Overall I was very disappointed with this cruise. I VERY rarely write negative reviews on anything but I felt it was necessary on this cruise. I took my elderly parents on this cruise because they have always raved about Princess from travelling they did when they were younger. This will probably be the last real vacation they have. I hadn't travelled on them prior mostly because I liked the iteneraries and price of carnival better.
My mom just wanted lobster in the dining room, she had memories of it. Once onboard we were told we could not go into the dining room period unless our husbands were in a tuxedo or black or blue suite with slacks. We were not prepared for this and so we couldn't dine in the dining room. My husband had a suit coat but my father just had a sports coat. It made us feel awful like we were second class and not good enough. We would have never gone in in levi's but that was a bit ridiculous. Overall I was more than unimpressed by this cruise I will definitely be going back to carnival.
I'm glad I got to take my parents and I do feel much of my reviews are based on my age. There are different standards and expectations I think from an older crowd, such as what is acceptable in the dining room.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was very smooth
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
I can only rate the buffet and burgers because we weren't allowed in the dining room. Note my comments below.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We didn't really participate in the activities on the ship but they all looked very nice.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We watched all the shows that were on the ship and the musician. I was surprised there weren't more of them. We experienced more shows on other cruises we went on, I especially expected more with so many sea days. I am a larger woman and the seats were smaller and didn't have hardly any place for my mom who was in a wheelchair to be other than the very top in the corner. However the shows were well done just not our particular style.
Children's Programs
I didn't have children on board.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Although the service was adequate and our room steward was very pleasant we were used to a more friendly staff that went the extra mile. Knowing our names, towel animals, friendly smiles, never making us feel like we were putting them out to ask for anything. I almost felt like I was annoying buffet staff to ask for a beverage.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship seemed out of date. The colors were muted and dull. This was my first time on Princess I had traveled both Holland America and Carnival and found Carnivals ships to exceed the grandeur of this ship by quite a large measure. But everything was clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
I only have the experiences of our other cabins to compare to. The room was a balcony and barely had enough room to sit on the toilet with the door shut and you could barely walk between the bed and the TV on the wall right in from of it. There were old plastic bags under the bed and I my back had hurt the whole time I was on the trip and I couldn't figure out why, there was a serving tray between the mattress and base springs. I didn't realize until we were checking out. Also the room didn't have the option to turn the water to cold it was virtually scalding and you could only turn it to warm. I didn't like brushing my teeth in warm water.
Really enjoyed this port once we got past all the people trying to sell us beach chairs for $20-25. After we got past most of them we found a taxi driver who took us on a private tour for the whole island, she was knowledgable and friendly and it was a great time.
Seems like this review may be either wildly exaggerated or conflated. Always pack a sports coat for men and you don’t need a tie. Use common sense. Carnival = Families, Kids, Noise & Drunks. Princess = Wheelchairs, Old folks, Peace and Quiet. You pays your money and you take your chances.
We just got off the Regal on Sunday and while my husband did wear a suit on one of the formal nights, a lot were in khakis and polo shirts. My husband wore dress slacks and a dress shirt on the 2nd formal night, no problems
We travelled on the Royal Princess in August and a collared shirt and khakis was fine on non formal nights. Formal night my husband wore a sport coat and slacks and that was fine.
The 5 carnival cruises we were on all we saw was parents that let there children run wild, and fall down young drunks, if that’s your idea of a fun cruise go for it, never again on Carnival for us.
A pair of dress slacks and a shirt with a collar (a golf shirt is fine) for men in the dining room on a regular dining night. On a formal night, a pair of dress slacks, dress shirt and tie is sufficient for men. Some men do wear a suit or tux, but that is not a requirement. We enjoy eating in the dining room. For women, a pair of dress slacks and a nice top , a dress or skirt and nice top is appropriate. Formal nights some women like to dress more formally. The Regal is a beautiful, newer ship that we have sailed on twice. Very comfortable beds and bedding. Great service, entertainment and food. Yes, the bathrooms are small, but adequate. Sorry that you did not enjoy your cruise, but hopefully you still were able to enjoy your time with your family.
We were on the Princess Ruby a couple years ago and they did not require tux, full suit or even a tie. My husband wore a sport coat with a pull over shirt and no tie. There were several that didn’t even have sport coats on.
That's a very odd rating, there is absolutely no comparison of The Regal Princess compared to the horribly run Carnival Cruises even though it's the same company. For me I will never cruise with Carnival it's a totally different standard with less sophisticated cruisers. Princess Cruise is more of a premium cruise compared to a party boat.
I would say PCL caters to the 50 and older. If you go on formal nights, then you should know what to wear and what standards there are, which is clearly outlined in the Princess Patter. As for wheelchairs in theater, I'm sure it's for safety reasons they are placed at top and not at bottom. PCL is not the party ships......if that's your pleasure, then you should stick to Carnival, and sail on their run down poorly maintained ships. If you are looking for a classy cruise I would always suggest PCL.
There is a dress code on formal nights however we've been on Regal 3 times and a nice shirt and slacks were acceptable on any night, coat and tie not required.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
