Princess Cruises - Discovery Princess February, 2023

'80s Themed West Coast Getaway

San Diego, California and Ensenada, Mexico - 4 nights

Hey there Curvy Cruisers, welcome back to our blog! Get ready for a wild ride, this cruise had it all.

We had high hopes for this newest Princess ship, and as with everything, it has its pros and cons. Let’s dive right in!

As you may or may not know, all Princess ships now use the medallion class system which is pretty cool. First and foremost it acts as your room key. It will recognize you from a few feet away, welcome you, and unlock your door before you even get there. Once the green light surrounds the door handle, you can enter.

Let’s talk about our room.

For those that want to know, we were in room A637. We did opt for a balcony cabin (like we always do) because we love the ocean air and watching the sea go by. This is a pretty standard room with a nice Queen sized bed; or you can request two twins. The bed was really comfortable and the pillows were lush. I will say these rooms felt MUCH smaller on this newer ship than I’ve ever experienced before. The space between the bed and the walls was so narrow, we both had to practically walk sideways. Everyone I talked to felt the same way. That said, it was a 4 night cruise so it wasn’t a huge inconvenience. Anything longer, and we would have likely bid for an upgrade.

Our lush Queen bed

Our room came with some extra storage that could be used to hold whatever you like…beverages, snacks, snacks, snacks… you get the idea.  We also had the standard desk, vanity chair, and plenty of outlets for what we needed; Three European, Two U.S, and one USB outlet in each bedside lamp (total of 2). The chair was also sturdy, as tested by Bobby here. We do this for you!

He was thrilled to be my chair tester.

I was super impressed with the closet area. There was a dedicated space to hang your clothes, and separately a closet with shelves for those who prefer it. Inside that closet was the safe as well. I like this because that way my dresses and pants (especially linen) don’t get MORE wrinkled, since they’re already that way from travel.

The bathroom:

Oh boy. To say this bathroom was small is an understatement. I should have taken measurements. Toilet, sink, and shower, and everything within arms reach. As a woman who is 5’2 my wingspan isn’t very long. As you can see from the pictures, the shower is a tight fit. My husband, who’s built…well like a football player, barely had the space he needed. I will say the height is great! My best friend was part of our group and she is 6’2”. She moved the showerhead all the way up, and she was thrilled that she could fit under it. Water pressure isn’t great, but it did the job. However, the water heater was incredible! The bathroom is…functional.

On to the Balcony!

Normally this is our favorite part of the room. Like I said, we really enjoy being out on the water and watching the world float on by. I have to say though, this balcony was way smaller than I remember seeing on our previous cruises. Sure, you get the standard 2 chairs (which were kinda small if you are bigger on the bottom) and table but if both seats are taken, good luck to the person on the inside because they are stuck there until the person on the outside gets up! Don’t get me wrong, I would still choose this over an inside cabin but dang, where’s the legroom?

Oh well. Let’s move on.

We tried on the life jackets just to make sure they would fit all bodies. They were very inclusive. It’s a one size life jacket and I would be surprised if they didn’t fit around 99% of us. The life jacket goes over your head and a strap goes around your back and clips in the front. Bobby and I both tried them on and we both had a ton of slack left over so that is a relief. I can’t imagine most cruise lines aren’t like this because safety should be priority #1.

Ok let’s get out of this room and tell you a bit about the seating around the ship.

THIS thrilled me. Everywhere we went, there was plenty of seating. Not only that but HUGE comfy chairs all over to accommodate everyone! There was a great mix of couches, loveseats, and armchairs, of all shapes and sizes. The main dining room and buffet had a great combination of booths and chairs, which all felt posh and very sturdy. Also, many of the chairs didn’t have arm rests which was a great relief to me because I have HIPS (along with everything else). Here are some pics from the Crown Grill, Princess Live Lounge, and the Vista Lounge just to name a few examples.

