Cruise Ship Reviews : Princess Cruises Reviews
Apoet2 saw things this way:
Very poor design, especially for the Princess flag ship, August 6, 2015
Reviewer: Apoet2
Pros: Our room, room steward and the piazza were fabulous
Cons: No: covered promanade, central stairs, spacious ocean-view lounge, and much more
Date of cruise: July 20, 2015
Departure port: Southampton, UK
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: R427
Wow! The Royal Princess! Flag ship of my favorite cruise line and I finally get to be on board. From the time I first heard about the Royal I watched everything I could find. Got up in the middle of the night to watch (almost tearing up) the smashing Princess Kate name the ship and cut the line that swung the champagne into the ship. Needless to say, I was delighted to finally get on board. Then the reality came as we walked on to the ship and were engulfed by the gorgeous central piazza. We were directed to the elevators and got up to our cabin to be even more amazed. Must admit here that we splurged and got a mini-suite. OMG! The layout was as perfect as any cabin I had ever been in. Lots of storage areas. Comfortable feeling just walking in and we found more great things about the room as the cruise went along. So far my dreams were exceeded. Then Denys, or room steward introduced himself. I was pleased with everything about him, but my companion absolutely swooned. (He was an Adonis in addition to his attitude and demeanor.) Wow! Could it get any better? In a word, No. Except for the ports of call, and two of our three Princess arranged excursions, it was pretty much downhill from there. We were just two decks below the Lido deckand near the center of the ship, so we decide to take a quick hike up the Horizon Court for a snack (hey, were on a cruise ship already) before the emergency muster. I mean, the elevators were full of boarding passengers or hauling baggage, and the exercise would be good for us. Guess what? On the Royal Princess that is NOT happening. There are no stairs in the mid-ship area, except for emergencies. (Then they open the doors and give everyone access to the crew stairs.) So we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more for one of the precious, jam-packed, elevators to take us up two decks to the Lido deck. The Horizon Court was completely changed. Now there is a Horizon Bistro, which has some things, and a Horizon Court that has a lot of the same things, and some items that are completely different. It took some getting used to, but I am going to put the new layout just slightly in the plus column mainly because it does cut down a bit on the crowding. Skipping now to the emergency muster. While it was better than standing in the rain on the 17th deck promenade, the muster area for our part of the ship was to try and find a place on deck 7 around the central piazza where you could see and hear what was going on. Muster drills are pretty standard, and over the years, seemed to have gotten more organized. Ah, er, well, not in this case. People were still trying to get to their muster stations when the muster was almost over. I dont know how these things are judged by the authorities, but it would have gotten a C- based on what musters have been in the past (on Princess and other lines) and a D- considering that this is the flag ship of the fleet. Meanwhile, back at the cabin, my suitcase arrived, and it was time to take a little rest and clean up a bit for our early seating at dinner. My companion wondered why her suitcase was not delivered with mine as they were sitting side-by-side on the dock. We would find out on our return from dinner that they had broken off one of the wheels on her expensive luggage. We asked them to fix it, but they only would give us a form stating that it had been their fault, so we could claim it against OUR insurance. Oh well The other couple we were traveling with showed up and off we went to see what the Royal Princess had in store for our dining experience. Oops. Did I mention there were no stairs in the central elevator area, so everyone has to ride the elevators? It did not take the folks on the lower floors (who might have walked down the stairs if there were some) to figure out that all the elevators going down were going to be full, so they started filling them up on the way up in order to get down. Good thinking on their part, but really bad for the people on the upper floors. I think we waited about eight minutes before were found an elevator that we could crush four more people into. This was not good. Well, we got seated. A nice table for four next to a window. Great! We saw our waiter and assistant, but they were doing their best to take care of three big tables of cruisers that neither spoke, nor understood, English, nor any other language the waiters were able to speak, so it took a lot of time for the waiters to get to us. Oh, there was one exception to that. The people selling cocktails and wine were at our elbows almost as soon as we sat down. So the people who wanted drinks did get to put in their orders quickly. That said, putting in an order for a drink, and getting it, were two different things. I tried to order an iced tea. Not their job. Okay. I will wait for one of our waiters to get to our table. There was bread and water on the table, so it wasnt like any of us was going to starve or die of thirst. And, eventually, the waiter and assistant escaped from large tables and came to our table to introduce themselves and to take orders for non-alcoholic drinks. As I have done on every cruise since my very first one, years ago, I informed the assistant waiter that every night I would want two glasses of ice tea during the course of the meal. In the past that has take care of it. No matter what ship, or cruise line, I have always had a glass of ice tea in front of me within minutes of sitting down for dinner. On this cruise that NEVER happened. I had to wait for the drink orders to be taken EVERY ONE of the 12 nights to order my iced tea, and then wait some more before it was actually delivered. Additionally, my companion asked that she get a pot of hot tea each night, but is seemed like we were imposing when we asked that the tea be