What I Liked and Disliked about Discovery Princess Cruise Ship (Alaska Trip)

This is a continuation of my Alaska cruise trip report. See my previous posts Back from Alaska cruise on Princess: Watching glaciers and getting fancy and Hyatt Regency Lake Washington: a great option for a short layover in Seattle area

Since I wanted to book a roundtrip Princess cruise from Seattle for the time when our kids were in Michigan, this left me with only one option: Discovery Princess. I was curious as to how our experience would measure up to Holland America (see my trip report), which is its  main competitor in the industry. So, from time to time, I will comment on both lines and areas where they excel or fall short. Of course, these are only my opinions, and the goal is to help you decide where to spend your hard-earned money or points.

I’ve said before that it would be obnoxious for me to complain considering how little we paid for the cruise. But I will be reviewing the ship with the assumption that you plan to pay the going rate found on various travel websites.

Overall impressions of the ship and its amenities

By today’s standards, Discovery Princess falls into “medium size” category, since it fits 3,600 passengers. I prefer smaller ships, and for me Holland America wins here, hands down. But all in all, the size of Discovery Princess  is manageable.

I was impressed by how elegant the central atrium area of the ship is:

You can even find several fountains:

A lot of the action takes place here, including Zumba classes and special events, like introduction of husky puppies in Skagway. There were quite a few families with kids on the ship and naturally, they were delighted to see the dogs.

This is where you will also find various specialty restaurants and bars. We didn’t attend any big show productions, but really enjoyed listening to violin music in one of the bars. The British guy did a tremendous job, and used themes from several Bond movies. We also loved their piano player and  Irish music duo. Princess gets a thumbs up from me on low-key music entertainment. It’s as good as Holland America and in some ways, even better.

Free champagne on formal night

This area is visually quite impressive, and you won’t find anything like that on Holland America. The decor on the latter is far more subdued.

As far as pool areas go, you will find it similar to most other cruise ships. There are several pools and a few hot tubs sprinkled around the deck area. To me, it felt too cold to swim on this cruise, but that didn’t stop some families from getting in the water.

I did enjoy  a few hours in a hot tub on the top deck on the last day of the cruise, when it got to 50 degrees (about 15 degrees warmer than previous nights).

This cruise ship is clearly designed for Caribbean, and going to Alaska is more of an afterthought. On the other hand, most Holland America ships have retractable roofs, making them ideal for Alaska.

As you can see, there is a big screen where Princess shows movies several times per day. There is also a basketball court, which will be a hit with teenagers.

There aren’t any slides, race track or anything of the sort. This ain’t Carnival or Royal Caribbean, folks.

The gym on this cruise ship is pretty decent, though I only used a treadmill a few times. The view isn’t too shabby, that’s for sure. One time I even spotted a pod of whales.

I really appreciated the fact that Princess has laundry rooms on most of their ships. There was one on our deck, and I was surprised to see that there is no charge to use washer or dryer. They used to require tokens, but right now there is no cost to do laundry, you just have to bring your own detergent or purchase it on board.

 

This is obviously a huge plus for families or those who pack lightly. On Holland America I had to pay $100 for unlimited laundry.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how good WIFI was on this ship compared to Holland America. On the latter it was borderline useless and I felt ripped off. That said, Princess and Holland America lines both installed Starlink in the last year, so it’s likely a wash at this point.

We had to pay $179 for one device on our 7-night cruise, so my husband (who works in IT) could have internet access at all times. It’s obviously expensive, but it’s not like we had a choice. If you buy internet before boarding, you should get a discount. However, we wanted to use our $400 onboard credit for that purpose.

Keep in mind that you have an option to upgrade to Plus Package for $60 extra per person/per day. It includes WIFI, tips, alcoholic drinks and some specialty dining. If both you and your spouse plan to pay for separate  internet access, and if you buy a few drinks per day anyway, this is a no-brainer. We skipped it because only my husband truly needs internet on trips, I can live without it. Also, we aren’t big on drinking alcohol.

