Disclaimer: We were guests of Princess Cruises on this sailing; however, as always, all opinions in this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review are our own.
Ship Overview
Discovery Princess has debuted! Discovery Princess is Princess Cruises 6th and final Royal Class ship. This 145K gross ton ship carries 3,660 guests and shares all of the style and luxury of her predecessors.
Discovery Princess is now sailing a series of Mexican Riviera and California Coast voyages before heading north to begin roundtrip cruises from Seattle to Alaska this summer.
This ship, as well as the rest of the Princess Cruises’ fleet, features the MedallionClass Experience to make guests’ cruise vacations as effortless and contactless as possible. With the use of a simple wearable Medallion, guests can enjoy on-demand food and drink delivery, keyless stateroom access, contactless payment both on the ship and ashore at select merchants, and so much more.
If you have cruised with Princess Cruises before, you will be happy that many of your favorite dining venues are on Discovery Princess. From the World Fresh Marketplace buffet, to a casual poolside grill, and the best pizza at sea found in Gigi’s Pizzeria, you will never go hungry on this new ship.
Of course, there are also 3 main dining rooms, serving upscale menu selections each night of the cruise. Named after Alaska ports of call, the three dining rooms all offer the same rotational menu and are included in your cruise fare. Further, there are three specialty restaurants, including the signature steakhouse, Crown Grill.
In terms of entertainment, Discovery Princess hosts all your typical cruise activities. From trivia and classes during the day, to game shows and signature entertainment in the evenings, there is always something to do on this ship. The highlights of the main theater shows are Rock Opera and the soon to debut Spotlight Bar. Discovery Princess has also debuted the new Deal or No Deal game show, in addition to various other game shows that occur in Princess Live.
Not to mention, there are several bars and lounges with signature drink menus, the Take 5 jazz lounge, Movies Under the Stars, and the most pools and whirlpools on a Princess ship yet including the Wake View pool.
If you want to upgrade your experience, there is the newly redesigned Sanctuary which features up-charge loungers and cabanas, and well as the Sky Suites which feature the largest balconies at sea.
With so much to do, see, and eat, it’s no wonder Discovery Princess is on our list of the best Alaska cruises to take this summer.
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Day 1 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
A Working Weekend
For this Discovery Princess cruise review, we were sailing on the inaugural cruise out of the Port of Los Angeles. Given this was a West Coast cruise, we decided to fly out two days early. At first, we thought this would give us time to explore a bit of Southern California.
Well, after some initial headaches upon arriving in LA, we opted to just stick around the hotel and catch up on work instead.
Plus, our hotel was within walking distance of Berth 50, where Discovery Princess was docked. So, we took a little time to enjoy the scenery and get some photos of the ship.
With a couple early nights, we were well adjusted from any jet lag and ready for embarkation day.
For us, the first day of a cruise is always the most chaotic. Little did we know that this maiden voyage would be even more so.
Not Exactly What We Expected
As part of our pre-cruise package, we had arranged transportation from the hotel to the cruise terminal. Meeting in the lobby for 10:30 am, we took a shuttle to Berth 93 for just around 11 am.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by some massive lines. Of course, we plan ahead. So, we bypassed the first line and handed off our suitcases to a porter.
Since we were “green lane” status with an 11 am embarkation time slot, we thought we were going to bypass the second line as well, but we were wrong. Everyone was herded into the terminal for health screening and check-in.
Still, this process only took about 30 minutes–not bad for an inaugural cruise. Unfortunately though, this is where our luck ran out.
With disregard to our scheduled embarkation time slot, all arriving passengers were given a boarding group number. We received Group 8. These groups were slowly called to board a shuttle from Pier 93 over to Pier 50.
With limited transport, and many “Elite” cruisers ahead of us, this part of the embarkation was disorganized and a bit messy.
Finally, we were to the ship around 1 pm, nearly 2 hours later.
Even with these delays, we attempted to forge forward with our usual embarkation day routine. Up to the Pool Deck, we spent about 90 minutes exploring what we could of the ship and trying to get some photos and videos along the way of coveted locations like the Sanctuary, the pools, the Spa and Thermal Suite, and some other indoor spaces.
During our travels, we also completed the digital muster drill in the MedallionClass App. Like many cruise lines, this new mandatory safety drill process was quick and efficient.
Capturing All of the First Day
After a short stop at our muster station, 7A in the theater, we were right on time for our 3 pm overview of the MedallionClass experience. The 30-minute presentation ensured we knew all the benefits of this wireless technology.
Ending by 3:30 pm, this gave us just enough time to get to the pool deck for the 4 pm Sail Away party. Like the rest of the day, things did not go exactly as planned. The ship’s departure, and accompanying deck party, were delayed by about 45 minutes.
Once we got clearance, the cruise director, DuVaul, and the ship’s singers and dancers made sure to get the party started.
Then, we made a quick dash to the Wake View Pool area to capture the ship pulling away from the Port of LA.
With sail away drinks in hand, we toasted to Discovery Princess’ maiden voyage.
Good thing Princess Cruises offers Dine My Way, as it was close to 5:30 pm already.
