up. Princess’ cuisine is not gourmet dining, but seems to please the palates of most cruisers. Innovative nightlife isn’t one of Princess’ strengths, however — the same old “Salute to Broadway” floor shows we’ve been seeing for 20 years are the norm aboard the ships in Princess’.
Tipping
Regardless of which dining style is chosen, a gratuity of $10.00 per person per day is automatically applied to shipboard accounts. This is for the dining staff, cabin steward and room service. Passengers may adjust this amount up or down at the Front Desk, if they so choose.
Fellow Passengers: You’ll find a wide range of ages on seven, eight and nine day cruises. Passenger sailing on 10+ day cruises are typically retired.
2009 ITINERARIES

CARIBBEAN

Caribbean Princess sails round-trip from Brooklyn on eight and nine-day Caribbean cruises that spend a day in Bermuda and call in St. Thomas and Grand Turk. Nine-day voyages depart May 24, June 2, 22, 20 29; July 8, 17, 26; August 4 and 13, 2009.
Caribbean Princess will sail on two repositioning cruises: from San Juan to New York, seven days, departing May 17, 2009 and eight-day voyage from New York to San Juan departing Oct. 24, 2009.

CANADA/NEW ENGLANDSeven-day Caribbean Princess cruises sailing round-trip from Brooklyn visit Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John (N.B.) and Halifax. 2009 departures: Aug. 22 and 29; Sept. 5, 29 and 26; Oct. 3, 10 and 17.
Ten-day Crown Princess cruises between New York and Quebec City visit Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John (N.B.), Halifax; Sydney; Ville Saguenay and an overnight stay in Quebec City. Departures are Sept. 23, Oct. 3 and 13, 2009.
EUROPE & AFRICA
The 680-passenger Tahitian Princess and the larger Crown Princess both offer incredible transatlantic crossings between New York and England during 2009. If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, Norway and Denmark these itineraries are unbeatable.
18-day Crown Princess “Iceland, Greenland & Norway” itineraries stop in Norway, Scotland, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and Newfound. From Southampton to New York: Aug. 24; Sept. 5, 2009.
Tahitian Princess makes 18-day voyages between New York and Dover (U.K) stopping in Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Newfoundland, Norway and Denmark. Departures are July 7 and 25; Aug. 12 and 30, 2009
The longest voyage of 2009 is Tahitian Princess’ 49-day sojourn between New York and Cape Town, South Africa, departing Aug. 30. After making the northern route (see itinerary above), the ship sails down the coast of West Africa.

Copyright Anne Campbell, 2009