I can’t comment on kids or teenage clubs, since we cruised as a couple. But the kids area looks quite impressive, especially compared to Holland America. See photos and details here

Service on the ship was very good, though some workers looked stressed. I imagine it’s quite a challenge to run a ship this size, so set your expectations accordingly. Everyone seemed friendly, though some smiles appeared a bit forced.

Our cabin

We got a C247 balcony cabin on deck 10. The location was pretty good, and being mid-ship meant less movement.

Princess uses patented Medallion technology, which is pretty cool. Your medallion (that you can order ahead of time) unlocks your cabin as you approach it. It’s also your ID for getting on and off the ship. My husband was fascinated by it.

The cabin itself was quite snug. Unfortunately, there is no sofa, which to me is  a big downside.

 

There is a small chair, but it’s rather basic and not comfortable to watch TV:

 

I did like the design of the closet, which is located in a corner:

There are also shelves and a safe:

The bathroom is very small and rather basic:

 

Cosy shower:

Keep in mind that there is no fridge, just a chiller. So, if you need to refrigerate medications, you may need to utilize an ice bucket.

Overall, the cabin was good enough, though nothing to write home about. The one we had on Holland America was superior in every single way. There we had a sofa, and the bathroom was designed for normal-sized individuals.

The one on Princess was definitely fine, but I wouldn’t want to go on a cruise that is longer than seven days in this tiny space. I’m very glad that our 11-night cruise to Southern  Caribbean will be on Holland America rather than Princess. So, if a layout of a cabin is important to you, I recommend looking into upgrading to a mini-suite when taking a Princess cruise.

Also, research the location of your balcony cabin, so you don’t have people looking at you from above:

That said, having a balcony on Alaska cruise is such a treat, no matter which cruise line you take.

Food

One of the most important categories, right? The good news is, we really enjoyed the food on Discovery Princess. The bad news is, we are rather simple people who are easy to impress.

Still, I think the food is  excellent overall. For casual fare, there is pizza, burgers and hot dogs available in the pool area. Pizza was OK, but nothing special.

I generally dislike buffets, but it’s decent on this ship. I didn’t care for coffee, but I’m a coffee snob, so take it with a grain of salt.  You can pay extra for specialty coffee, though I’m  too cheap for that.

I would also prefer that servers handled food (like they do on Holland America), but you can’t have everything.

Since our ship was sailing at 90% capacity, the buffet got quite crowded on some days. We didn’t have this issue on Holland America. I actually caught Covid infection on this cruise (fortunately, started having symptoms after getting home). My money is on the buffet area as the culprit. This isn’t a criticism, but a statement of fact.

If you have a weak immune system, cruising may be too risky. They do have hand washing stations at the entrance to the buffet, but using them is not enforced. It should be.

There are omelet and crepe  stations at breakfast, and they also make fresh waffles:

Some dishes from breakfast buffet

Lunch food

One of my favorites was ramen soup station:

That was such a treat on cold Alaska days

As long as you are not too picky, I believe you will find something you like. That said, I would have to give a buffet on Holland America an edge for more variety. Again, my personal opinion.

We did like the main dining room for most of our dinners, and I give the food thumbs up as well. You can make dinner reservations via Princess app or just show up.

I was pleasantly surprised that Princess serves steak and lobster at no additional charge on one of their formal nights. Holland America did away with this perk.

Another standout on Princess are their elaborate desserts in the main dining room:

Absolutely divine

Princess also offers British afternoon tea on several cruise days. It’s neat to try once, but nothing to go out of your way for:

Tiny sandwiches

If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to give a slight edge to Holland America when it comes to quality of food. Yes, getting complimentary lobster on one night is nice, but it’s  not enough for me to prefer Princess. After all, it’s only a $19 upcharge otherwise. I like that Holland America offers decent sushi during lunch in their buffets. I also think the dishes are a bit more fancy (they have Eggs Benedict for breakfast). Update: our reader JT has pointed out in the comments that you can ask for Eggs Benedict in the main dining room on Princess ships even though it’s not listed on the menu.