Our next order of business was unpacking and getting photos and videos of the cabin.
Similar to our previous Princess Cruises’ trip, we were staying in a BB category balcony stateroom, R241.
Skipping the Main Dining Room for a Change
For the most part, we were settled into the room and changed up by 7 pm.
We decided to check out the Salty Dog Gastropub for this Night 1 dinner.
This pub on Deck 5 is a moderate up-charge and replaces the wine bar from some of the first generation Royal Class ships.
While it is a specialty restaurant, it is first come, first serve. You cannot make reservations at the venue. Luckily, there were plenty of open seats when we arrived a little after 7 pm.
The menu consists of small plates and desserts. As part of the cover charge, you get two of any plates and one dessert. Among the options we sampled were the calamari, the grilled cheese, the fried chicken sandwich, and the Ernesto burger.
This signature burger topped with pork belly and fried jalapeno was the clear standout. This juicy burger had some heat and dynamic flavor.
Service was a tad slow, but we had time to kill anyway before the opening show at 9:30 pm.
A Late First Night Onboard
Dinner wrapped up around 8:30 pm. Before heading to the show, I made sure to check-in at the Logo Shop for a cruise ship t-shirt. Sadly, there were no cruise ship ornaments for our vacation tree though.
It wouldn’t be the first night of a cruise without attending the Welcome Aboard show. Tonight’s performance featured the comedy of Carlos Oscar. This Princess Cruises performer was one of the headliner’s on our Majestic Princess cruise last year as well.
Like the previous show, his unique style of comedy and storytelling skills offered plenty of laughs.
The show ended around 10:30 pm. Somehow, we still had energy. So, we sampled another new venue on the ship, the Take Five jazz lounge on Deck 6. This evening, the Larry King Trio were playing smooth hits from the early 20th century.
These melodies were the ideal backdrop for the bar’s signature menu. Mixing up some era appropriate libations like a sidecar and the Ella Fitzgerald, we stayed for about an hour listening to the set.
By 11:30 pm, the band called it quits, and so did we.
With my work schedule, I needed to be up around 5:30 am the next day. So, we needed to get some shut eye.
Day 2 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
An Early Morning At Sea
Day 2 of this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review was a sea day.
With the time change, and my work schedule, I was up at 5:30 am. After all, it was a Monday with plenty of meetings and other commitments this morning.
But first, I spent about an hour venturing around some indoor venues securing more photos and videos. Before heading back to the cabin, I grabbed some espresso drinks and breakfast items from the International Café. This 24-hour spot is miles above comparable venues on other cruise lines.
The weather outside was not looking too promising for today. The gray clouds and cool temperatures seemed to be following us south. Thus, we spent most of the morning doing some work in our cabin.
By 10 am, I was getting stir crazy. So, we found a working spot next to the Crown Grill Bar. Luckily, there are some US power outlets located here.
Things Improve in the Afternoon
Admittedly, it was poor timing on our part. Around 12:15 pm, we headed to Gigi’s Pizzeria for lunch. The line for this popular Princess Cruises pizzeria stretched half way down Deck 7, so we looked for alternative plans.
Instead, we were able to quickly get some fresh, hot slices of pepperoni pizza from Slice on Deck 16. This quick service stand is right next to the main pool.
The pizza was great, but the weather was still a tad cold. So, we walked around the outdoor decks to get some fresh air for a bit, but it didn’t last very long.
Next up was the new Deal or No Deal game show which was debuting on Princess Cruises.
Hosted by the cruise director DuVaul and “Fortuna Luck”, this new game show was a lot of fun. You can play along in the audience with cards that include a match game and have a chance to be called onto the stage to actually compete. While this is an up-charge activity, you can also just sit in the audience to watch.
We did not partake, but just being in the audience was still a fun time.
Tonight was formal night. Pre-cruise, we made dinner reservations for one of the main dining rooms at 6:20 pm.
Back on Track on Discovery Princess
All dressed up and ready on time, we maneuvered all the way aft and down to Deck 6 for this secluded dining venue. Given the design of the ship, you can only take the aft elevators to access the Ketchikan MDR.
Upon arrival, the hostess quickly squeezed us into a table for two right next to a service station. It was a bit tight to say the least.
Although the restaurant was busy, our assistant waiter came over and quickly introduced himself. Our waitress seemed to be a bit missing in action however.
Around 7 pm, the Captain came over the loud speaker to give his toast. With COVID protocols, the Princess Cruises champagne waterfall has not yet returned.
Tonight’s food was much better than our previous experiences on Majestic Princess. Both the duck and beef tenderloin were excellent.
The duck was succulent, with a sweet orange sauce. The medium rare beef tenderloin was lean and seared to the ideal temperature. I couldn’t decide which side dish I liked better. Even my dessert, the caramel pecan cheesecake was a light and sweet third course.
The Princess enjoyed her menu selections as well, including one of the evening’s signature pasta dishes.
While the food was superb, service was slow. The mix of a busy restaurant and an odd table configuration contributed to the nearly 2 hour dinner.
Another Full Night Onboard
The timing of dinner got us to Princess Live on Deck 7 just in time for one of our favorite cruise activities, the Yes or No game show.
