Princess Cruises Sea Princess cruise review from Canada & New England

Dear Phil

My husband and I have just returned from our first Princess Cruise, "The Canadian Cocktail" on the Sea Princess. 

We took the Princess value option and had three extra days in New York before embarkation, staying at the Sheraton New York and Towers.

Our flight was out of Heathrow with American Airlines, and after clearing customs at JFK International Airport in New York, we were met in the arrivals area by a representative of Princess Cruises. We were quickly on a coach heading into Manhattan and in about 45 minutes were wheeling our cases into the hotel. 

The hotel was very central, between Times Square and Central Park, and was an excellent choice. We had three tremendous packed days in this bustling city, and probably only saw a fraction of the sights.

Around mid-day on the day of embarkation, once again we were taken by a Princess Cruises coach to the new cruise terminal in Brooklyn, and security precedures completed were on board the ship by 2pm. We easily found our stateroom then our steward came to introduce himself, and acquaint us with all the services available. He made up the room at least twice a day, leaving chocolates on the pillows each night.The view from the top deck across the bay to Manhattan was incredible.

Sailaway from New York was very exciting as by then it was dark, and the Manhattan  skyline was lit up like a Christmas tree.  We watched from the top deck and there was a real party atmosphere onboard.

We chose the anytime dining option, which gave us a bit more freedom of eating times, and we had two formal evenings. We enjoyed getting dressed up to the nines and having formal photos taken.  These were excellent and a lovely souvenir of the our time onboard.

We were at a port everyday bar one, and took this opportunity to spend that time in the local towns, and go on some of the Princess Cruise excursions. Thus we personally did not take as much advantage of the many activities and entertainment on board as we would have liked. 

However there was something to suit everyone should you wish to take part, from an art auction to bingo, food carving to cocktail making.  If that did not appeal, there was a library and internet cafe, and many quiet corners if that is what suited you.

The sea was quite calm throughout our trip and we only had one and a half days of rain the entire holiday, a half day in New York, and most of the day in Newport, Rhode Island, which was our first port of call. We had pre-booked excursions at most ports and they were worth it, as we got to see the main places of interest and a short history of the place as well.  Unfortunately, Newport was spoiled for us by the rain.  It looked such a lovely place and we were sorry not be able to amble through the centuries old streets and shops.  It was the one day we were back on the ship by lunchtime. The rain stopped by early afternoon, and it was warm enough to make use of the jacuzzi's and swimming pools.  We then relaxed at the outside Seaview Bar and had a drink or two listening the the resident band, Opus.  There was fun betting on horse racing, which was shown on the big screen.

This was one of the formal evenings, and also the day of the Captains Cocktail Party, which was wonderful and he introduced us to senior members of his team. After this we took time to wander through the many bars on the ship, and eventually sat and had a laugh at comedian Stu Francis.

Over the length of the cruise, we tried all the dining options, buffet, pizza, smart restaurant and the steak house.  All were excellent, especially on the night my husband was celebrting his birthday, and the night of our wedding anniversary.  At the end of our meals, a small cake was produced, complete with candle and the waiters sang the appropriate song!  Our children had ordered a celebration anniversary package of champagne, chocolate dipped strawberries and 2 engraved champagne glasses, all delivered to our cabin with a signed card from the captain. A lovely surprise.  Also included in the package was a formal photograph and frame.

Day 3 - Boston, Massachusetts
It was warm and sunny and we were early on the top deck to watch the ship come into port.  We did not have a tour booked here as the early ones had sold out, so we walked into the centre which took around 40 minutes. (we got a tourist map given at every port). We stumbled across Quincy Market which was great, and bought Boston Red Sox souvenirs for our grandchildren.  There was a tourist information booth at the market, and we bought tickets for a local trolley bus tour.  This was a hop-on, hop-off tour with guide and we saw quite a bit of the city. One of the stops was near the famous Cheers pub, which we couldn't resist.  My husband is a keen beer enthusiast, and was unexpectedly greeted in Cheers with a list of locally brewed New England beers!

Day 4 - Bar Harbor, Maine
We awoke to a tremendous sunrise through the window, and were again early on deck watching the ship pass the many tree covers islands on its approach to Bar Harbor, a small beautiful town with quaint shops and alleyways.  We did not manage to book a tour here, but arrived ashore early enough to get a local trolley which included a trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain.  What a view there was from up there.  Back on the ship we tried out the pizza restaurant which was on the top balcony of the atrium.  As always the service and food were excellent.

Day 5 - Saint John, New Brunswick
We were off the ship early for a pre-booked excursion, and were warmly welcomed to Canada with roses for the ladies and St John pin for the gents. After returning from the tour, it was only a short walk to the centre of the which was again quaint.  It was nice to have the ship so close as we could nip back to put the mountains of shopping away, and have something to eat at the all day buffet.  There was a huge variety of both hot and cold food at the buffet.  After a walk back to town and a mooch around, we were back on board to enjoy a swim in the immaculately kept, warm swimming pool.  Hot tubs as well on deck!