brought to the table even when we were well into the meal. Really? Really! Just saying As to the dining experience on this cruise in general, with the MAJOR exception of the excellent service in the Horizon Bistro/Court, it was unbelievably slow. I cant fault our own waiters too much because of the big tables of people they were having difficulty communicating with, but the service was also slow for breakfast, lunch and our two adventures at any time dining. Not up to the low standards of other cruise lines, let alone the Princess flagship. Believe it or not, I was the least bothered of our group by this situation, but Ive only been on about 14/15 cruises and they have been on MANY more, so they judged more harshly on everything I have mentioned. The layout of the ship is so drastically different than any Princess ship I have ever been on. And not in a good way. Starting with the lack of a big comfortable oceanview lounge that every other ship has. The Skywalker lounge on the other Princess ships always made me feel like, Wow! This is cruising. Sitting here with a drink, enjoying the grandeur of the ocean, far above the maddening crowd, away from the cares of the world, this is the life. This is why I go cruising. Nothing like that on the Royal. The other times that made me feel like that was taking a stroll along the promenade deck. Out of the sun/rain, just walking along enjoying the view of the waves and the sky, feeling like, I am on a cruise ship! How great is this? Not on the Royal. Dont let me lead you to believe that there is no place to walk. Oh no. There is indeed. If you can figure out how to get there, there is a short, narrow, totally unprotected track on which you can stroll. That is if you can stand the sun/rain/wind from which there is no quarter. Lots of folks who can afford to take a cruise cannot/will not try to battle these conditions. What were they thinking?!?! The Princess theater is beautiful and it has lots of comfortable seats. The upper seats can be accessed from deck 7 fairly easy, and they fill up fast. The seats accessed from deck 6, not so much. There are no side aisles, and the seats on the side fill up last. That means, often after the show has started, people wanting to sit in the unoccupied seats at the side of the lower level have to walk up the central aisles in the middle, and then across in front of everybody. It not only distracts from the show, but the entertainers often berate those who were not able to get there earlier. I found it sad that some entertainers pretty much based their acts on making fun of those who could not access the empty seats without disturbing the show. Sure it was funny, if making fun of others is what you consider funny, but that is not how I want to be entertained. I would much rather see what talent they have. Princess Live is a neat venue, with all of the latest cameras and lights. Its a pretty much state of the art studio. They can produce great shows there. And it would be great, except it is right in the middle of where the Wheelhouse lounge used to be, and has caused the Wheelhouse lounge to be shoved down into a small, awkward corner of deck 7 and practically merged (no walls between the two) into the once very private and quiet Crown Grill. So now, because of the lounge arrangement, performances in the Wheelhouse lounge are difficult to see for most (very few of the seats in the lounge now face the exceedingly cramped stage area, PLUS whatever is going on in the Wheelhouse permeates many of the areas where diners are trying to enjoy the quiet of their $25 surcharged, fine dining experience. That is just plain crazy on so many levels. (and may I add here, playing games trivia, etc.- in either Princess Live, or the Wheelhouse, does not measure up to the old, comfortable Wheelhouse of the other ships!) As far as entertainment goes, not up to expectations at all. The singers sang (one of the guys had a magnificent voice) but in the shows I saw the dancers mostly walked from one place on the stage to another. There was precious little actual dancing. That said, after the first couple of shows I gave up and did not see the later ones. Maybe it got better. I sure hope so. As for the non-Princess shows, the magician was one truly great, cant say much good about all of the rest. The food was slightly better than some of the other Princess ships. Definitely a notch above what I have come to expect on Princess. As has always been the case for us, the best experience on the ship was our evening in the Crown Grill (we were sitting well away from the Wheelhouse.) It was exceptional. Maybe the food in the regular dining rooms is kept somewhat mediocre to encourage visits to the Crown Grill. I know that on my first Princess cruise (back when the Grand was the flagship) the food in the dining rooms was wonderful beyond belief. Now we only get that kind of grub in the Crown Grill. A small aside here: I was recently on another line and the reverse was true. The food and service in the dining rooms was excellent, and the food and service in the specialty restaurants was mucho terrible. They had crew running around offering discounts just to get folks to go in and try it. When it got down to half price we gave it a try and found out why they cut the price! Big mistake. Back to the Royal Princess. This is truly meant to be constructive criticism. Princess is still my company of choice, and I hope to take many more cruises on the Princess line. That said, the Royal (and I assume the Regal) proved to be, on this cruise, well below the standards they should set if they wish to maintain their reputation. I know the Royal and Regal are brand new, but when they upgrade them, and that would be better done sooner rather than later, they really should give more thought to what they want to offer as the flagship(s) of the fleet. I would expect this kind of thing on an early Carnival ship, but not on a state-of-the-art ship with the prestige of the Princess flag.
long2travel saw things this way:
Wonderful itinerary, great staff, odd layout of ship., July 26, 2015
Reviewer: long2travel
Pros: Beautiful ship, good food, great itinerary.
Cons: No stairs in center of ship. Wait for elevator was excruciating.
