Royal Princess Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The food was lacking in diversity.

The food was lacking in diversity. The entertainment was excellent and each evening was loaded with variety. Overall the cruise was enjoyable and the ship was well laid out and easy to move around in.

My husband and I enjoyed our 20 day back to back cruises of the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.  The staff was excellent and I would give them all 5 stars.  All of the room stewards were great!  They would greet us in the hallway as we walked by (even though they were not our steward).  Our room steward, Maynard always made sure that our room was clean, tidy and well stocked.  He was attentive and tuned into our schedule of sleeping and leaving our room.  The Symphony Dining Staff was outstanding.  The staff was always pleasant and efficient in serving us.  On our last night we sat at a table with 8 people and Joel was our waiter.  They were doing the Baked Alaska Parade so he was short handed.  The people at our table were very impatient and rude to him.  He remained polite and professional under difficult circumstances.

The Horizon Staff was great.  They were always friendly, cheerful and attentive. 

I put 4 stars because we were not impressed with the layout of the ship.  We have been on other Princess ships and were much happier with the layout. We were specifically unhappy with the inability to walk from one end and the ship to the other except on deck 7.  We spent the first few days trying to figure out where we were and how to get to another part of the ship.  Also there is not a stairway to go from the lower floors to the upper floors in the center of the ship.  The Piazza is beautiful and we enjoyed all the activities that took place there.  Lisa, the Cruise Director was one of the best that we have encountered and the entertainment was top notch.  The Visa Lounge needs to have the oversized swivel chairs replaced with smaller, more functional chairs.  It is very difficult to get in and out of them and they take up to much space. Most of the shows in the Vista Lounge were standing room only so providing more seating would help.

We are looking forward to a future cruise with Princess. 

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Overall rating of food was not good.  Pastries were dried out and appeared old.  Selections were limited if you do not eat sea food.  Dining service was extremely slow.  Food was tasteless.  Buffet was extremely crowded due to slow service in dining rooms.  Limited activities were available on board.  Midship elevators were near our room but always crowded and there are no stairs available at midship.  Dancing was in the Piazza which was a very small dance floor and not the right atmosphere for dancing.  The Princess singers and dancers were very good but did not perform every night.  Many activities were merely sales pitches to sell products or services.  Shore excursion personnel were very curt and needed customer service training.  Photos were very expensive and photo package deals did not allow any variation.  Shore excursions were over-priced for value received.

My wife and I had a wonderful time on the cruise. The ROYAL PRINCESS is in a class of its own, the ship was amazing. entertainment was awesome , so many things to do on the ship is was great

The ship is marvelous and the staff seems very satisfied and happy.  Food isk great regardless of the dining area.  Ports of call, including Grendad, Bonaire and Aruba were good.  Recommend checking out other shore excursions.  do NOT do one in Bonaire to  a marine reserve (all beaches are national marine reserve) that promotes a snorkeling adventure.  It should be removed from their shore options.  If you like snuggly towels, don't expect them aboard this ship.  Entertainment is exceptionally good.  Would book again but not marina deck due to noise above.  Ship is very clean and well maintained.  Great art gallery this time.

This cruise was my least favorite of the 10 I have taken, including the4 with Princess.  Some of my favorite things as well as least favorite.

Boarding and Departing were excellent both were fast and efficient.

Did not have the warm friendly feeling from crew that I had on other trips.  The waiter and assistant were excellent but were responsible for so many tables we never had a chance to  get that comfortable feeling.  I wouldn't know our Cabin Attendant if I met him on the street.  Although I appreciate why tipping has become a part of billing I feel is has resulted in a little less interest in pleasing the passenger.

Was very difficult keeping track of where to food was during breakfast and lunch. It seemed as if everything except deserts were in a different location every time we ate.  Also the butter was never next to the rolls. 

The quality of food was EXCELLENT AT ALL MEALS.

We didn't care the the Royal Princess as much as the smaller ships.  It did not seem as organized or spacious.  For ship that size it seemed short of shops and open spaces.  More bars than necessary.

The walking area was not as nice as the on deck walking space on other ships.

