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 INSIDE VIEW:

THE SMALL SHIP DIFFERENCE

A conversation with Giacomo Manfredi Hotel General Manager on Pacific Princess

by

Richard H. Wagner

Giacomo Manfredi, Hotel Manager, Pacific Princess, cruise ship

As the only small ship still sailing for Princess, Pacific Princess occupies a unique place in the Princess fleet. Guests familiar with Princess Cruises will recognize such Princess' hallmarks as the Princess Patter daily programs, the Captain's Circle loyalty program, Sabatini's specialty restaurant, and the Lotus Spa The menus in the main dining room follow the same format as the rest of the fleet. Yet, there are differences that make cruising on Pacific Princess special.

“Usually we take you on itineraries and go to ports that the bigger ships do not go to. Also, usually, the cruises are longer. The nest cruise is a 14 day cruise and this ship does the world cruise - - a three month voyage,” commented Giacomo Manfredi, Hotel General Manager on pacific princess.”

“It is a more relaxed and quiet environment because we carry 650 passengers, depending upon the cruise, against 3,000 plus passengers on the big ships.”

“We have a loyal following for this ship. A lot of passengers cruise again and again. They always come back to this ship because they like the small ambiance, a boutique hotel. We have a group of passengers who only cruise on this ship. We also have passengers who come on on the big and the small but we have some who only come on the small.”

One of the attractions of Pacific Princess is that there are 373 crew members serving the 650 passengers. “ The ratio is very high. The ratio is higher on the small ship than on a big ship.”

In addition, it is a friendly crew. “When it is time to work, everybody has to put in 120 percent. But when the ship comes into ports and most of the passengers go ashore, we try to give the maximum time off to the staff as well so that they will be able to relax and enjoy their time in the ports. When somebody is relaxed and happy, I think that helps.”

“We have different challenges. When you are doing the same run, the crew knows what to expect. For us, we change itineraries quite often. You have to be able to adapt to the circumstances that sometimes come up. Being a small ship, it is fairly easy to come up with solutions. It is one thing re-arranging with 5,000 people aboard including crew and passengers and another thing re-arranging for 700 or 800.”

Of course, a big ship has the space for more and larger features than a small ship. “The entertainment on a big ship is like a big hotel in Las Vegas. There is no difference at all - - you see the special effects that they have in the theater are comparable to the shore side theaters. On this ship here, we are more like an old style ship. We offer good entertainment but naturally, we cannot compare ourselves to the big ships. But you are more close-up and personal with the entertainers. You can sit closer and sometimes get to know the entertainers because the crowd is smaller and you see them around. On big ships with such big crowds, you do not have this opportunity.”

Pacific Princess is one of eight nearly identical ships built for Renaissance Cruises. With the recent sale of P&O Cruises' Adonia , all of Pacific Princess' sisters are or shortly will be sailing for the luxury brands Azamara Club Cruises and Oceania Cruises. Nonetheless, the typical fares for cruises on Pacific Princess are much lower than the fares charged for cruises on her sister ships.

“The price of this cruise is in line with the Princess' prices. Other lines may have similar ships but they do different marketing and they offer different things. Naturally, they charge a higher price because they throw in [such things as] the all-inclusive beverage package - - its already included in the price. Here, you have a choice if you want you take it, if you don't, you don't take it.”

The ship first entered service for Renaissance in 2002. However, it remains in good condition. “We had a dry dock recently at the end of May [2017]. When the ship goes into dry dock, they not only change the furnishings around the ship but they do an overhaul of the engines and all the technical parts are checked. It has been operating well.”

“ For somebody who enjoys traveling in a relaxed atmosphere - - more quiet as well because usually we do not have kids running around - - I would think it would be high on their list to come on the Pacific.”

Cruise ship interview - Princess Cruises - Pacific Princess - Hotel General Manager