Great ship and service, but very elderly passenger clientele

Item: Royal Princess
Rating: 4
Author: drodiehl

Royal Princess Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

drodiehl

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 9

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Eastern Caribbean Voyager (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 10, 2015

Ship: Royal Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: M622

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was our first Princess cruise after several other cruises with Carnival and Norwegian. The Royal Princess was a beautiful, relatively new ship. Service, food, and entertainment were all very good. We were shocked by the demographics of the passengers. We are both 61 and we felt like youngsters on this cruise. I'd, say the average age was over 70. There were so many obese, and handicapped (wheels chairs, mobies, walkers) passengers that it actually started to get kind of depressing. It felt like we were a floating nursing home. I don't know if this was representative of a typical Princess cruise, but it will definitely cause us to think twice before booking another one with Princess.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Be prepared for a very long wait to catch a tender back to the ship in Princess Cays. They really should have a couple more tender boats docked at Princess Cays to help out the tenders from the ship. People waited in line well over an hour to het back to the ship. This is ridiculous.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

St. John's, Antigua

3 out of 5

Castries, St. Lucia

3 out of 5

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

Basseterre, St. Kitts

1 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

3 out of 5

5 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

inn2travel 8 years ago

So sorry you let it distort your holiday. We have enjoyed several cruises, and when traveling with children we select one with an active children's club. With respect to the demographics we came on this cruise to celebrate time with other, not to meet others; yet we enjoyed meeting others, both older and younger than ourselves at dinner and on excursions. Often only older individuals have resources that can be enjoyed on a cruise that is not earmarked for braces, piano or dance lessons and sports. Wishing you a Great New Year and a chance to say hello when you are on a future cruise.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

Pokermiss 8 years ago

I love Princess and one of the reasons is the diverse demographics. The mix runs from young to old but I like the fact most seem to be 30's - 60's. If I wanted a bunch of kids, I'd cruise Carnival and if I wanted predominantly elderly, I'd pick Holland America. Been on the Royal 3 times and LOVE it!

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

ilona 8 years ago

There were plenty children on the our cruise too. They took over the main swimming pool but Princess had a lovely retreat pool for those over 18 at no additional charge. I would definitely cruise on the Royal Princess again!

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

ilona 8 years ago

I also cruised on the Royal Princess but had a different view on the demographics. It seemed that the passengers with disabilities were happy to be out and enjoying life. I didn't find it depressing rather I found it uplifting because there for the grace of a God go I. One day that could be me! As for the average age of the passengers, I would say. ,maybe a third were over 60, not 70.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

wonderful cruise

Lots of entertainment on board