Date of cruise: July 8, 2015
Departure port: Southampton
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: C430
Good for teenagers: Yes
The British Isles itinerary was spectacular and one I highly recommend. The Royal Princess was enormous, but never felt crowded (now the small towns when the ship unloaded passengers...that's another story!). The shp was well-maintained, and the staff was friendly and engaging. There were a lot of activities, but they were overall more geared toward a slightly older crowd (not unexpected with this itinerary). My one big complaint is that were no stairs in the center of the ship, which meant that unless you wanted to walk all the way to the end of the ship to take the stairs, you had to wait (and wait, and wait) for an elevator; major design flaw. This is probably not a problem for the older passengers who would take the elevator regardless, but for younger (or more impatient passengers), it was dreadful. Also, I found it odd that the fitness center, the spa, and the Serenity area were nowhere near each other; I've never seen that on other ships. One thing we tried for the first time was the Chef's Table dinner. It was a rather expensive splurge, but definitely worth doing at least once in your life!
lmitchell saw things this way:
Overall the cruise experience was good, but service could be better, July 25, 2015
Reviewer: lmitchell
Pros: The Piazza was beautiful
Cons: No stairs
Date of cruise: July 8, 2015
Departure port: Southampton
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: D530
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
We enjoyed our cruise and most of the ports. Would of been more relaxing with one more sea day on a 12-day cruise. The small balcony did not bother me, but would be difficult to use for a dinner. The Piazza is really nice. The dining experience was not as good as our previous experience in both quality of the food and service was so slow it took two hours to get through a dinner. Beverages were only served once during the meal. We enjoyed Alfredo's and the Crown and Grill restaurants, but we're very disappointed in Sabatini's (not worth the extra charge. My biggest complaint was the cost of internet service. In this day and age, internet access should be available free for all cruise passengers. My personal access from my smartphone was blocked when we were in port even though my mobile phone company said we would have access to wireless from the ship when in port. The staff was okay, but not really engaging.
umuva saw things this way:
Can't wait to go again, April 16, 2014
Reviewer: umuva
Pros: All the ship's personnel
Cons: Rooms are smallish
Date of cruise: April 7, 2023
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: E103
This was our second time on the Royal. We went over New Year's and unfortunately there were over 800 children -- many of whom were uncontrollable, either by their nannies or parents who thought even 5-year-olds were adults. However, we just returned April 13 and had a great time. The cruise staff led by Samantha is fabulous. There were so many activities it was impossible to be everywhere and what fun. Paul, Christopher, Drake, Armando, Gary, Melissa, Robbie, Toby (hope I did not miss anyone) - what a great cruise staff! Our stateroom steward Jerry was great. Always anticipating, never had to ask twice. And all other stewards with a friendly warm greeting whenever you saw them. Loved the Beatlemaniacs show. People dancing in their seats and in the aisles. When they later performed in the Piazza, people did not stop dancing to the music. I mean they never left the dance floor for almost an hour. Ye Olde Pub Night is a great, fun time. Although we did Anytime Dining, we had the same table for six nights. Gabriel and Putri, our servers, were great. Never wanted for anything. Food was very good. We were so tired out from all the activities and eating that we needed a vacation when we got home. There were six of us who traveled together on this cruise. We all said we wished we could have done a back-to-back -- we enjoyed ourselves so much.
bebob saw things this way:
Different but not better than other Princess ships!, April 15, 2014
Reviewer: bebob
Pros: This ship has TV on demand for free and great entertainment in the Piazza
Cons: The balconies don't compare to those on other Princess ships. They are so tiny!
Date of cruise: December 22, 2013
Departure port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: C619
The balcony was a big disappointment. Having cruised on all of the Princess class ships, the balcony on Royal Princess didn't compare. It was super small and barely useable. It wasn't big enough for a balcony dinner. We called it a lean to, not a place to relax and spend time on sea days. We paid extra for cat. DB (Deluxe Balcony) but the balcony wasn't any bigger than a standard cabin's balcony. So don't fall for the this trap. Stick with Cat. BA or BB. These cabins are in better locations. Most Princess ships have stairways in the center of the ship that go all the way to the top deck. This ship doesn't, which causes a bottleneck for all midship cabins as the elevator is the only way to go up or down from the center of the ship. Otherwise you have to walk all the way to the back of the ship or the front to use those stairways which is very time consuming. The photo department doesn't offer specials as they have in past years. They charge more than other cruise lines for their portraits. We do not like to purchase two of the exact same photo in order to get a free frame. They should allow us to purchase two different photos to qualify for their special deals. They do have a nice variety of backdrops each evening to choose from. However, the casual photos taken in ports should be smaller and much cheaper than those taken on formal nights (6 by 8 or 5 by 7 size photos are large enough for port shots). The Horizon Court was very nice and had many selections not offered on other ships. It was also nice that the dessert area was separate so it was easy to help yourself. The main dining room had limited menus each evening. Most of the food we ordered was satisfactory but not outstanding and we were on a Christmas cruise. The walking/jogging track is located on one of the top decks which is in the sun most of the day. On their other ships the walking deck is down