For those who don’t know this deceptively simple game, the rules are basic. You have to have a conversation with the cruise director without saying any variation of the words “yes” or “no”. It is much harder than you think.
This 45-minute game show was entertaining as usual.
Again, the timing worked out that we headed straight to the main theater for the headliner act following this show.
The Princess Theater show tonight featured the musical group Uptown. We have actually seen this group on another cruise line since the restart. The musicians are excellent and soulful, bringing lots of energy to the stage.
Featuring songs by Motown favorites like Stevie Wonder and Jackson 5, the trio also featured songs by Prince and even Bruno Mars.
This fantastic performance ended close to 10:30 pm with the encore. So, we followed many in the crowd aft to the Deck 7 Vista Lounge. Carlos Oscar was performing his encore act in this smaller, more intimate venue tonight.
Again, his mix of storytelling and hyper personality was funny. The crowd seemed to equally enjoy this show.
Back to the room, we checked emails and social media before calling it a night around midnight.
Day 3 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
Preparing to Head Ashore
Our first stop of this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review was Cabo San Lucas. We were not scheduled to arrive at this Mexican Riviera port of call until noon. Unfortunately, Cabo is a tender port. It’s a good thing we had a shore excursion booked through Princess Cruises.
Usually, we are not fans of these afternoon port stops. Although, given the time zone, this did allow me to work a full day before heading ashore. I am all about saving my vacation time, and I need it given all our recent travel!
In between emails and meetings, we grabbed coffee and a few small bites to eat at the International Café again. We also headed to the top decks to score some great photos with Cabo as our backdrop.
For today, we pre-booked the Camel Ride and Mexican Adventure shore excursion. Our tour had to meet in the theater at noon. However, our group didn’t get called for over 30 minutes.
By the time we tendered and checked in at the pier, it was past 1 pm. This delay was a foreshadowing, as our planned 5-hour tour turned into an almost 7-hour excursion.
An Afternoon on the Ranch
Gathering everyone shoreside, we were escorted to a bus for an hour-long ride out to the ranch, Tierra Sagrada. Our tour guide, Bill, greeted the group and went over the day’s activities. It was a full agenda that included a camel interaction (with photo-op of course), a 30-minute camel ride, and lunch.
Some of the additional activities included a short nature walk with cacti spotting, tequila tasting, and a tortilla making class.
As one of the more dynamic and well-organized tours, the entire group seemed to have a blast. Although, all of this excitement meant that the tour went longer than expected.
When we boarded the bus back at 5 pm, it took about an hour to return to the pier. Luckily, we were able to walk right on a tender. Still, we were not onboard the ship until after 6:30 pm, making us already late for dinner at the specialty restaurant Crown Grill. And, we still had to change!
Thankfully, the hostess at the restaurant was accommodating once I explained the situation. We ran upstairs for a quick costume change, and we were to the specialty restaurant before 7:30 pm.
Rolling With the Changes
We are so happy that we were still able to dine here, as it turned out to be one of the best meals of the trip.
The dinner started with our waiter, Micah, coming over to introduce himself and point out some of his suggestions. When I mentioned that I wasn’t overly happy with what I ordered the last time, he made sure to steer me in the right direction this time.
Along with his spot-on suggestions, his service was efficient and friendly.
To begin, he brought over the crusty, cheese stuffed garlic bread.
Even though we had a late lunch, we both ordered two starters. These appetizers included the popular black and blue French onion soup. This rich and hearty soup was bursting with flavor, even if it was a bit messy to eat.
I did the premium beef chop as my entrée, a rib-eye cut with the bone. It was extremely tender and juicy. The accompanying salts further enhanced this already succulent cut of beef. The side dishes too were the ideal accompaniments.
As there is no chicken dish on the menu, Micah was more than happy to appease Heidi with an entrée from the MDR.
The desserts here were excellent too, with the cheesecake being the clear favorite.
The three-course meal took around 90 minutes, including a couple rounds of drinks. This was an ideally spaced specialty dinner. Not to mention, it is a great value at just $29 per person.
Since it was after 9 pm now, we headed straight to the theater. Tonight’s headliner was a magician, Michael Misko.
Once we entered the theater, we recognized that he was the same magician we saw on our Majestic Princess cruise last year. When compared to the illusionist we saw on Wonder of the Seas a few weeks ago, Misko had a much better stage presence. He was fun and likeable, even if his tricks were not very impressive or grand.
A few card tricks, cups and balls, and even two rope tricks, this 45-minute set ended just before 10:30 pm.
With a food coma setting in, we decided to call it an early night.
Day 4 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
Feeling a Bit Foggy
Like the day before, I was up around 5:30 am for more photos and coffee before my 7 am call.
While the weather was gray the day before, this morning was extremely foggy. So foggy that we could not see beyond the front of the ship. Apparently, neither could the Captain.
When he came on the speaker around 8 am, it was no surprise that we were going to be delayed in docking.
About 90 minutes after our originally scheduled call into port, the ship was cleared at our second destination on this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review, Mazatlán.