Day 6 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
The overnight sail took us to Halifax, Nova Scotia.  After a quick breakfast we were on the coach for an early tour.  This area is very Celtic and so we were greeted by drums and pipes.  We had a kilted guide on the bus today, which was an hours drive to Peggy's Cove, a small pretty village built on smooth rocks with a lighthouse.  The guide took us for a walking tour through the village to the lighthouse before we headed back to Halifax.  Part of this excursion was also a hop-on, hop-off bus tour around town and up to the citadel.  Back on board and we were piped away.  This night we chose to dine in the Horizon Court buffet which was 'English Pub Dinner' night,  which we enjoyed at a window table.

Day 7 - Sydney, Nova Scotia
It was another sunny and warm day. Today's tour was booked for after lunch, so we walked into town for a wander, which again was only a few minutes from the ship. Sydney only had a small centre, and looked very colonial with wooden houses and churches. Our excursion of Sydney took in an interesting visit to Membertou which is the current home of the Mi'kmaq people, the original inhabitants of this area.  The sailaway from Sydney was accompanied by  a brass band on the quayside. We dined in the Rigoleto restaurant this evening, with the theme being an Italian night. The food was again excellent. We always managed a table for two, which we liked. When at sea, the shops and boutiques on board were open, with an impressive array of goods, from souvenir mugs to Guess handbags, jewellery and shampoo! After a browse around the shops we settled at a table in Crooner's Martini Bar in the atrium for a drink and to listen to the duo. We didn't do too well at the travel quiz, but still had an enjoyable evening.

Day 8 - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Yet another sunny morning as the captain inched his way towards the Charlottetown quayside.  There seemed to be very little room for manoevre under the boat, and were told that Sea Princess was the largest cruise ship yet to dock in the town. (One the previous week was unable to dock due to the swell of the sea)  There was to be a presentation by the major at 11am for this special occasion, but we missed this as we were out on the double decker tour bus. There was lots going on at the quayside, stalls, shops and a huge marquee housing the annual Shellfish Festival. Charlottetown was a small and neat, very pretty green town, with lots of trees. After the tour we enjoyed the rest of the day in the town and on the quayside.  At sailaway we had the best sendoff of the cruise.  The entire quayside and further along was lined with people waving us off. In the evening we had booked a table in the steak restaurant. We enjoyed the hcampagne which was part of the anniversary package, and this went down well with the very fine steak dinner.  After dinner we went along to browse through the photos which had been taken over the previous days, and selected a few to purchase.  We also ordered the Reflections DVD. This was a nice souvenir of the cruise, and included video taken both on the ship and at the various ports of call.
 
Day 9 - At Sea
This was our only full day at sea.  After our buffet breakfast we headed for the pool area to watch the Man Utd v Chelsea game on the 'Movies Under the Stars' big screen, on which there was something day and night. Despite the superb blue sky, we succumbed to the chilly wind, (we were as far north as Newfoundland at this point) and had to use blankets which were available on deck.  There was plenty happening on board during the day, and we watched the ice sculpture demonstration.  The second formal evening was today and we had some further photos taken before having a superb meal in the Rigoletto restautant. The photos were already on display after our meal.

Day 10 - Quebec City
We arrived for this final day as the the sun was rising on Le Chateau Frontenac - a superb sight.  It was a cool start for our 3 hour walking tour and carriage ride through the old town, but the sun soon warmed us up.  We had a buffet lunch back on the ship (the maple profiteroles were exquisite), and then spent our final afternoon wandering through the shops and bars back in the old town.  We were back on board at 5pm to sort out the cases, as they had to be picked up as departure from the ship was early the following morning.  After this we dined in Horizon Court, and then we had a last evening wander around the ship.

Day 11 - Our Last Day
Passengers left the ship at staggered intervals this morning, and we were almost the last off at 0945.  There was a buzz around as the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship had docked behind us on its farewell tour.  Our flight was not until 7pm, so we were pleasantly suprised when we were taken to the Delta Hotel, high up in the new town, where a buffet lunch was served.  We took advantage of the extra few hours holiday to explore this part of the city, including a panoramic 360 degree view from the 31st floor of the Capital observatory, which was across the road from the Delta and from which we could see for miles. After returning to the hotel and refreshments, we boarded our Princess coach to the airport, for our flight home with Titan Airways, on which the service was excellent.  We were due to fly home with Zoom Airlines, but of course they had gone into receivership just before our trip.  Princess Cruises and Save n Sail Cruise Village sorted all that out for us, so we knew we were in save hands.

Thank you very much to both for our holiday of a lifetime, can't wait for the next one.

Ruth and Gary Hogg, Poulton-Le-Fylde.