lower, thus under cover, which keeps it comfortable to walk laps any time of day. It was too hot to walk on this track in the afternoons like we were used to. We missed being able to walk all the way around an entire deck on the ship as on other their Princess ships. An extra that only Princess ships seem to have are public laundromats on every deck which is nice. You can wash, dry, and even iron your clothes on board. The Piazza has been expanded and has so much to offer. It is a pleasant place to spend some time each day. There is a live TV Studio where shows are filmed daily. You can win nice prizes if you attend these live tapings in person. The problem was they gave all or most of the prizes to the same person and to small children under 10 years old even though they were not accompanied by an adult. One small boy won a $350 gift certificate for the fine jewelry store onboard and was told to give it to his mother. Winning prizes should be limited to adults only unless there is a children's show being taped where the majority of the audience are children. The outdoor light show utilizing the fountains is beautiful accompanied by music. More movies should be shown on the outdoor movie screen especially during evening hours. There were hand sanitizer stations available in the dining areas but most people walked right past them. In the past this was supervised better so that everyone used it and no one got sick. We liked docking at the Havensight Mall area in St. Thomas over Crown Bay. We loved walking along the water to town. The internet caf was well organized and monitored. The Internet staff helped print and rectify problems as they arose. Great staff!! Having a sports deck for all sports was a good idea. It kept family members close by and on the same deck although crowded at times. The one day super sales do not offer the quality merchandise that had been sold at these sales in the past. It was nothing but a bunch of junk they couldn't get rid of. Disappointing. The future cruise credits purchased on board are only good for two years now instead of four years as in the past. The public areas of this ship are attractive and very comfortable. However the ship's layout, lack of center stairways, tiny balconies, and congested outdoor areas make this particular ship and its sister ship (Regal Princess) less desirable to sail on, so we will only go on it again if it has an tempting itinerary. It would be good for Alaska sailings because not much time would be spent outdoors on those sailings. We loved being able to watch a current movie in our cabin and be able to put it on pause while we went to dinner. Then we would come back to the cabin and finish watching it. Great idea! There is less closet and drawer space in the cabins compared to their other ships but it was adequate for a 7-day cruise. The bathroom had a larger sink than most ships. It is nice to be able to reserve shore excursions online before sailing. It sure saves time once on board. Pleasant music was played over the intercom throughout the public areas. The piano player in the Piazza was a tremendous entertainer. He could play anything and sing along also. We appreciated that their ships are nonsmoking in the cabins and especially on the balconies. We could be outdoors and not smell smoke for once. The ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas even though it was this ship's first Christmas. It was lovely and very festive. Also Princess still dispenses chocolates on the pillow each evening which we love.
Vmp2Travel saw things this way:
Beautiful ship, crowded public spaces., February 7, 2014
Reviewer: Vmp2Travel
Pros: The Piazza is the star of the ship.
Cons: Crowded and slow elevatiors, pool areas
Date of cruise: January 26, 2014
Departure port: Fort Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
This is a beautiful ship with many unusual features. The public areas in the Piazza were comfortable, and there are many dining and snack options. We especially enjoyed the food and service at Alfredo's, and the staff was most welcoming. Most of the other food services on the ship were very good, especially the lunch dining room. The staff there did an admirable job! Our main dining room dinner experience was lackluster at best. We were very disappointed with the inattention of our waiter and busser, compared to our other experiences. As an example, water and beverage glasses were filled once, then ignored for the rest of the evening. Our table guests had to request two water glasses and extra drinks at the beginning of each meal in order to have those items available. Food delivery for the dining room was slow, but it seemed that our table was always served last, despite our prompt arrival and order selection. Food was of good quality, but not exceptional. Our balcony stateroom seemed smaller than most, and the balcony was MUCH smaller than I expected. Room enough for two chairs, and a place to have a drink, but that's it. We loved the On Demand TV programming. The outdoor pool area was always crowded and noisy on sea days. Deck chairs were scarce. No safe haven for a quiet few hours, unless you paid for the privilege at the Sanctuary! The most frustrating aspect was the slow and crowded elevators. The small elevators, with a stated capacity of 15 or 18 (on the slightly larger main elevators) were in reality only capable of carrying 8 or 9 adults. Some passengers would push through to get on because they knew how long the waits were. We were upset about this problem, which impacted us daily. The elevator situation would make us hesitate to go on this ship again.
klb saw things this way:
So much to see and do on the Royal Princess, August 12, 2013
Reviewer: klb
Pros: Dining, wine events, staff, ship design of social areas
Cons: Crowded pools, spa
Date of cruise: July 29, 2023
Departure port: Venice
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Balcony
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
So much to see and do on the ship. The ship really is the star of the show, regardless of where you sail. The dining is amazing, with all of the options. The wine pairings and events are great, too. The spa is a letdown. The staff seem disorganized. The prices are too high. Enjoy a spa on land at home. The decks are packed during sea days, as to be expected. The staff is friendly and helpful.