For today, we opted for the short catamaran ride across the channel to Stone Island for a beach break.
Luckily, this delayed docking did not impact our tour. All along, we were supposed to meet ashore at 10:45 am.
An Afternoon in the Sun
As this pier is a commercial area, we had to take a short tram ride to the cruise port. Here, we met Eric, our tour guide for the day. After a short bus ride to our catamaran, and then a 10-minute boat ride across the channel, we arrived at Stone Island.
Our group of approximately 30 cruisers had a private, rustic beachside resort all to ourselves for the next 2.5 hours.
As part of the excursion, food, drinks, and loungers were included, as well as use of the pool.
The beach stretches for a few kilometers and is lined with similar resorts. Also, there are bars and other amenities like ATVs and boat rides for an up-charge. While the beach itself is rather large, our roped off section was small, and there were several merchants attempting to sell their goods throughout the day.
After a quick lunch, we just enjoyed the waterfront views during our time here.
You Have to Love Remote Work
Of course, the excursion ran late once again. So, I had to hustle back onto the ship to make a 3:30 pm meeting. Luckily, I was only a few minutes late. The MedallionNet WiFi held up for the zoom call the entire time. While MedallionNet WiFi is an up-charge, it is included in the Princess Plus fare.
As the sun set on our time in Mazatlán, we got ready for one of our group dinners taking place tonight at 7 pm in Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria.
Sabatini’s is one specialty venue that we did not get to sample during our last cruise as it is a different restaurant on Majestic Princess.
Our dinner included some great food and conversations, even if it did last close to 3 hours.
For starters, we ordered the burrata and the calamari. These versions of the classic Italian dishes were tasty.
For entrees, I did a half order of the beef pappardelle and the pork tenderloin. The al dente homemade pasta was served in a rich sauce with tender beef. It was rather heavy though, so I was glad that I only got half an order. The bacon-wrapped tenderloin was the perfect accompaniment, as it too was very flavorful.
Of course, we had to try the dessert and tiramisu martinis as well, which were equally delicious.
The waitstaff was very attentive and paced the meal as best they could given our large group.
So, this was the second night that we fell out of our evening routine, missing both the Princess Live show and the main theater show. Luckily, we were able to catch a glimpse of this headliner entertainer, as he was part of the final night’s show.
After dinner, we took an elevator up to the only deck party of the cruise. It was advertised as a Mexican Fiesta. Honestly, if felt more like a siesta. The crowd was small, and the “party” was lackluster.
A round of drinks and some conversation with a fellow passenger, it was nearly an hour later when we decided to call it a night.
We returned to our room to find out that we had to put the clocks ahead an hour for the next day. Now, our earliest tour of the cruise just got even earlier.
Day 5 of this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review was our last port of call, Puerto Vallarta.
Day 5 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
A Struggle Getting Up
Pre-cruise, we booked a full-day beach break for this final port of call. This was our third time visiting Puerto Vallarta, so we have done many of the popular tourist activities already.
Yet, we hadn’t done the beach break at Las Caletas. This private resort is home to the nighttime spectacular, Rhythms of the Night, which we really enjoyed during our last visit.
Today’s beach break at Las Caletas tour was scheduled to meet at 8:20 am shoreside.
After losing that hour, this morning I had just enough energy to get up in time to make our tour. I did manage to get us some coffee, but there was no time for breakfast.
From the pier, it was a short walk around the ship to an already filled catamaran. The only issue with this tour is the long journey to the resort nestled in the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Now This Is a Beachside Resort
Thankfully, the tour company did a great job keeping us entertained during the hour-long transportation to and from the cruise ship. The trip included coffee and juices in the morning, and some punch, margaritas, and cerveza in the afternoon.
The excursion includes a select open bar, lunch buffet, snacks, and additional activities. There is an adventure area for little kids, a teen adventure area (which is open to adults as well) with a zip line, waterslides, and more.
Throughout the day, there were also animal encounters with creatures like wild pigs and macaws.
There is also a cooking class, a mezcal tasting, a nature walk, clay molding, water sports activities like kayaks and paddleboards, and more.
In fact, just about everything on this expansive property is included, except for a few special interactions with sea lions and stingrays as well as massages.
Of course, if you’d rather just relax, you can carve out your own slice of paradise with comfy lounge furniture, hammocks, and sandy shoreline.
Our catamaran arrived at the resort around 9:45 am, with the ride back departing at 2:15 pm. So, we had over 4 hours to enjoy the property.
This was one of our better beach breaks to date. We would certainly go back on another trip. The only downfall is that there is no WiFi on the property.
Note, it is a rough terrain, with stone walkways that are extremely hilly and uneven. This tour is not for those with mobility issues.
The buffet lunch included ribs, barbecue chicken, a few different salads, and some chips and salsa, along with local beverages like passion fruit margaritas and Pacifico beer.
A Quick Change Before Dinner on Discovery Princess
Unlike our other tours, we returned exactly on time from this shore excursion. So, we were back on the ship around 3:30 pm. Our first stop was the International Café for our afternoon coffee. The staff here, especially Ivan, were among the best on the ship.
