The ship and staff were wonderful. We visited islands we had never seen before, and will be returning to a few of them. If you are able take stairs, and do self guided tours of the islands. Also, do your homework, try to check out what is the approximate age of the guests that you will be sailing with. Our group was older and somewhat cranky.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was effortless. The cruise was sold out, thousands of passengers trying to get on board, Princess managed to get everyone on board with ease.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was fabulous, from the dining room, buffet and Alfredo's Italian Restaurant. The wait staff was very attentive to our needs. Word of warning though.....Horizon's Buffet has the absolute best food, however, the average age of the guests on Royal Princess for our cruise was about 75-85. Some of them were a little aggressive at the buffet, cutting in line, taking their time etc. Also I would like to point out a health factor for the buffet. The guests that were using walkers with the built in seat, were using the seat on the walker to keep their plate. They would stop at the buffet, take the plate off the walker and place it on the counter. I was horrified to see this!! The transference of germs, spores, MRSA, or whatever else growing on those walker seats is now being transferred to the buffet line. Someone is going to get really sick, and I believe that this practice should be altered or stopped altogether
Mermaid's Tail
5 out of 5
I would like to reach out and give a huge thank you to Ranier. He remembered my husbands and my name. He knew what we drank, and he always had a smile. He also has an uncle that lives in Massachusets, where we are from. We will never forget Ranier, he made our trip special.
***on the flip side, there was a deck server name Roel, who NEVER smiled, always seemed bothered to wait on us, and always got our order wrong.
Two polar opposites.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The main pool was great. Fresh water, not that cold and very clean. The hot tubs were always in use so we did not get to try them.
Casino
5 out of 5
I think the casino should be smoke free every night, not just select nights. Guests should not have to breathe in someones second hand smoke.
The server Dee was a delight, she always greeted us with a smile and made us feel welcome.
Entertainment
Every night we would try to see a show, we were there at least one hour before show time and the seats were either all taken or being saved.
Children's Programs
no children travelled with us
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward Tommy was very attentive. No matter what time we left our room we would come back to fresh towels. Again, Rainier the bartender at the Mermaid Tail was awesome as was Dee our server in the Casino. These three people made our trip unforgettable.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was immaculate, always being maintained, they even laid new carpets during our cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Having stayed in a mini suite when we cruised with Princess in November, we were slightly let down at the smallness of the balcony state room. There is not enough room for two people to walk by each other at the end of the bed, and the shower is also very tiny. Have to be careful in the shower not to hit your arms or legs while washing.
Ship tip
Try not to use the center elevators during busy times. Use the ones at the end of the ship, they are less used and you have a better chance to get an empty one. Better yet, if you can do the stairs, use them.
No one respected the walk off categories (A,B,C etc) We were group C and people were just walking past us and getting off. The did not wait their turn. When we got to customs, the line was huge. This could have been better.
Just off the 1/29 cruise and agree it was a 5 star cruise. Some people take cruises to sharpen their complaining skills. It does beat a pool deck full of out of control kids though!
The cruise line has no control over the customs lines; we have seen times where one inspector was moving people 2 to 3 times faster than his colleagues. We have cruised on the Royal 3 times and it is fabulous! We have cruised Princess 17 times and never been disappointed!!
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