For a relaxing cruise vacation, the whole family will enjoy Princess Cruises offers the right mix of family activities, good food, and great service at a nice price. I had a taste of this style of premium cruising aboard the Caribbean Princess recently. Summer vacation season is just beginning and the sailing I was on had dozens of multi-generational families. You could feel the excitement of families, that perhaps live far apart, meeting on the ship for a family reunion as they greeted each other the first day.
While there are plenty of kids programs on board, the main emphasis for families seem to be doing things together whether it be programs such as Discovery at Sea by Animal Planet or movies under the stars on the giant screen on pone of the top decks.
I didn’t feel nickeled and dimed onboard. Most activities were available at no extra cost. Alcoholic beverages and specialty dining upcharges were reasonably priced. And the new Medallion Internet service is fast and offered for less cost compared to some ships. Medallion class ships on Princess even offer a local intranet while onboard for free. With this service, families can find each other and message one another using the Ocean Compass app.
There were lots of celebrations onboard, birthdays, anniversaries, and honeymoons. I thought the food was consistently good throughout the ship from the main dining room to the buffets. The buffets were designed so there would be no lines. Good selections were displayed to create good eye-appeal. Families loved the casual food venues serving hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, and ice cream by the main pool or the fresh salads and sandwiches at the International Café.
I really loved the specialty restaurants I had the opportunity to dine. I had Italian fare in Sabatini’s one evening where I ordered Seafood Linguine and Veal Marsala, both of which were outstanding. The service began with the waiter bringing a basket of baked-in-house breads with dipping sauce of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The next night I dined in Crown Grill, the Princess Steakhouse. The lamb chops and all the vegetable sides served family style were amazing. Both restaurants are perfect for celebrating a special occasion. On the Caribbean Princess, this kind of dining experiences is so much more affordable compared to restaurants of this caliber ashore.
I recommend for your next family reunion trip, take a Princess Cruise. You will get a lot for your money and all the special memories to go with it.