Tonight was our second group dinner. This dinner was 6:30 pm at the French restaurant, Bistro Sur La Mer.
After our rather long meal the night before, our hosts made sure to tell the waitstaff that we had to be done in two hours as we had another “show” at the Good Sprits Bar.
The waitstaff was able to serve all three courses with precision timing, friendly service, and plenty of wine pours.
Of the three specialty restaurants, Bistro Sur La Mer was my least favorite. To be fair, we don’t normally eat French food on land. Although, this experience was better than our first visit to the restaurant on Majestic Princess.
Neither my tuna starter nor dessert were all that appealing, but my filet mignon was superb. It was the ideal medium-rare temperature with a sweet onion sauté. The Princess had a similar sentiment, with her potato au gratin entrée being her best of the three courses.
We Are Too Old for Shots
Out of dinner in 2 hours, our entire group headed down two decks for some drinks at Good Spirits. I think this concept is a lot of fun. At this bar, the handcrafted cocktails come with a backstory and personal preparation by the expert bartenders. The bartenders provide a detailed narration while making each drink. The best part is that they are included in the Premier Drink Package.
For this round, I did a Bangkok Mule, and the Princess ordered the Key Lime Martini. Her dessert drink was creamy and sweet, while mine was tangy and bubbly.
Somehow, we also got roped into a few rounds of shots, which is rather out of character for us. Well, at least for one of us.
Thus, we ended up missing the theater show again tonight.
So as 10:30 pm approached, and another possible round of shots was on the horizon, we decided to call it a night.
There were no more ports of call, but the next two sea days would be filled with last minute items to check off our list.
Right now though, I needed some sleep. Oh, and bottled water.
Day 6 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
Playing Catch Up
Day 6 of this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review was our second sea day of the trip.
Amazingly, I didn’t feel too groggy when I woke up at 7 am. Even though it was a bit later today, I was still able to get outside and grab some videos and photos of the outdoor decks sans other cruisers.
Catching up on work, life, and blog, we headed to the Spa for massages at 11 am. Neither of us are big spa people, but we took advantage of the spa credit provided to us. With some knots out of my shoulders, we were now nice and relaxed for the final leg of this journey.
It’s Colder Than an Alaska Cruise
We were back to our room around 12:30 pm to change up for the day. We then headed down to Gigi’s Pizzeria as we weren’t going to go all cruise without having any of the “best pizza at sea”.
As the weather was sunnier than the first sea day, this restaurant was somewhat less busy. Still, there was a short wait.
Similar to Alfredo’s, the pizza was delicious. It was light and airy with a crispy crust. I did the Princess Pizza, and the wife did the Margherita Pizza.
While it was sunny out, it was markedly cooler and windy. Thinking that the weather might be even worse the last sea day, we braved the elements to enjoy the outdoor decks for the rest of the afternoon.
For a ship with 63% capacity, the outdoor decks were rather empty. Then again, it was not as warm as many probably expected for a Mexican Rivera cruise. In fact, we had warmer sea days on our Princess Cruises Alaska sailing last year!
Waiting on Some Drinks
Our few hours in the afternoon quickly slipped away.
Tonight was the second formal night, and the wife forces me to dress up for these occasions.
This meant that we were 10 minutes late to our 6:20 pm dinner reservation in the Ketchikan main dining room.
Much like Night 2, we were quickly checked in and escorted to a table for two on the back portside of the restaurant. While the table location was better, sadly, service was not.
We spent two hours at the restaurant and didn’t even get dessert. Also, it took over 30 minutes for our drink order.
The two courses were not well paced either. My lobster tail was cold, but the beef wellington was better than I anticipated.
The Return of Our Usual Routine
At the two hour mark and still no dessert menus, we made the decision to abandon the dining room to get seats at the Marriage Match game show.
The two previous nights we missed the game show and main theater show, so we didn’t want to miss them again.
Tonight’s game show was in the Vista Lounge instead of Princess Live.
This popular cruise show was rather tame when compared to other versions. Still, it offered plenty of laughs.
With the show approaching an hour, we left just before it ended to beat the crowd also heading forward to the 9:30 pm main theater production.
Tonight was the signature production Rock Opera. Thus, there was no way we were going to miss it. By the time we arrived, the lights were already down, so we had to sneak in the back of deck 7 to get seats. The theater was packed.
Somehow, the version of Rock Opera on Discovery Princess seemed different than the same show we saw months prior on Majestic Princess.
Hands down though, this show was the best main theater entertainment.
It was high energy, fast-paced, and truly had elements of a rock show. It featured many songs from the movie, the Greatest Showman, along with other rock hits. As if to seal the deal, an Aerosmith classic was thrown into the mix.
When compared to typical cruise entertainment, there was more of an emphasis on the singing and less on dance numbers in the show.
As the second to last night on the ship, we still had a few bars to check off on our drink around the ship.
First, we made our way to the Vista Lounge to listen to the house band, Meridian. Playing a variety of 80’s classics, we sipped some cocktails until the set ended around 11 pm.
Next up, the Crooners Bar. Somehow, we were able to score some seats at this popular spot for the last 30 minutes of the piano player’s, AJ Clarke, set. As luck would have it, he finished the set with some classics including Billy Joel and even his version of our wedding song!