Royal Princess reviews
Average customer rating:
4.08 / 5
4.08 / 5Average Rating based on 7 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
4.00
3.57
3.71
4.33
4.00
4.86
3.25
4.75
4.29
3.57
3.71
4.33
4.00
4.86
3.25
4.75
4.29
Apoet2 saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
3
5
2
3
4
5
3
5
2
3
4
5
3
Very poor design, especially for the Princess flag ship, August 6, 2015
Reviewer: Apoet2
Pros: Our room, room steward and the piazza were fabulous
Cons: No: covered promanade, central stairs, spacious ocean-view lounge, and much more
Date of cruise: July 20, 2015
Departure port: Southampton, UK
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Jr. Suite
Cabin number: R427
Wow! The Royal Princess! Flag ship of my favorite cruise line and I finally get to be on board. From the time I first heard about the Royal I watched everything I could find. Got up in the middle of the night to watch (almost tearing up) the smashing Princess Kate name the ship and cut the line that swung the champagne into the ship. Needless to say, I was delighted to finally get on board. Then the reality came as we walked on to the ship and were engulfed by the gorgeous central piazza. We were directed to the elevators and got up to our cabin to be even more amazed. Must admit here that we splurged and got a mini-suite. OMG! The layout was as perfect as any cabin I had ever been in. Lots of storage areas. Comfortable feeling just walking in and we found more great things about the room as the cruise went along. So far my dreams were exceeded. Then Denys, or room steward introduced himself. I was pleased with everything about him, but my companion absolutely swooned. (He was an Adonis in addition to his attitude and demeanor.) Wow! Could it get any better? In a word, No. Except for the ports of call, and two of our three Princess arranged excursions, it was pretty much downhill from there. We were just two decks below the Lido deckand near the center of the ship, so we decide to take a quick hike up the Horizon Court for a snack (hey, were on a cruise ship already) before the emergency muster. I mean, the elevators were full of boarding passengers or hauling baggage, and the exercise would be good for us. Guess what? On the Royal Princess that is NOT happening. There are no stairs in the mid-ship area, except for emergencies. (Then they open the doors and give everyone access to the crew stairs.) So we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more for one of the precious, jam-packed, elevators to take us up two decks to the Lido deck. The Horizon Court was completely changed. Now there is a Horizon Bistro, which has some things, and a Horizon Court that has a lot of the same things, and some items that are completely different. It took some getting used to, but I am going to put the new layout just slightly in the plus column mainly because it does cut down a bit on the crowding. Skipping now to the emergency muster. While it was better than standing in the rain on the 17th deck promenade, the muster area for our part of the ship was to try and find a place on deck 7 around the central piazza where you could see and hear what was going on. Muster drills are pretty standard, and over the years, seemed to have gotten more organized. Ah, er, well, not in this case. People were still trying to get to their muster stations when the muster was almost over. I dont know how these things are judged by the authorities, but it would have gotten a C- based on what musters have been in the past (on Princess and other lines) and a D- considering that this is the flag ship of the fleet. Meanwhile, back at the cabin, my suitcase arrived, and it was time to take a little rest and clean up a bit for our early seating at dinner. My companion wondered why her suitcase was not delivered with mine as they were sitting side-by-side on the dock. We would find out on our return from dinner that they had broken off one of the wheels on her expensive luggage. We asked them to fix it, but they only would give us a form stating that it had been their fault, so we could claim it against OUR insurance. Oh well The other couple we were traveling with showed up and off we went to see what the Royal Princess had in store for our dining experience. Oops. Did I mention there were no stairs in the central elevator area, so everyone has to ride the elevators? It did not take the folks on the lower floors (who might have walked down the stairs if there were some) to figure out that all the elevators going down were going to be full, so they started filling them up on the way up in order to get down. Good thinking on their part, but really bad for the people on the upper floors. I think we waited about eight minutes before were found an elevator that we could crush four more people into. This was not good. Well, we got seated. A nice table for four next to a window. Great! We saw our waiter and assistant, but they were doing their best to take care of three big tables of cruisers that neither spoke, nor understood, English, nor any other language the waiters were able to speak, so it took a lot of time for the waiters to get to us. Oh, there was one exception to that. The people selling cocktails and wine were at our elbows almost as soon as we sat down. So the people who wanted drinks did get to put in their orders quickly. That said, putting in an order for a drink, and getting it, were two different things. I tried to order an iced tea. Not their job. Okay. I will wait for one of our waiters to get to our table. There was bread and water on the table, so it wasnt like any of us was going to starve or die of thirst. And, eventually, the waiter and assistant escaped from large tables and came to our table to introduce themselves and to take orders for non-alcoholic drinks. As I have done on every cruise since my very first one, years ago, I informed the assistant waiter that every night I would want two glasses of ice tea during the course of the meal. In the past that has take care of it. No matter what ship, or cruise line, I have always had a glass of ice tea in front of me within minutes of sitting down for dinner. On this cruise that NEVER happened. I had to wait for the drink orders to be taken EVERY ONE of the 12 nights to order my iced tea, and then wait some more before it was actually delivered. Additionally, my companion asked that