ENTERTAINMENT WAS EXCELLENT.  Theater was to small.

This was our third cruise in the past year and since we have now moved to Florida I assume there will be many more.  Royal Princess will not be among

the ships we will chose but we will continue to use other Princess ships.

OVERALL  WE FOUND WE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME IN OUR CABIN BECAUSE WE JUST LIKE THE FEEL OF THE SHIP IN GENERAL.  One last note THE CAPTAIN WAS EXTREMELY NICE. 

The Royal Princess is one of the largest and newest in the Princess fleet. It is elegant in appearance. Food is AWAYS available somewhere. Unlike some ships , it is not a floating water park (no slides) nor does it have the bumper cars, skating rink, etc. of the newer Royal Caribbean ships. The production shows are excellent. The staff appeared to be consistently efficient and friendly. We were primarily interested in the value for the money and the Caribbean Medley itinerary which included islands we haven't seen before. If you can live without a rock-climbing wall and a water slide, this is an attractive cruise. 

MY MOTHER AND I HAD A REMARKABLE TIME, AND ENJOYED EVER PORT ESPECIALLY PRINCESS CAYS AND ARUBA.  OUR CABIN STEWARDESS, WAITER AND ASSISTANT WAITER WERE EXCELLENT.  I CANNOT THANK THEM ENOUGH FOR MAKING MY BIRTHDAY CRUISE THE BEST BIRTHDAY IN A LONGTIME.  THANKS PAOLA, RONALD MUYARGAS & PUTU SETIAWAIN.

CABIN A112

I would have given 2 1/2 stars, but it wasn't an option…there were some nice innovations on this new ship, and some features we did not like at all.  The following outlines those things that we felt and heard other unsolicited passengers talking about as well...

The good:  The Captain of Royal Princess was very informative and adept at handling the ship.  On the first night of the cruise, he was also quick and calm in alerting the entire ship at 2 a.m. about an emergency…we were awakened to his voice in our stateroom speaker, and he kept us informed about the emergency until it was under control.  (It was an escape valve emitting noxious fumes that needed to be responded to by workers in that department, which they were able to take care of in 2 min. time!)  He also made the call to abort plans for Princess Cays the last day of the cruise because of high winds and rough seas, which everyone felt was the right thing to do given the conditions. There were wonderful shows in all categories of entertainment!  Beautiful ship, nice upgrades to cabins, especially bathrooms.  The Center Fountain on the Main Pool deck (16) is a very nice addition…serves as a pseudo water park in the morning, lounge chair space in the afternoon, and is used for a fountain light shows at night, and also for additional seating for Movies Under the Stars. Pools (2) are fresh water! There are tiles areas around each pool that are "spillways" where you can walk or sit in just a few inches of water to cool off.  Nice fitness facilities and track with outdoor fitness stations, and an outdoor sports court that staged a variety of sports venues. Nice variety and presentation of foods in main dining rooms, and endless possibilities in the Horizon Grille and Bistro.  All destinations except St Kitts had beautiful beaches and swimming/snorkeling access.  All had ample taxis waiting to take you where you wanted to go at reasonable prices (Don't try walking very far in the port towns…we were warned by the lifeguards that the areas may not be the safest for foreign pedestrians).  The taxi drivers also networked with the vendors on the beach who provide chairs, umbrellas, food/drink and who will contact the taxi for pick-up when you are ready to go!  Many beaches had bathrooms, fresh water showers, restaurants, shopping, and other services.  The water is clear, warm, and most of the beaches we used had beautiful sandy bottoms and easy walk-in access. Everyone speaks English, though they speak to each other in Creole at times.