But when it comes to desserts, Princess is a clear winner. Overall, both lines offer excellent food, and you can’t go wrong with either one.

We did splurge on just one specialty dining experience: Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar. It’s located in the main atrium area.

Both my husband and I love sushi, so it’s something we had to try. We didn’t have to wait to get a table during dinner hours.

There is a cover charge, depending on what you order. My sushi roll cost only $5, and my husband paid $16 for his set. Altogether, we paid $25 total for what you see on the photo including tip, which isn’t bad at all. I recommend it, and would do it again.

Review of the spa

Before the cruise I kept going back and forth on whether I should purchase a weeklong spa pass ($149 per person) for me and my husband. In the end I decided to save the money. However, since I love this sort of thing, I wanted to purchase a day pass on the ship as a treat. Unfortunately, when I went to the spa area on the third day of our cruise, I was told they don’t sell day passes. Oh well.

The next day, I was walking by the spa on the way to the atrium area and saw the manager. I decided to try again. Success! She told me I could pay $49 per person, a total of $98. It’s a lot of money, but I accepted the offer. We spent a fabulous three hours in the spa the following day.

It is a rather small area, especially compared to the spa on Holland America Eurodam. But that’s not really a negative, since you don’t have to go to another room in order to enjoy heated loungers.

Various showers and saunas  are also nearby.

The pool has massage jets, and the water is pleasantly warm, not hot.

I really enjoyed the spa and wished I got a weeklong pass. There are lockers, showers and hair dryers that you can use after you are done with the pool area.

The shower was much nicer than the one in the cabin!

I give the spa thumbs up. Just keep in mind that due to small size it can get a bit crowded. Btw, the manager forgot to charge us $98, so I had to go there and remind them at the end of the cruise.

There was one disturbing incident in the spa. An old lady decided to change right there and basically got naked and asked me to help her  put the robe on. I quickly complied and crisis was averted. Fortunately, we were the only two people in the spa at the time. I felt sorry for her, as I don’t think she was all there. I did ask the spa attendant to contact her family, just in case.

Final thoughts

If you are debating on whether to book Princess or Holland America for your cruise to Alaska, I honestly believe you can’t go wrong with either one. There are key differences, and I tried to highlight them in this post. I think for multi-generational family reunions, Princess might be a better fit. There is a lot to do on the ship, and they do a tremendous job appealing to various demographics. If a nice Kids Club is very important to you, then Princess is probably the way to go. On Holland America it’s more of an afterthought, although the workers are very kind and try to entertain children to the best of their ability.

If you like Royal Caribbean and Holland America, I would describe Princess as sort of a nice blend of the two lines. You won’t find over-the-top amenities (skating rinks, roller coasters and such), but there is still plenty of excitement to be had.

On the other hand, if having a spacious/comfortable stateroom is important, Holland America wins, hands down. It also has more quiet, subdued atmosphere, which is my preference. I love my kids, but I don’t necessarily want to be surrounded by other people’s children on my vacations. It also has better food, though not by a wide margin. For me, Holland America is a better fit, but I would probably pick Princess when sailing with my kids.

P.S. If you’ve never cruised on Holland America and want to try it, make sure to use someone’s referral link to get a $50 onboard credit per cabin (this is on top of any other promotions available at the time of booking). Here is my referral link Thanks if you use it!

Using points towards cruises isn’t always the most advantageous  option compared to flights or hotels, but it’s there if you want to save money. For example, Chase Ink Business Preferred (our affiliate link) still has  a signup offer of 100K points after spending $8k in 3 months, $95 annual fee not waived. The sign-up bonus alone will give you $1,250 towards cruises if booked through Chase travel portal. If you don’t plan to use points or a match promotion, I recommend cruisecompete.com  (not an affiliate link) in order to get quotes from travel agents.