she get a pot of hot tea each night, but is seemed like we were imposing when we asked that the tea be brought to the table even when we were well into the meal. Really? Really! Just saying As to the dining experience on this cruise in general, with the MAJOR exception of the excellent service in the Horizon Bistro/Court, it was unbelievably slow. I cant fault our own waiters too much because of the big tables of people they were having difficulty communicating with, but the service was also slow for breakfast, lunch and our two adventures at any time dining. Not up to the low standards of other cruise lines, let alone the Princess flagship. Believe it or not, I was the least bothered of our group by this situation, but Ive only been on about 14/15 cruises and they have been on MANY more, so they judged more harshly on everything I have mentioned. The layout of the ship is so drastically different than any Princess ship I have ever been on. And not in a good way. Starting with the lack of a big comfortable oceanview lounge that every other ship has. The Skywalker lounge on the other Princess ships always made me feel like, Wow! This is cruising. Sitting here with a drink, enjoying the grandeur of the ocean, far above the maddening crowd, away from the cares of the world, this is the life. This is why I go cruising. Nothing like that on the Royal. The other times that made me feel like that was taking a stroll along the promenade deck. Out of the sun/rain, just walking along enjoying the view of the waves and the sky, feeling like, I am on a cruise ship! How great is this? Not on the Royal. Dont let me lead you to believe that there is no place to walk. Oh no. There is indeed. If you can figure out how to get there, there is a short, narrow, totally unprotected track on which you can stroll. That is if you can stand the sun/rain/wind from which there is no quarter. Lots of folks who can afford to take a cruise cannot/will not try to battle these conditions. What were they thinking?!?! The Princess theater is beautiful and it has lots of comfortable seats. The upper seats can be accessed from deck 7 fairly easy, and they fill up fast. The seats accessed from deck 6, not so much. There are no side aisles, and the seats on the side fill up last. That means, often after the show has started, people wanting to sit in the unoccupied seats at the side of the lower level have to walk up the central aisles in the middle, and then across in front of everybody. It not only distracts from the show, but the entertainers often berate those who were not able to get there earlier. I found it sad that some entertainers pretty much based their acts on making fun of those who could not access the empty seats without disturbing the show. Sure it was funny, if making fun of others is what you consider funny, but that is not how I want to be entertained. I would much rather see what talent they have. Princess Live is a neat venue, with all of the latest cameras and lights. Its a pretty much state of the art studio. They can produce great shows there. And it would be great, except it is right in the middle of where the Wheelhouse lounge used to be, and has caused the Wheelhouse lounge to be shoved down into a small, awkward corner of deck 7 and practically merged (no walls between the two) into the once very private and quiet Crown Grill. So now, because of the lounge arrangement, performances in the Wheelhouse lounge are difficult to see for most (very few of the seats in the lounge now face the exceedingly cramped stage area, PLUS whatever is going on in the Wheelhouse permeates many of the areas where diners are trying to enjoy the quiet of their $25 surcharged, fine dining experience. That is just plain crazy on so many levels. (and may I add here, playing games trivia, etc.- in either Princess Live, or the Wheelhouse, does not measure up to the old, comfortable Wheelhouse of the other ships!) As far as entertainment goes, not up to expectations at all. The singers sang (one of the guys had a magnificent voice) but in the shows I saw the dancers mostly walked from one place on the stage to another. There was precious little actual dancing. That said, after the first couple of shows I gave up and did not see the later ones. Maybe it got better. I sure hope so. As for the non-Princess shows, the magician was one truly great, cant say much good about all of the rest. The food was slightly better than some of the other Princess ships. Definitely a notch above what I have come to expect on Princess. As has always been the case for us, the best experience on the ship was our evening in the Crown Grill (we were sitting well away from the Wheelhouse.) It was exceptional. Maybe the food in the regular dining rooms is kept somewhat mediocre to encourage visits to the Crown Grill. I know that on my first Princess cruise (back when the Grand was the flagship) the food in the dining rooms was wonderful beyond belief. Now we only get that kind of grub in the Crown Grill. A small aside here: I was recently on another line and the reverse was true. The food and service in the dining rooms was excellent, and the food and service in the specialty restaurants was mucho terrible. They had crew running around offering discounts just to get folks to go in and try it. When it got down to half price we gave it a try and found out why they cut the price! Big mistake. Back to the Royal Princess. This is truly meant to be constructive criticism. Princess is still my company of choice, and I hope to take many more cruises on the Princess line. That said, the Royal (and I assume the Regal) proved to be, on this cruise, well below the standards they should set if they wish to maintain their reputation. I know the Royal and Regal are brand new, but when they upgrade them, and that would be better done sooner rather than later, they really should give more thought to what they want to offer as the flagship(s) of the fleet. I would expect this kind of thing on an early Carnival ship, but not on a state-of-the-art ship with the prestige of the Princess flag.
long2travel saw things this way:
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Wonderful itinerary, great staff, odd layout of ship., July 26, 2015
Reviewer: long2travel
Pros: Beautiful ship, good food, great itinerary.
Cons: No stairs in center of ship. Wait for elevator was excruciating.