As the second martini bar on the ship, this venue does offer some distinct selections you can’t find down the hall at the Crown Grill Bar.
When the bar emptied out around 11:15 pm, that was our cue to finish our drinks and call it a night.
Tomorrow was already the last day of this Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review.
Day 7 – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
Things Are Going to Clear Up
It was the last day of the cruise and a Saturday. So, we “slept in” again until 7:30 am.
By now, we had just a few remaining things we wanted to experience on Discovery Princess.
The cool weather from the previous day continued with no sun in sight. Still, we were going to have to brave the elements if we wanted to accomplish our final checklist.
Thankfully, the first activity involved being inside and eating. After grabbing our morning coffees, we trekked up a few decks to the World Fresh Marketplace for breakfast around 9:30 am. This was the first, and only, time that we ate here all cruise.
As expected, the food was pretty typical. There were a variety of hot breakfast items, as well as a custom omelet station.
The venue was busy, but we eventually found seats on the portside towards the back of the ship.
Bouncing Around the Ship
After breakfast, we found a table outside on deck 16 to do some work. Originally, there was hope the weather would improve as the day went on, but after about an hour, we moved inside to a warmer work station.
We had plans to return to the Salty Dog Grill for lunch, so we needed to warm up a bit first.
Working until about 1 pm, it was back up to Deck 16 for lunch.
With options like hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches, the Salty Dog Grill offers pretty standard poolside fare.
Our sampling confirmed that it was a worthy option for those looking for a quick bite to eat. My burger was fresh off the grill, and the French fries were served crispy and warm.
Another reason we headed upstairs was to get a poolside drink while testing out the OceanNow feature. Admittedly, it was not pina colada weather, but the test must go on in the name of cruise blog research.
Placing an order for a pina colada in the Princess Cruises MedallionClass app, it took 8 minutes for our order to be delivered to us. Now, the pool deck was much emptier than typical, so it might take longer on a warm and sunny sea day.
Later, we tested out the feature inside the busier Piazza. This time the wife ordered her customized latte. While the process took less than 10 minutes, it was delivered wrong twice. The first time it was served hot instead of iced, and the second time without caramel syrup.
You Need to Find Seats, With Outlets
We are thankful that there are a number of US power outlets scattered throughout the venues on Deck 5. So, after lunch, we set up shop in the not yet open Gelato shop.
While I planned to do work, the Princess had other ideas. Once this up-charge venue opened, and fellow cruisers began lining up, she found herself in the queue as well.
Time flew by, and soon, it was on to our next item, testing out the Afternoon Tea. How is it that the final day of our cruise is usually spent eating and drinking?
For this cruise, Afternoon Tea was served from 3 to 4 pm in the Skagway dining room on deck 6.
We arrived around 3:15 pm to a small crowd, but there were still plenty of tables. The menu consisted of black tea, along with small bites like scones, finger sandwiches, and some petite desserts. The scones were my favorite.
The tea was also quite good. Further, the waitstaff consistently came by with new food options to share, and there were plenty of servers ready to freshen up your tea cup.
On a cold sea day like this, Afternoon Tea time is a great way to warm up. The activity is complimentary and even features live piano music.
More Eating and Drinking
We eventually returned to our room around 4:30 pm with some cocktails from Bellini’s.
Again, we had a 6:20 pm reservation in the Ketchikan main dining room. Wow, this was going to be like our 5th time eating today!
Happily, our third trip to this restaurant provided the best experience. Our waiter, Bozidar, was excellent. He came up to our table right away to introduce himself. He made sure to check-in on us regularly and grabbed our drinks and food with precision timing.
Food quality was what we have come to expect from main dining room food. The Princess went with her go-to final meal, the turkey dinner.
I was intrigued to try the calamari and pork belly paella. It was not exactly what I expected, but the pork belly was crispy and flavorful, and the chorizo rice had a nice zest. My second selection, the bacon-wrapped meatloaf, was just okay.
To top off the meal, we both could not say no to the baked Alaska. Although, for some odd reason the menu didn’t call it that.
Saying Goodbye to Discovery Princess
Even with all the food, and two rounds of drinks, dinner was about 75 minutes.
For this final evening onboard, we had a farewell cocktail party with our team at 8 pm followed by Majority Rules at 8:30 pm.
On our way, we made a quick stop at the Crown Grill Bar to officially complete our drink around the ship. I did a Jack Daniel Smash, which was much better than the version I had in the Salty Dog Gastropub on Night 1. Heidi went with the Toasted Almond martini.
A few photos and good-byes later, it was showtime. This version of the Majority Rules show included only 7 rounds. Though, it was quickly apparent that our group was not going to win.
One More Farewell
With the game show running a bit long, we jetted out before finding out which team won so we could get seats at the 9:30 pm main theater show.
This farewell show was an odd combination of two previous headliner acts. Given we missed both of these performers’ shows earlier in the week, this worked out perfectly. The first performer, comedian Steve Caouette, had a totally different presentation and style. I appreciated that he was not your run of the mill cruise ship comedian; however, I did find Carlos Oscar to be the funnier of the two.
