Princess Cruises

I sailed on my first-ever Princess cruise and discovered it was nothing like I imagined. 

The upscale cruise line has a reputation for being geared toward older crowds, so as someone in their mid-twenties, I feared I'd find the entertainment lacking and boring. Though I'm not interested in partying into the late hours, I enjoy a lively social scene with fun game shows fueled by audience participation.

A cruise passenger on a Princess Cruises ship passed away in an apparent attempt to jump off the ship.

The incident occurred over the weekend while Sky Princess was headed back to home.

A passenger posted on a Facebook group, "Tragic incident onboard the Sky Princess this afternoon as we're making our way back to Port Everglades. A medical situation was called around 3pm today. Around 6pm, the Captain announced that a female passenger had attempted to jump from the ship."

"Despite the crew's best efforts, she succumbed to her injuries," the person wrote in the post.

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a man believed to have gone overboard from Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess. 

The 72-year-old American man is thought to have fallen off the ship before it arrived in San Francisco on Monday, December 2, following a 5-night cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. The vessel arrived around 6:50am. 

According to a statement by the cruise line, officials searched the ship and sourced security videos. However, the passenger, who was traveling alone, was not located. 

Four sailings aboard Regal Princess have been adjusted allowing for engine repairs. As a result, the December 8, January 5, January 12, and January 19 departures have been modified. The Western Caribbean voyages from Galveston, Texas, vary in length—the shortest being the two 7-night sailings on Jan. 5 and 12. 

Changes include canceled ports of call and overnight stays. Princess Cruises alerted passengers just days before the first impacted cruise was scheduled to depart. 

Even the best cruise ships aren't perfect. 

Recently, I sailed onboard Sun Princess, Princess Cruises' newest ship, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While it offers exciting features and innovations, a few aspects didn't quite meet my expectations. From the tiny entertainment venues to the slow service, I didn't love everything about my cruise. 

Recently, I decided to put Princess Cruises' Princess Plus package to the test. For just $60/day, the thought of alcoholic beverages, internet access, gratuities, and more was hard to resist! 

As someone who frequently cruises, I'm always hunting for a bargain. While I've found plenty of enticing base fares, the real costs often come from various add-ons, such as Wi-Fi, drink packages, and specialty dining. 

Regal Princess hasn't left Galveston, Texas since late October, having missed three scheduled sailings. 

The October 27, November 3, and November 10 sailings have all been canceled due to major technical issues with its power generators.

The first two sailings were canceled because of issues with one power generator. The company seemed confident that Regal Princess was ready for the November 10 sailing, but this was not the case.

Earlier this year, Princess Cruises launched their largest ship, Sun Princess. Measuring over 177,000 gross registered tons, the brand-new Sphere Class ship offers countless new experiences, ranging from the mesmerizing Dome to the artistic-inspired Love by Britto specialty restaurant. Another new concept that made its debut is The Sanctuary. 

Would you pay over $5,000 for a cruise ship suite with little to no privacy? Normally, you'd expect a stateroom with that price tag to offer luxurious amenities and expansive ocean views. 

However, my Reserve Collection Cabana Mini-Suite on Sun Princess sat on a shared deck, and guests staying in standard balconies on the decks above had a direct view of my balcony.