Cruising the Californian Coast on the Discovery Princess
Los Angeles, somewhere we had never visited before, was where Princess Cruises chose to launch their newest ship, the Discovery Princess, and where we joined her for her third ever cruise, a week of cruising along the Californian coast, stopping off at San Fransisco, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada before returning to Los Angeles. Thanks to a very swift boarding process we were on the ship just after 11am, entering into the welcoming atrium, familiarly Princess with its shiny, glitzy gold decor and twin helix staircases familiar to most of the atriums on Royal Class ships. Although similar to her sisters, the Discovery Princess has adopted a slightly darker tone throughout the atrium with many of the venues sporting dark woods and deep coloured carpets and furnishings.
As we always do when we board any Princess ship, we headed straight up to The Sanctuary to book a few afternoons up there before making our way back to deck 7 for our traditional boarding day pizza at Gigi’s pizzeria. Whilst Princess regulars may be shocked to see the demise of Alfredos pizzeria they need not worry because the newly branded Gigi’s pizzeria offers a similar menu which remains the same quality as Alfredo’s and is still complimentary, making it a popular choice for rainy day lunches.
With everyone on board, and the ship sailing at almost full capacity, we left Los Angeles at 4pm, with the Captain masterfully undertaking the difficult manoeuvre to turn the ship around in a very narrow channel and out of the challenging San Pedro port area as we watched on from the lovely Wakeview bar, and since we had the very extensive drinks package, we had a cocktail in our hand. Once we were safely out at sea we headed back to the room to get ready for our evening in Sabatini’s, the speciality Italian restaurant. Although this is usually my favourite speciality restaurant on any Princess ship, I prefer the interior design and decor of the restaurant on the older Royal class ships, finding this one a little dark with the room dividers making it feel a little oppressive. Again, the food was good but not as good as the food we have experienced on previous cruises - lets hope this is purely a teething problem and will improve as the ships crew settle in.
Our first full day on board was a sea day so after a light breakfast in the International cafe, and with the weather being a little unkind, we settled into Crooners bar, located in the atrium on deck 6 and comfortably decked out with large beige sofas, occasional chairs and tall chairs upholstered in deep red and grey beige to offset the rich red carpet. We were pleased to see the return of Crooners bar which quickly became one of our favourite places to go for a pre-dinner drink whilst listening to the talented and amusing singer.
After lunch the sun decided to make an appearance so we made our way to one of our favourite outside areas, the Wakeview pool and were pleasantly surprised by how lovely and hot was out there. Mid afternoon we headed in to the Skagway restaurant for afternoon tea which was obviously proving to be very popular on this somewhat ‘cool’ seaday as we queued for twenty minutes before we were shown to a table for two. Maybe it was the number of people that had shown up to partake of afternoon tea, or again another teething problem, but we were very underwhelmed by both the food and drinks on offer (especially the almost inedible scones) and the service provided so after just ten minutes we left and made our way straight to the International cafe to get a decent cup of tea.
That evening were eating at Rich’s favourite speciality restaurant, Crown Grill so we started with a pre-dinner cocktail in the lovely Crown Grill bar before heading into the restaurant. Unlike Sabatini’s Princess have left the design and decor of Crown Grill alone so that it is a direct imitation of the one on Sky Princess, and happily the food and service were as good as any previous visits we’ve had at Crown Grill, with Rich loving his usual Filet Mignon, whilst I tried something a bit different, the delicious sea bass dish, before finishing off with one of my all time ever favourite desserts, the salted caramel creme brûlée cheesecake for another delicious dinner and amazing service.
Finishing dinner too late to catch the show we headed instead to Take Five to indulge in a night cap and a bit of jazz before heading back to our room to hit the sack. Take Five is a wonderful venue, both day and night. During the day it provides a peaceful sanctuary away from the melee of the atrium, then from early evening until late into the night its the place to come to enjoy delightful jazz sets from the talented Larry King Trio. We remember going to the then newly installed Take Five on the maiden voyage of the Sky Princess, and being virtually the only people in there - these days you need to get there early to find a seat, and the way they have laid the room our on the Discovery Princess doesn’t help with this, with only a few seats situated in front of the band and most of them being at the other end of the room, far from the engaging entertainment.