The second half of the show featured Jeffrey Allen, an Elton John impersonator. This felt a little more like your stereotypical cruise show. It didn’t help that he played a few of the less popular “hit” songs.
Unlike some cruise lines, there was no “late night” or adult comedy to close out the cruise. This final main theater show was it!
We still had packing to do, and needed to be among the first off the ship, so we just headed back to our cabin after this show.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for us to get two of our three bags packed and outside of our cabin.
With my phone’s time set back an hour, we would get close to 6 hours of sleep tonight!
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Disembarkation – Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review
A Change in Terminal
Unfortunately, our Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review was over.
Given the headaches of embarkation, we were happy to learn the day prior that Discovery Princess would be docking at Terminal 93, instead of Terminal 50, for disembarkation.
With a more traditional disembarkation process, thankfully, we can report that it was efficient and simple.
Discovery Princess was due into port around 7 am and expected to be cleared by 7:30 am. Our Navy 1 luggage tags had an anticipated disembarkation time of 7:50 am.
With a 5:30 am wakeup, we still had one more bag to finish packing.
The ship was cleared around 7:30 am. We exited the room at 7:45 am, and shockingly, we got on the first elevator with no one else in it. We even rode all the way down the forward elevator from deck 14 to deck 7 with no stops.
Arriving at the Piazza, there was a decent sized line of guests stretching down the starboard side of the ship to just before the Oceanfront store. Although, the line was moving, so this did not overly concern us.
From cabin, to scanning off the ship, through border patrol, and to the luggage pick up area took about 25 minutes. There was a short delay of about 5 minutes for our luggage group. In fact, I already had a Lyft scheduled and waiting for us by the time our luggage did arrive.
An Uneventful Trip Home
Unlike our prolonged trip from LAX to the port area, our return trip to the airport was quick and uneventful.
We arrived around 9 am for our 12:40 pm flight. Luckily, the check-in process at the airport was organized. From check-in, to luggage drop-off, and security, it took less than an hour.
This gave us plenty of time to grab a second coffee and some sandwiches (for dinner).
Without any delays, our flight was actually a few minutes early to arrive in Boston.
Now, we don’t have much time to rest up from this voyage. In less than a week, we will be heading back out to sea onboard the newest member of Viking’s expedition fleet, Viking Octantis.
Comments
What do you think of our Discovery Princess Inaugural Cruise Review? Do you have plans to sail on this brand new cruise ship? Drop us an anchor below to share what you love about Princess Cruises.
3 comments
Dave Scott
The following review of the newest ship in the Princess line was posted on April 25, 2022 following a cruise of 7-days from April 10, 2022 to April 17, 2022. I am not employed by any cruise line and present my observations based upon a love of cruising which stared in the early 80’s. The comments made herein are solely my own and are made with an effort to improve the enjoyment of cruising. Any comments may be directed to my Email at dave-scott@cox.net
On April 25th of 2022 The following is posted in an effort to improve the cruising experience.
Here’s an honest review of our recent Princess cruise just completed on the new Discovery Princess. Without hesitation the good, the bad and the should be better info on a 7-day cruise on the newest ship to join the line. We cruised on the Discovery during it’s very early entry into service, perhaps only it’s second or third full sailing.
Right up front has to be the ship itself.
While the Discovery has many new features to make the cruise great for it’s guests it also has a few concerns that hopefully will be addressed in the near future. While the ship is beautiful and easily negotiated the experience was not as pleasant as previous cruising experiences with Princess.
Right from the top let me be perfectly honest and straight forward ….our cruise was great and even with shortages of staff the ship staff did it’s very best to make sure we all had a good time and great cruise experience.
Myself and partner have sailed with princess on one or two times a year for the past few years. The Discovery cruise itinerary, service, friendliness and accommodations have always served our purpose and given us a really good time on the seas.
Having said all that let me spend a little time on some of the many elements involved in a cruise. Some of which need to be fixed on the Discovery.
Let’s begin at the start of our 7 days. With the pandemic waning the restrictions had begun to lessen. However negative tests were still mandatory and we felt comfortable with that. Three of our party had acceptable medical letters noting our negative tests. Two others however had hand written letters and those apparently didn’t meet the requirements. The two ladies were taken to another room and after several minutes finally tested again and found negative. Aside from the delay with being allowed on the ship they did join us and went on to enjoy the cruise. A situation we were actually happy to have followed assuring the protection of all of us and other cruisers. Once on board we began our journey.
