Princess Cruises
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Not the quality we were used to
Cruised on Majestic Princess for 26 nights including Christmas and New Year around Australia and New Zealand. First part of cruise (12 nights) started well. We were happy with cabin but disappointed with how small the balcony was. You couldn’t recline both sunchairs at the same time due to lack of space. You no longer get individual toiletries, they refill large bottles instead. We bought our own toiletries as the ones onboard had a weird smell. Bed was changed on a regular basis but didn’t smell fresh and was badly creased. Food quality and service in the main 3 restaurants was about the same and we switched between all three. We prefer to share tables but the medallion app didn’t really work for this style of dining. In the end we just turned up each evening and waited for a table to become available, We booked 3 of the speciality restaurants and all 3 were beautiful and made a nice change as the food did get a bit monotonous.The Italian restaurant is no longer included in your cruise fare and you now have to make an additional payment to eat there. Entertainment was a little hit and miss not as many big show style productions as usual, but mainly consisted of comedians and singers. The various bands around the ship were entertaining and we loved a girl named Jamee. The sports bar only showed American football and basketball? The entertainment team worked hard to try and accommodate everyone. There is no night club on this ship so space on the dance floor was a little restricted in the piazza. Daytime activities were limited a few dance classes, quizzes, bingo (which was very expensive) and games. no free wine tasting anymore( this now has to be paid for) Lots of children on the 2nd part of the cruise. When we booked the cruise there was an adults only section on the ship, on embarkation this facility no longer existed and was a free for all including children. The ship was booked to full capacity and due to the weather the outside decks couldn’t really be used. The inside space was cramped due to the number of passengers so we spent more time that usual watching films etc in our cabin. The formal nights were nothing special and the dress code was not adhered to. Please be aware as a UK travelling on an Australian/New Zealand you will be charged differently. You will pay 18% gratuities, unless you buy the drinks package which also included the internet. Australians and New Zealanders do not pay any gratuities! The drinks package is £15 per day extra if you purchase this before you sail. It’s cheaper if you buy onboard when you first arrive. Beware of booking cruises early as 1 day after paying our final balance Princess dropped the price of our cruises by £1,000 and we’re giving $600 onboard credit for new bookings. This happened 4 months before we sailed. There is no loyalty given to previous cruisers. This is our 7th cruise with Princess but probably our last. The quality of everything has dropped and the up selling gets on your nerves. This cruise was not a cheap and cheerful one and to remove facilities and services before embarking is wrong. The pricing structures for those booking from UK is also unethical. We are regular cruisers but now prefer to use other cruise lines.