Thankfully we were both still suffering from jet lag which meant that we were up early enough to tick off ’sailing under the Golden Gate bridge’ from our cruising bucket list as we made our way into San Francisco. Unfortunately it was a little cloudy so we couldn’t quite see the top of the bridge but nonetheless it was quite an emotional experience sailing under the bridge with the Captain twice hitting the horn to play the traditional Princess love boat tune. No sooner were we docked and we were off of the ship for the short walk to the Alcatraz landing point. Not having pre-booked tickets we didn’t know if we would get tickets at all but we were in luck, they still had some left for the 9.30am crossing, so we boarded the little ferry to take us over there and had a couple of hours wandering the island and the rather dismal prison building before heading back to the mainland. After Alcatraz we decided to simply take a walk along the lovely promenade to Pier 39 for a meander around the tacky shops on the pier before heading out to see the infamous Pier 39 sea lions basking on the wooden rafts located in the pier.
By the time we got back to the ship, the temperature was rising so we headed out to the main pool deck for a late taco lunch from the Salty Dog before heading to the sheltered, adult only Retreat pool to soak up the suns rays with a Pina Colada in our hand. After a few hours in the sun we washed and changed for dinner then headed to Billini’s bar, located back in the centre of the atrium, for a pre-dinner drink before dinner in the main dining room. Dinner in the Ketchikan main dining room was very good and we were allocated a lovely window seat in a small room off to the side of the main restaurant where we were bathed in light from the setting sun. We finished dinner just in time to catch the late sail out from San Francisco, not wanting to miss the chance to sail under the Golden Gate bridge again, but unfortunately it was nowhere near as dramatic in the dark than it had been at sunrise.
Making our way from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, we had a second sea day the next day so we decided to start the day with breakfast in the main dining room, a much pleasanter experience than eating in the buffet, with good food and excellent service. We had booked to spend the afternoon in The Sanctuary so as soon as it turned 1pm we were ensconced on our allocated sunbeds and immediately served with a mojito and a bento box lunch. After an hour of relaxing in the sun afternoon tea was bought around, a highlight of The Sanctuary in our opinion (and thankfully the scones were delicious, as were the miniature sandwiches and other sweet treats).
That evening we were at our third speciality restaurant of the voyage, the French inspired Bistro Sur Le Mer. Not having been all that impressed with this restaurant when we sailed on the Sky Princess, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food, and our waitress a pure delight, taking the time to chat with us and make sure we completely understood the menu and insisting on bringing us her favourite starter dish to share even though we had both ordered something different. However, I still have mixed feelings about this restaurant - it feels like it should be cosy and romantic given the French vibe but as it is in the melee of the main atrium it can be a little busy. And whilst it is nice to have the music from the live band down in the main atrium floating up to the restaurant on the evening, there things did get a little raucous at one point, with what I can only guess was some rather enthusiastic line dancing going on below and lots of people stopping right next to our table to hang over the balcony to watch what was going on.
After dinner we headed to the theatre as tonight was the first airing of a new entertainment show for Princess, the Deal or No Deal game show. Guests were invited to purchase game cards which might give them the chance to become one of two people invited onto the stage to play the game with the banker, similarly to the show on TV. Other guests play along by trying to match the amounts in each box to the amounts on their cards - the more matches the higher the prize they win making it an entertaining show with plenty of audience participation.