Aboard the ship we immediately went to make sure our times for the dining room, which had been done several weeks ahead, were still effective. First glitch, no record of our reservations and no room in the schedule to make new ones. We originally asked for a specific table at a window but, now that was not available. It took about a half an hour and finally got a table buried in another room. While we’re talking about the dinning room and food the slip ups got worse. While trying to settle a table for the remainder of the week we were told that our reservations for a specialty dinning, on Wednesday, had been cancelled (we had pre-paid the cost)and we would have to accept a Tuesday reservation with no other night possible. Okay, have to be flexible we thought. It appeared our Elite status had been dropped to “first time” cruisers and I really started to feel uncomfortable. But, I thought new ship, lack of full staff I’ll just go with the flow. Monday and Wednesday we floated tables and finally on Thursday we we were told our table would be the same for the rest of the cruise. While seating was screwed up the food was not. Although our waiter was slow and many times one or two of us waited, while the others were served their course, we eventually all got our course choice even though mine was cold on two occasions. Leaving one or two of us waiting for drinks at the table happened often. The major complaint was when wine was served it was done so with about an inch and a half of wine in a huge wine glass. Three sips of wine does not make a glass of wine, especially for the cost being charged. Maybe smaller glasses should be used. I believe all of the problems I mention happened every night because of a shortage of staff or new people being trained on what to do. Average time for us to have dinner was 2 hours plus some nights. We missed some other activities because of the lengthy times. There was no question however that the food served was quality and everything I remember from cruising Princess in the past. I must admit that dinning is one of the high points of cruising and when it doesn’t meet the high Princess standards it effects the entire cruise attitude. But again the food itself was great. I mention the dinning first because it is such an important part of cruising.
The five of us all had a balcony room and although the room seemed a little smaller than what i remember from past cruises, it was still comfortable, kept clean, made up and turned down very well. Two of our party had major toilet problems in their room over a couple of nights. The passengers are older and that caused some uncomfortable moments on their part. One of our group was a little upset because of the constant smell of marijuana coming from a nearby stateroom. One of our group was a single in her room. She paid the additional costs but, on the first night the room steward took 2 pillows from her bed explaining that she was a single sleeper. It took several days of asking before the guest got the pillows returned which she needed because of her back problems. Princess has always been known and complimented for it’s attention and assistance for it’s cruisers. I can only hope this is not the newest approach for the princess crews. I do have to say the sound proofing between rooms and floors far exceeded previous Princess ships we have sailed on.
A disappointment for the five of us was the inside smoking room. Yes we are all smokers. No problem with the outside smoking area at the rear of the ship but, the Churchill’s smoking lounge appeared to be an
afterthought. With very limited seating in a smaller room made for some uncomfortable times. With only 10 seats to accommodate passengers there were times person after person would come in, look around and leave because of a lack of comfortable seating. I do have to say that although it wasn’t often when our server did visit the room, Ardi was top level in his manner and his service to us and for that matter to everyone in the room at the time. Unlike earlier cruises Ardi was the only staff member who took the time and effort to become a “Cruising Friend” and a welcome smiling staff member who was certainly a caring individual who rapidly became an additional highlight of our cruise.
Understanding that the ship was put into service after a pandemic and staff was short, the entertainers were also short changed as was the audience. One of the most satisfying parts of a Princess cruise has always been it’s entertainment programs. The quality of entertainment and those performing was always a high point in cruising Princess. The entertainment on this cruise was far less than we would have expected. While the single performer shows were somewhat entertaining they were nowhere close to what the level of entertainers Princess is known for. The professional production presentations were also lacking. Only one night presented a production show. While we didn’t make it because dinner took so long we were told by others it was ok but, it did not reflect the professional work Princess has always presented to cruisers. Being a part of the entertainment industry I have to say this was the biggest disappointment of the cruise for us. The lounge acts and atrium acts provided some moments of smiles but no where close to the princess quality we’ve come to expect. It seems like those planning the events at night forgot that most of the cruisers were at an advanced age and the scheduling of things like the karaoke night were set for a late time, perhaps that’s why is was only set for an hour. On other cruises it was always a popular event.
During ocean time, in previous times there were always plenty of activities scheduled for cruisers to enjoy. I have to say whoever was responsible for the activities planned for both day and night time failed in their objective of keeping cruisers busy and entertained. Most of the planning was to sell, sell, sell. It was almost like someone saying “We have nothing to offer the cruisers so let’s just make money selling product.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the Casino on board. As always great friendly staff, friendly servers always there when you needed another drink and a group who genuinely seem to enjoy their work. I had one small problem that was taken care of by the managers when a machine duplicated something I had done twice but did it on it’s own a few additional times. The other 4 in our party had a lot of fun. One even had the good luck of playing a machine at the right time and scored a big win. The machines might be a little tighter than say Vegas but, the fun element is still there.
To sum it all up I hope Princess is able to find remedies to bring the Discovery cruises back to the fantastic voyages we have experienced with the line. I must admit however, that we are considering other lines or other Princess ships for a future cruise. The spark of excellence we have always found on the Princess line is not yet available on the Discovery. We’re hopeful they rediscover that perfect combination that gives the cruisers the true experience and enjoyment of a Princess cruise.
(posted 4/25/2022 to: Princess cruise line, Cruise critic, Various individuals, Facebook, Blog)
alexander harris
thanks for the review. we are going to alaska from seattle on may 8th, looking forward to the cruise.
Scott P
Thank you for this review! My wife and I are scheduled for the Alaskan Sampler Cruise on May 4th so we are eager to learn about cruisers’ opinions so far. It’s only a 4 night so we have to be picky about dinner venues, but we do have a reservation for Sabatini’s on the last sea day.