Date of cruise: July 8, 2015
Departure port: Southampton
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: C430
Good for teenagers: Yes
The British Isles itinerary was spectacular and one I highly recommend. The Royal Princess was enormous, but never felt crowded (now the small towns when the ship unloaded passengers...that's another story!). The shp was well-maintained, and the staff was friendly and engaging. There were a lot of activities, but they were overall more geared toward a slightly older crowd (not unexpected with this itinerary). My one big complaint is that were no stairs in the center of the ship, which meant that unless you wanted to walk all the way to the end of the ship to take the stairs, you had to wait (and wait, and wait) for an elevator; major design flaw. This is probably not a problem for the older passengers who would take the elevator regardless, but for younger (or more impatient passengers), it was dreadful. Also, I found it odd that the fitness center, the spa, and the Serenity area were nowhere near each other; I've never seen that on other ships. One thing we tried for the first time was the Chef's Table dinner. It was a rather expensive splurge, but definitely worth doing at least once in your life!
lmitchell saw things this way:
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5
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Overall the cruise experience was good, but service could be better, July 25, 2015
Reviewer: lmitchell
Pros: The Piazza was beautiful
Cons: No stairs
Date of cruise: July 8, 2015
Departure port: Southampton
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: D530
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
We enjoyed our cruise and most of the ports. Would of been more relaxing with one more sea day on a 12-day cruise. The small balcony did not bother me, but would be difficult to use for a dinner. The Piazza is really nice. The dining experience was not as good as our previous experience in both quality of the food and service was so slow it took two hours to get through a dinner. Beverages were only served once during the meal. We enjoyed Alfredo's and the Crown and Grill restaurants, but we're very disappointed in Sabatini's (not worth the extra charge. My biggest complaint was the cost of internet service. In this day and age, internet access should be available free for all cruise passengers. My personal access from my smartphone was blocked when we were in port even though my mobile phone company said we would have access to wireless from the ship when in port. The staff was okay, but not really engaging.
umuva saw things this way:
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Can't wait to go again, April 16, 2014
Reviewer: umuva
Pros: All the ship's personnel
Cons: Rooms are smallish
Date of cruise: April 7, 2023
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: E103
This was our second time on the Royal. We went over New Year's and unfortunately there were over 800 children -- many of whom were uncontrollable, either by their nannies or parents who thought even 5-year-olds were adults. However, we just returned April 13 and had a great time. The cruise staff led by Samantha is fabulous. There were so many activities it was impossible to be everywhere and what fun. Paul, Christopher, Drake, Armando, Gary, Melissa, Robbie, Toby (hope I did not miss anyone) - what a great cruise staff! Our stateroom steward Jerry was great. Always anticipating, never had to ask twice. And all other stewards with a friendly warm greeting whenever you saw them. Loved the Beatlemaniacs show. People dancing in their seats and in the aisles. When they later performed in the Piazza, people did not stop dancing to the music. I mean they never left the dance floor for almost an hour. Ye Olde Pub Night is a great, fun time. Although we did Anytime Dining, we had the same table for six nights. Gabriel and Putri, our servers, were great. Never wanted for anything. Food was very good. We were so tired out from all the activities and eating that we needed a vacation when we got home. There were six of us who traveled together on this cruise. We all said we wished we could have done a back-to-back -- we enjoyed ourselves so much.
bebob saw things this way:
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Different but not better than other Princess ships!, April 15, 2014
Reviewer: bebob
Pros: This ship has TV on demand for free and great entertainment in the Piazza
Cons: The balconies don't compare to those on other Princess ships. They are so tiny!