The next day and we had our first chance to try out Discovery Princess’ brand new tenders as we were anchored off the coast of Santa Barbara. Though we weren’t on the first tender the wait was very short and we were ashore just after 8am and greeted by the friendliest local tourist team we’ve ever come across. They gave us maps, lots of information and a ticket to ride the free cruise ship shuttle bus that the town had put on for us to take us inland to downtown Santa Barbara, about a mile away. We boarded the bus and jumped off at the courthouse about half way up the main street, State Street so that we could slowly meander back down the high street towards the historic wharf. As the ship was leaving mid afternoon and we had booked another afternoon in the Sanctuary we left the lovely town of Santa Barbara late morning and were nestled into position in the Sanctuary in time for another delicious bento box and an afternoon of relaxation.
That evening was the second formal night of the cruise and since we had yet to make it to the Good Spirits bar we headed out early to take in the cocktail demonstration while enjoying one of their specialised cocktails. Whilst we were there and since we had no meal plans for that evening we decided to book a table at the Ketchikan restaurant on the medallion app so that we could go there for the Gala dinner. One of the things we loved most about the Discovery Princess was the wearable medallion which we wore on a band around our wrists meaning we never forgot to take it with us when we left our room, giving incredibly easy almost hands free access to our room, as well as making us identifiable to the crew who could then charge consumables to our account without us having to lift a finger. The associated phone app made ordering drinks and food anywhere in the ship easy and convenient, as well as booking tables as restaurants and finding out where things are on the ship, such as the nearest toilets or your travel companions. We found that it worked very well, as did the very reasonably priced and super stable wifi. After a delicious gala dinner we headed up to the top deck to watch a movie under the stars - there’s something quite decadent about doing this in formal wear! The movie this evening was Cruella so we settled in under plenty of blankets to keep us warm and a bag of popcorn to watch this wonderful movie as we sailed to San Diego.
We had a late morning arrival into San Diego so we enjoyed a lazy morning on the open decks enjoying the sail into the city centre docking. We were one of the first off to explore this delightful city with the ship docked right in the heart of the city making the modern downtown area easy to explore, although our time ashore was nowhere near long enough. With our time on the ship also running out we planned an action packed evening starting with trivia in Princess Live, then onto cocktails in the Good Spirits bar, before a gastro pub dinner in the Salty Dog bar, entertainment form the talented singers and dancers in the form of the new production show Spotlight Bar, finishing off with some jazz in Take Five.
Our last full day on board and we were docked in Ensenada. We have decided to stay on board to enjoy our last full day - and anyway we had laundry to do, as well as another afternoon in The Sanctuary. After a lovely sunny afternoon relaxing we headed out in the evening to do some of our favourite things, as well as visiting the places we had yet to get to. We started with cocktails in the Crown Grill bar as a pre-appetiser to some sushi from the Ocean Terrace. Before heading off to a magic show in the Vista lounge we popped up to the World Fresh Marketplace for a dessert. We finished the evening in two of our favourite venues starting with a nightcap in Crooners bar, moving onto a cup of tea in the Piazza listening to the fabulous duo that played there every evening.
Overall we loved the Discovery Princess. It is beautifully designed with an array of venues that you will struggle to get round on a week-long voyage. The cabins are very comfortable and the entertainment is plentiful and varied with something for everyone. Despite its capacity the ship offers both lively places full of action and entertainment as well as quiet little nooks to get away from the crowds. There are a number of places to eat, all of which offer good quality delicious food. And for an extra special treat do yourself a favour and book an afternoon in the fabulous Sanctuary, which includes an afternoon tea you won’t forget. It really is worth the small reservation fee.
We would like to thank Princess Cruises UK who hosted us on this cruise, including their Princess Plus package inclusive of wifi, gratuities and beverages All other costs were covered by ourselves including our three afternoons in The Sanctuary, the flights to get to and from Los Angeles and our transfers to and from the ship. Princess Cruises had no editorial control over any of our content, either before, during our after our voyage.
If you enjoyed this blog why not take a look at our Sky Princess Dining Guide, our Crown Princess cruise and review or our guide to the Ocean Medallion.
If you are interested in booking a cruise with these or any other luxury cruise lines then we would recommend contacting a connoisseur at our trusted cruise partners Panache cruises - please mention that you have been referred to them through Visit With Us.
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