The Love Is Love Boat
The Discovery Princess’s service and style turned two cruisedeniers into hardcore believers
Rational people do not willingly cram themselves into shopping malls at sea with poor service, tacky styling, cafeteria-quality food, screaming children, rooftop waterslides, and inebriated and obnoxious adults (most of whom are straight and unsightly).
And yet I’ve long harbored a secret desire to experience a cruise.
The iconic Love Boat television series is to blame, of course. With a twinkie purser and a balding silver daddy captain, a suave swordsman for a ship’s doctor, and a hip bartender keeping the parade of celebrity guest stars appropriately juiced, the show left me yearning to set a course for an exciting new adventure.
So naturally I booked a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise on an updated Love Boat from Princess Cruises with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta. And since my backpacking boyfriend had similar concerns about cruising, I only revealed the surrender of our mutual cruising cherries a er booking our voyage.
The Discovery Princess was the newest and largest vessel in the Princess eet during our sailing, eclipsed only a few months later by the newer and signi cantly larger Sun Princess.
Despite its size, Discovery never felt crowded but more like a small-town festival. There was no go-cart racetrack or smokestack-bungee jumping. Instead, the Discovery centered accessible and understated elegance.
The crowd was mostly couples, predominantly older, and with a signi cant LGBTQ+ presence. Some folks dressed to the nines for dinner, while others sported resort casual the entire cruise.
And amazingly, everything coalesced into a totally chill experience.
We quickly learned that abbreviated port visits aside, the three main activities while cruising center eating, relaxation, and sex. And not necessarily in that order. Yes, we used the gym to work o those extra calories and loved the nightly live music at the Take Five jazz lounge, but our experience worked because we religiously observed this holy trinity of cruising throughout our voyage.
The exemplary service we received from the sta and especially our steward, Billy, was instrumental in ensuring our cruise was relaxing and carefree. He was a busy man, but Billy kept our room immaculate (even folding our dirty clothes) and was always a warm and welcoming sight.
Our standard cabin could be described as compact or cozy by detractors, but it was more than adequate for our needs. The bed and linens were upgraded and comfy, and we loved sitting on the balcony and watching everything from sunrises and sunsets to distant rain showers.
We selected a set dinner reservation in the same dining room because I deserved to be pampered with white linen tablecloths and an impeccable wait sta who remembered my name and wine preferences. But we also enjoyed the bu et, which excelled in international fare — I loved the pho and my boyfriend raved about the dal tadka and pork vindaloo. Complimentary room service for breakfast was also a big hit.
The best meals of the cruise unexpectedly came at two of Discovery’s elevated dining experiences. The Crown Grill served great steaks and seafood, but the interactive and fully immersive 360 Experience redefined dining. It was a 90-minute culinary and sensory adventure in the round with a surprise virtual host guiding us across the Mediterranean. The wine alone was worth the signi cantly elevated expense, but the food, story, and concept were equally exceptional.
The cuisine, the low-key ambience of the ship, and the service we received from the crew le us yearning for more. Luckily for us, Princess is celebrating its 55th anniversary cruising Alaska and Glacier Bay National Park this year. We can’t wait to take our holy trinity of cruising through the inside passage.