The bad: The Royal Princess is not user-friendly in a number of ways, especially if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke!  First of all, the smoking area is in the back of the ship, which is where the running/walking track, the outdoor sports court, and the only entrance to the fitness center are located.  I HAD TO COVER MY FACE WITH A TOWEL just to be able to walk to the fitness center!  My husband and I could only use half of the track because of the smoking…when we got near the back of the ship, we'd have to turn around and go the other way (and go against the flow of the other people--annoying for them and for us) until we got to the back on the other side…ALSO our Muster Station"C" WAS IN THE CASINO!  I got very light-headed and my eyes got very irritated from the cigarette smoke lingering in the room…it was AWFUL, and I had NO CHOICE in the matter!  As a safety issue, they could use some more life rings mounted in easily visible areas of the ship, as we were told in the muster drill to throw a life ring out to a passenger that fell overboard, and we only saw 2 the entire cruise…AND WE WERE LOOKING FOR THEM!  The Zumba classes offered were usually done at the outdoor sports court…so again, you are at the mercy of the smokers to do your classes!  Another less than optimal design issue is that when you are standing on the Space Walk, if you look back at the ship YOU ARE STARING INTO SEVERAL PASSENGERS' BALCONIES AND CABINS! And on the deck with the Lotus Spa, which is one of the most-used decks, it is situated right outside of the elevator so that you MUST pass through the spa to get to the next area of the ship, or go all the way forward or aft on another level and backtrack to get where you want to go to avoid the Lotus Spa.  The Spa staff all sit out there 2 feet from where you are passing them, and I felt uncomfortable as there was a sense of pressure to book a service!  Another problem was the Culinary Demo/ Kitchen Tour…it was a wonderful, funny demo and the kitchen tour was interesting…but BRING A TOWEL to cover your face as they lead you from the Princess Theater, where the demo is done, THROUGH THE SMOKE-FILLED CASINO, to the galley for the tour!  On another note, if you enjoy taking the steps rather than waiting for elevators every time you want to go anywhere, they are only in the forward and aft sections of the ship…the center piazza area has stairs only on decks 5,6 and 7. (Just FYI, Deck 6 is where the Casino is located).  If you enjoy the Princess Theater Shows, GET THERE EARLY!!!  The Theater is beautiful but poorly designed for viewing.  The only good seats are in the middle of the room where the terracing starts…the entire front area is all on the same level and is far below the floor of the stage, so if you sit close,  your eyes are below the level of the stage and you can't see anything but the heads of the  performer(s).  Since there are limited seats in that prime center section, people get there very early to grab them!  The side seats are not good for viewing as the stage is flat in front, but deep... so from the side you can't see the action in the back corner of the stage of the side you are sitting on.  On to the dining rooms…The Allegro dining room (scheduled dinner seating) is modern and unremarkable, and the tables for 2 are narrow side to side and deep front to back, which is where the chairs are, so it's hard to have a conversation across so much table!  And the waiter was always behind me as the tables are too close together for anyone to fit between them, so I heard his voice asking for my order but in 10 days never got to look him in the face as he had to stand behind me!  Also, the lighting is very bright at dinner…not very romantic at all.  The Symphony dining room (anytime dining) is very pretty as has character, and the lighting was better for a romantic dinner experience…however, the service was slower in that dining room.  In spite of the slower service, we actually preferred it to the Allegro because of the ambiance and the friendliness of the wait staff.  The Refuge was anything but…they should re-name it The Wind Tunnel!  Our first 2 days were sea days, so we used The Refuge pool area.  I was so worried that people were going to get hurt as lounge chair backs would spontaneously blow up and close from the wind while people were just sitting down at the foot end--I saw a few people get hit!  I spoke with other passengers who said it was not windy at all in the mid and aft parts of the ship on those sea days, so it must be the design of the ship that it catches all the wind on that front deck pool area.  There are only 2 pools that I saw for general use on Royal Princess, and they are both pretty small for the number of passengers that are on board.  As for the Horizon Grille and Bistro, they have now added a hand washing station that is monitored and must be used before entering.  There are only 2 sinks, so often there is a line waiting to use the sinks.  The paper towels for drying hands are mounted high, so water runs down your arms if you are short (I'm 5'1") while you are pulling out your paper towels, which are rough…take hand lotion with you!  Once you enter, it is huge and is very disorganized…on our 10 day cruise, I never found where they had muffins for breakfast!  I got lost in there a few times trying to retrieve my omelette after ordering it and going off to get a bowl of oatmeal…The other thing that my husband and I saw that made this trip less enjoyable than many other of the cruises we've been on with Princess as well as other lines, is that the Service Staff in general didn't seem happy about being there…they did a decent job, but didn't engage or smile much.  Our room steward, our Allegro Head Waiter, and a few Horizon Grille staff were an exception to that, but overall, the attitude was very indifferent towards the passengers.

