went on aurora last year and im going on sea princess this year just wondering how they compare pluses and minuses would be appreciated many thanks oh by the way aurrora was brilliant
Hello lulug and welcome to cruise-chat;
I have not yet had the pleasure of sailing on Aurora so I can't make a comparison; but I am a long-time Princess cruiser and I was last on Sea Princess in 2000. To me, there are no "minuses" to Sea Princess. She is a beautifully clean and well maintained ship with a cheerful and friendly crew. Food and service are excellent. And since she sails for P&O part of the year, and is about the same size and age as Aurora, I would think they would provide a similar cruise experience.
I am glad you think so highly of Aurora; I believe you will feel the same about Sea Princess.
The Sea Princess is our favorite. F-mattox has stated it beautifully. She's a great ship with a great crew, we've always had wonderful food. The first time we sailed on her the chef had written a cookbook that they sold on board. My husband loved the food so much he bought the book. Of course, with me preparing the dinner and serving it on Corel-ware, it some how wasn't the same. I hope you will love her as much as we do. Best wishes!
Have to give thumbs up to Sea Princess as well. To date, that has been our favorite ship. We have sailed larger and smaller, and it just has a great feel to it! Enjoy your cruise!
The only 2 ships my wife and I have been on are Aurora and Sea Princess. Aurora was our first experience of a cruise ship when we were treated by our sons to a 2 night "taster" cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugge in Belgium. That was a fantastic experience and truly whet our appetites for more. This year, in January, we were on Sea Princess for a 14 night cruise around the Eastern Caribbean. Again this was truly excellent in every way. See my original posting from 25 Jan enclosed below.
"My wife and I have just returned from our first cruise - an excellent 14 nights around the Eastern Caribbean on Sea Princess. I must say that it exceeded all our expectations in terms of efficiency, organisation, comfort, food, entertainment and, above all, friendly and courteous service from all the crew members we met. From Day 1 we were on first name terms with our stateroom steward, and he with us. Room service when requested was prompt and delivered with a friendly smile. All the fellow passengers we spoke to were of the same opinion - nothing was too much trouble. My wife was a little apprehensive of cruising but is now, along with me, fully converted to the concept. We both look forward to similar holidays in the future, hopefully with Princess.
The only downside, again shared by most of the passengers (i.e. approx 1350 Brits out of the 1900+ total), and which is not attributable to Princess, was the US immigration process at Fort Lauderdale, with scenes reminiscent of the early immigrants arriving at Ellis Island at the beginning of the last century. The general advice for non-US citizens joining a similar cruise appears to be - "Join in Barbados".
From our limited experience, I can only concur with what has already been said, and thoroughly recommend Sea Princess.
cruisenovice,
excellent review and post--and not just because you gave Sea Princess a thumbs-up.
You sound more like a seasoned veteran than a first-time cruiser. Your prose is a pleasure to read. I look forward to more.
Originally posted by cruisenovice:
The only 2 ships my wife and I have been on are Aurora and Sea Princess. Aurora was our first experience of a cruise ship when we were treated by our sons to a 2 night "taster" cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugge in Belgium. That was a fantastic experience and truly whet our appetites for more. This year, in January, we were on Sea Princess for a 14 night cruise around the Eastern Caribbean. Again this was truly excellent in every way. See my original posting from 25 Jan enclosed below.
"My wife and I have just returned from our first cruise - an excellent 14 nights around the Eastern Caribbean on Sea Princess. I must say that it exceeded all our expectations in terms of efficiency, organisation, comfort, food, entertainment and, above all, friendly and courteous service from all the crew members we met. From Day 1 we were on first name terms with our stateroom steward, and he with us. Room service when requested was prompt and delivered with a friendly smile. All the fellow passengers we spoke to were of the same opinion - nothing was too much trouble. My wife was a little apprehensive of cruising but is now, along with me, fully converted to the concept. We both look forward to similar holidays in the future, hopefully with Princess.
The only downside, again shared by most of the passengers (i.e. approx 1350 Brits out of the 1900+ total), and which is not attributable to Princess, was the US immigration process at Fort Lauderdale, with scenes reminiscent of the early immigrants arriving at Ellis Island at the beginning of the last century. The general advice for non-US citizens joining a similar cruise appears to be - "Join in Barbados".
From our limited experience, I can only concur with what has already been said, and thoroughly recommend Sea Princess.
I was about to say that you will see some differences....
Sea Princess is a little more "laid back" than the more traditional Aurora, and generally attracts a slightly younger cruiser.
However, the 2 night taster cruises on P&O are also less formal with a younger cruiser than P&O's longer criuses, so the atmosphere should be similar.
Not the same, though... there are a few differences. Dining on Aurora can be more of an "event" especially on formal nights, and P&O's "captain's reception" differs quite considerably from Princess's version.
Sea Princess sailed as "Adonia" for P&O for a few years, and she is probably the most "P&O-ish" of the Princess ships, with more UK passengers than other Princess ships attract.
If you liked Aurora you will like Sea Princess... so just enjoy!
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