Obviously there are MANY more areas around the ship to explore and relax, but this was the theme all over, with the exception of ONE PLACE.

The Princess Theatre

Ya’ll, even though I knew to expect this, it was still disappointing. The Princess Theatre is where the big production shows and entertainment happen so naturally they want to pack as many seats in there as they can. So much so, that the seats are the smallest we experienced anywhere on the ship. We both “tried them on for size” and it was a tight fit. Even with the two types of seats they had, it wasn’t great. I took measurements because I had to know. The normal theatre seats measured 18.5” from armrest to armrest. The other type of chair was a high bar seat which I didn’t try because I have enough trouble getting up onto one of those things. All in all, not very size inclusive which was a bummer. Bobby and I did see two shows in this theatre and yea, we will put up with the discomfort if the shows are good, which they were. But part of me just couldn’t stop thinking about my friend who wouldn’t be able to sit down at all, and that was disheartening.

The Pool and Hot tub

On to a happier note, the pools and hot tub were really lovely. The deck chairs are standard. If you know you’re comfortable getting in and out of a pool deck chair, you’ll be fine here. Around the lido deck there were huge sofas and arm chairs that were awesome and accommodating. We spent many an hour here indulging in pizza, ice cream, and a beverage or two.

I wanted to get photos and footage specifically of the hot tub because as a larger person, I’m very mindful of the steps and railings; I’m also clumsy so that doesn’t help. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the steps up to the spas were very well built and the hand rails ran up the entire way. Check out those stairs! Again, it felt like safety was the priority here. I can’t say for sure that it’s the same on older ships so this was great to see.

Now that we’ve covered inclusion, let’s talk FOOD!

The food quality wasn’t super consistent among all 4 nights. There were some foods that were just “meh” and some dishes that were AMAZING. I will say the buffet food felt like it was focused more on quantity, instead of quality. The sheer amount of choices there was overwhelming. That said…the pastries were pretty darn good. My favorite places to eat were the International Café and Gigi’s Pizzeria..both of which are INCLUDED in the cost of the cruise. The International Café is a quick service area where you can get sandwiches, mini cakes, and things like that. I love sandwiches. I daresay they’re my favorite food. And now I’m hungry. (Edit as of I’m not sure when: Gigi’s is now Gigi’s by Alfredo and it’s no longer free, booo)

Anyway, there were 3 main dining rooms; Ketchican, Skagway, and Juneau. We dined in the first two, switching between them. They were also a little inconsistent. Some nights the food and service was just okay, and other nights, the food was delicious and the service was phenomenal. Our total party was a group of 8 and on our second to last night we had the BEST server and assistant server (shoutout to Mohamed Ali, yes that’s his real name). They were so wonderful that they both made sure we had them the next night and got us the time we requested. Wonderful people. I think I’ll drop some food pics here, just to make you all as hungry as I am. You’re welcome!

From the Top left:

Crab cake with a poached egg and hollandaise. Prawns with cherry tomatoes. Prosciutto and Melon. Spinach Ravioli. Truffle Gnocchi. Duck a l’orange. Lamb Shank. Mama’s Lasagna. Seared Mahi Mahi with basil quinoa. Seafood stew. Veal Scallopini. Baked Alaska. Crepes Suzette. French Vanilla Creme Brulee. Mango Papaya Treasure. Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake.

The food did get better as the days went on so we were happy about that. We also tried quick service from Slice Pizza and The Salty Dog. The hot dogs were excellent and had lots of topping options and the pizza was pretty good. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that even mediocre pizza is still good. To me however, Gigi’s was superior.

Well, that’s all folks. If you’re still reading, WOW Thank you!! We hope this was helpful and at least a little funny. If you have any questions, feel free to ask on our Facebook page, links at the top and bottom of the page! We posted some more pictures there too so head on over if you like!

Room Tour video is up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKxVvJhftyQ&ab_channel=CruisingWhileCurvy Enjoy!