This cruise exceeded our expectations.  The service in all areas was excellent.  Of particular note was the servers in the dining room and the supervisors.  Our supervisor assisted my wife with her gluten free menu each evening.  Most of the time supervisors ask "how is your dinner" and leave you.  Our supervisor was informative and talked at each table for at least 5 minutes.  We loved the ship and will definitely cruise Princess in the future.

loved the places we visited and the crew was awesome! Only negative were the hard as concrete mattresses that I didnt sleep for 10 nights. I would definitely go on this cruise again.  Princess has achieved higher and higher standards. Thanks for the vacation of a lifetime.

My wife and I took our 30h cruise on the Royal Princess. We hav cruised on Carniva, RCL, NCL, Celebrity and Princess. The Royal Princes was by far he mos beautful ship we have raveled on. Even though here was over 3400 passangrs It never seemed crowded, there was never a line for anything and the staff was amazing. I am looknig forward to our next cruise on the Royal Princess

Fallon Cheney, our cruise travel agent agent, did a fantastic job recommending this  10 night Southern Caribbean Medley on the Royal Princess.  My husband and I have been on at least 18 cruises since 1993 and this was, by far , the best cruise ship and service.  From the moment we boarded the ship in Ft. Lauderdale on October 1st until we disembarked on October 11th, we were so impressed with how efficient and professional the entire cruise staff handled themselves.  Hurricane Joaquin was in the Atlanta heading towards the Bahamas and we were worried how Princess would handle the situation.  The Captain and staff kept us well informed and out of danger.  We had to by pass our 1st port which was Princess Cay, but were thankful we were able to make the rest our ports.  We loved the layout of the ship, the many dining experiences offered, the awesome entertainment choices and most of all the courtesy and efficient staff serving us in all the different areas of the ship.  Due to their automation system, we able to get off  and on the ship at each port very quickly. It was nice to be greeted with a cool washcloth when re-boarding the ship at each port.  We were impressed at how the bar staff took our orders using an iPad and within minutes, a runner would bring our drinks to us.  We enjoyed each of the excursions offered by Princess for Dominica, Grenada and Bonaire.  There was so many dining choices from pizzas, sandwiches, Mongolian grill, German food, sushi, etc. Some had nominal fees such as the fondue, Crab Shack, the Chophouse or Sabatini's Italian Restaurant.  I enjoyed my Coffee card purchase which allowed me to have gourmet coffee, fresh brewed coffee, gelato or crepes.  Since I did not use up my card on this cruise, I will be able to use it on a future Princess cruise.  We look forward to doing more Princess cruises in the future and would love to do another cruise on the Royal Princess.

The only problem was the air conditioning in many places on the ship did not work as well as I would have liked. The staff was excellent. All was more than we expected. Had a great time.

The embarkation was a disaster that could have been partially avoided.  The trouble with immigration was due to poor planning, but the virus contagion resulted in problems with Coast Guard and Health Dept.  The ship wasn't cleared for boarding til 5:00PM.  Passengers were hot, tired and rather cranky

Other than that it was a great cruise.  For the first time our luggage was waiting in the cabin.  Weather was beautiful, service was great, as was the food.  The last day at the private island had to be aborted because of the storm, but sailed for home with no problems.  All in all, a wonder cruise with Princess as usual.

Great trip, loved our room, great ports, loved our excursions, had great weather except near the end, service, pampering Hoping for many more, just loved it!

Food and service was fine. The room for a mini suite was just way too far small.the outside patio was small.  if you weighed over 175 you could not climb over the chairs and table without falling over the side.  also the bathroom did not have any shower caps, etc.  Not the best cruise that I have been on.

The ship is unbelievable.  Everything you can imagine is on this ship.  People were great and very professional.  We had a balcony which made it even better.  The food and the entertainment was superb.  It was worth every dime I spent.  Thanks Denise for doing a great job.