Date of cruise: December 22, 2013
Departure port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: C619
The balcony was a big disappointment. Having cruised on all of the Princess class ships, the balcony on Royal Princess didn't compare. It was super small and barely useable. It wasn't big enough for a balcony dinner. We called it a lean to, not a place to relax and spend time on sea days. We paid extra for cat. DB (Deluxe Balcony) but the balcony wasn't any bigger than a standard cabin's balcony. So don't fall for the this trap. Stick with Cat. BA or BB. These cabins are in better locations. Most Princess ships have stairways in the center of the ship that go all the way to the top deck. This ship doesn't, which causes a bottleneck for all midship cabins as the elevator is the only way to go up or down from the center of the ship. Otherwise you have to walk all the way to the back of the ship or the front to use those stairways which is very time consuming. The photo department doesn't offer specials as they have in past years. They charge more than other cruise lines for their portraits. We do not like to purchase two of the exact same photo in order to get a free frame. They should allow us to purchase two different photos to qualify for their special deals. They do have a nice variety of backdrops each evening to choose from. However, the casual photos taken in ports should be smaller and much cheaper than those taken on formal nights (6 by 8 or 5 by 7 size photos are large enough for port shots). The Horizon Court was very nice and had many selections not offered on other ships. It was also nice that the dessert area was separate so it was easy to help yourself. The main dining room had limited menus each evening. Most of the food we ordered was satisfactory but not outstanding and we were on a Christmas cruise. The walking/jogging track is located on one of the top decks which is in the sun most of the day. On their other ships the walking deck is down lower, thus under cover, which keeps it comfortable to walk laps any time of day. It was too hot to walk on this track in the afternoons like we were used to. We missed being able to walk all the way around an entire deck on the ship as on other their Princess ships. An extra that only Princess ships seem to have are public laundromats on every deck which is nice. You can wash, dry, and even iron your clothes on board. The Piazza has been expanded and has so much to offer. It is a pleasant place to spend some time each day. There is a live TV Studio where shows are filmed daily. You can win nice prizes if you attend these live tapings in person. The problem was they gave all or most of the prizes to the same person and to small children under 10 years old even though they were not accompanied by an adult. One small boy won a $350 gift certificate for the fine jewelry store onboard and was told to give it to his mother. Winning prizes should be limited to adults only unless there is a children's show being taped where the majority of the audience are children. The outdoor light show utilizing the fountains is beautiful accompanied by music. More movies should be shown on the outdoor movie screen especially during evening hours. There were hand sanitizer stations available in the dining areas but most people walked right past them. In the past this was supervised better so that everyone used it and no one got sick. We liked docking at the Havensight Mall area in St. Thomas over Crown Bay. We loved walking along the water to town. The internet caf was well organized and monitored. The Internet staff helped print and rectify problems as they arose. Great staff!! Having a sports deck for all sports was a good idea. It kept family members close by and on the same deck although crowded at times. The one day super sales do not offer the quality merchandise that had been sold at these sales in the past. It was nothing but a bunch of junk they couldn't get rid of. Disappointing. The future cruise credits purchased on board are only good for two years now instead of four years as in the past. The public areas of this ship are attractive and very comfortable. However the ship's layout, lack of center stairways, tiny balconies, and congested outdoor areas make this particular ship and its sister ship (Regal Princess) less desirable to sail on, so we will only go on it again if it has an tempting itinerary. It would be good for Alaska sailings because not much time would be spent outdoors on those sailings. We loved being able to watch a current movie in our cabin and be able to put it on pause while we went to dinner. Then we would come back to the cabin and finish watching it. Great idea! There is less closet and drawer space in the cabins compared to their other ships but it was adequate for a 7-day cruise. The bathroom had a larger sink than most ships. It is nice to be able to reserve shore excursions online before sailing. It sure saves time once on board. Pleasant music was played over the intercom throughout the public areas. The piano player in the Piazza was a tremendous entertainer. He could play anything and sing along also. We appreciated that their ships are nonsmoking in the cabins and especially on the balconies. We could be outdoors and not smell smoke for once. The ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas even though it was this ship's first Christmas. It was lovely and very festive. Also Princess still dispenses chocolates on the pillow each evening which we love.
Vmp2Travel saw things this way:
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Beautiful ship, crowded public spaces., February 7, 2014
Reviewer: Vmp2Travel
Pros: The Piazza is the star of the ship.
Cons: Crowded and slow elevatiors, pool areas
Date of cruise: January 26, 2014
Departure port: Fort Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
This is a beautiful ship with many unusual features. The public areas in the Piazza were comfortable, and there are many dining and snack options. We especially enjoyed the food and service at Alfredo's, and the staff was most welcoming. Most of the other food services on the ship were very good, especially the lunch dining room. The staff there did an admirable job! Our main dining room dinner experience was lackluster at best. We were very disappointed with the inattention of our waiter and busser, compared to our other experiences. As an example, water and beverage glasses were filled once, then ignored for the rest of the evening. Our table guests had to request two water glasses and extra drinks at the beginning of each meal in order to have those items available. Food delivery for the dining room was slow, but it seemed that our table was always served last, despite our prompt arrival and order selection. Food was of good quality, but not exceptional. Our balcony stateroom seemed smaller than most, and the balcony was MUCH smaller than I expected. Room enough for two chairs, and a place to have a drink, but that's it. We loved the On Demand TV programming. The outdoor pool area was always crowded and noisy on sea days. Deck chairs were scarce. No safe haven for a quiet few hours, unless you paid for the privilege at the Sanctuary! The most frustrating aspect was the slow and crowded elevators. The small elevators, with a stated capacity of 15 or 18 (on the slightly larger main elevators) were in reality only capable of carrying 8 or 9 adults. Some passengers would push through to get on because they knew how long the waits were. We were upset about this problem, which impacted us daily. The elevator situation would make us hesitate to go on this ship again.
klb saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
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Spa
Specialty Restaurant
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So much to see and do on the Royal Princess, August 12, 2013
Reviewer: klb
Pros: Dining, wine events, staff, ship design of social areas
Cons: Crowded pools, spa
Date of cruise: July 29, 2023
Departure port: Venice
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Balcony
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
So much to see and do on the ship. The ship really is the star of the show, regardless of where you sail. The dining is amazing, with all of the options. The wine pairings and events are great, too. The spa is a letdown. The staff seem disorganized. The prices are too high. Enjoy a spa on land at home. The decks are packed during sea days, as to be expected. The staff is friendly and helpful.
