Royal Princess Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Note: this was a 7-night cruise from Rome to Athens, not the 14-nighter it keeps choosing instead.

This was a pretty last-minute deal, our fourth cruise, all with Princess, and the first to not be on a Grand-class ship; as such there were a few surprises in store and mostly not to our liking. To start with, the things about the ship we liked: the food offerings in the buffet area were excellently laid out, plentiful, varied, and difficult to fault; the adults-only pool area was a great place to get to on most afternoons if you fancy an uninterrupted swim like us; embarkation was swift; the interactive TV in the state room was larger than expected and more useful than expected too. Now for the things we didn't like: the TV studio wasn't very useful, had poor chairs, and meant there was no Explorers lounge; balconies were woefully tiny; the Crown Grill was tacked onto the Wheelhouse Bar making it noisy and bright and losing all its specialty status; food service in the Crown Grill was slow, indifferent, and they got my order wrong; service everywhere was generally slow and unfriendly with none of the experience of the staff getting to know you and your habits we'd had on other ships; no promenade deck; SeaWalk was a gimmick and one that served to mostly block out views and impact on privacy for many cabins as far as we could see; Club 6 was a poor substitute for Skywalkers and became a corridor whenever the theatre kicked out; the relaxing atmosphere of Crooners was destroyed by the constant din of activities rising up from the large atrium. We weren't fans of the ship, as you can tell, but it was the really poor service that was the worst of it all with little interaction from the bar staff at all. The ports we stopped at were fantastic, each one steeped in history. For a short cruise it was port-intensive but that's the Mediterranean for you. Kotor, Montenegro was apparently a late replacement for Ephesus, Turkey and it was a stunningly gorgeous, standout replacement in our minds, making a nice contrast from the Greek/Roman history elsewhere with a fantastically beautiful, medieval setting. We could definitely see ourselves cruising the Med again to see more of the many historical places but it would have to be a hell of a good deal to get on a Royal-class Princess ship again.

We were on this cruise for the first week and enjoyed it very much.  At first we were disappointed that Tunis & Sicily were changed to Cartegena & Gibraltar but were very impressed with Gibraltar. 

Loved all the Ports of Call and enjoyed the Royal Princess,  I don't believe it was full because it never seemed to be line ups which was great.  Disappointed that our table for 8 only had 4 at it as were most of the tables.  Too bad they couldn't put some of them together so we could have got to know others like we wanted. 

We were a little disappointed in the menu in the dining room as some nights there was not much "normal" choices.  Other ships we have been on, if you didn't care for menu items you could always order a steak but this wasn't the case on this ship.   There was better selection on the buffet some nightsl 

When we were on our first cruise in Dec, we were instantly hooked not he concept, but I had to use a walker due to a broken hip. This was a much better experience for us because I was 100%, and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people and seeing places we hadn't been but were high on our bucket list.

Cruise destinations were great.  Only thing that I wish Princess did a better job with was the specialty dinners.  We had the same menu that we had on our last cruise.  We were hoping to see dinners that would have coordinated with our destinations. 

Now the Royal Princess is a beautiful ship but a way too large for my taste.  The elevators are overcrowded; which could be caused because there isn’t a staircase between floors in some areas.

The public areas are very small for a ship this size – good luck finding a seat midday when the ships at sea.

However our accessible stateroom was large, well-appointed and even the balcony was wheelchair accessible. Our steward was genuinely friendly and kept the stateroom spotless, but that is pretty much the last thing I have good to say about our cruise.

The food in the dining rooms was disgusting – poor quality ingredients that were badly prepared. The menu was very limited. I actually lost weight during my 7 days on the Royal Princess since the food was so uneatable!

I provided feedback to Princess Cruises and their respond was; we value your opinion. When I spoke with a Customer Relations Post Cruise Specialist I was told that taste in food was subjective - so I pretty sure my feedback will not be acted on.  

We tried to eat at one of the specialty restaurants but the wait staff were chatting and after 30 minutes are of being ignore so we left.

The theater is very small for a ship that carriers about 3500+ guests and in my opinion the entertainment was substandard.  I feel that Princess Cruise does not understand they not only compete with other cruise lines but on shore venues as well for our vacation dollars. In Vancouver, we have street performers that offer better free entertainment.

Most of the staff (with a few notable exceptions) could not care less about the customer. I’m not saying they were rude – just disinterested. Plus they were always hawking something – coffee card, wine tastings or bottled water. I felt like I was somewhere the peddlers just wouldn’t take NO for an answer! We had breakfast in the Liddo most morning and I personally think that being interrupted 10 or 12 times during breakfast is excessive.

My suggestion, avoid the free lectures – they are just staff selling something you can buy cheaper on shore, without the pressure.

In fact, if you want to be treated as a valued customer; think twice before selecting Princess Cruise lines for your vacation.

Trip was saddened by deaths of passengers - one who died at 80 scuba diving (no better way to go) and not sure cause of 2nd death but heard it was natural.  The ship also had to accelerate back to port so they could dock at midnight to let off two medical emergency needed passengers (who appeared okay as they were transported off at midnight so great job by medical staff on board)  It does put a damper on things knowing some people are suffering while you are enjoying the time of you life.

Besides that - the trip was fabulous - pleasantly surprised how beautiful Princess Cays beaches and facilities were - great snorkeling - the security guard throwing banana pieces helped draw the fish in droves!

Each island was beautiful in its own way with tons to see and do - rented golf carts, jeeps, cars and did a lot of self tours...Many people do not understand the devastation tropical storms and hurricanes cause on these islands and it is not an easy task to get rid of the debris... The islanders and natives that have picked themselves up and began again selling their wares are a delight to chat with and buy from - the prices are right and their stories are even better.

I'm a Princess Cruise line fan and feel they do an awesome job on the ship in spite of many rude arrogant passengers who are more demanding than 2 year olds.  Age may have its "privilege" but rudeness is never okay.  Need to have a code on their cruise card that says "Does not play well with others"!

Best item I took on this cruise was a little spray bottle that I put water in and kept in the fridge - provided great "mist" to cool off on shore and on top deck when away from water....

So great time - definitely going again.

Food selection in anytime dining not as good as it used to be - started and ended great, but a bit mediocre in the middle.  Almost think they are letting the regular restaurant menus slip in order to make their extra-charge restaurants (Sabatinis - Wheelhouse) look reasonable and a potential (almost forced) alternate.  Also, the wine-tasting sales pitch at almost every meal made me feel like I was on the beach again, fending off the jewelry, seashell, and jet-ski vendors. 

we've bee on several princess cruises and this one was great like the all were.  If you go on board with the intent of having a good time you'll have a great one 

Had to fill out Royal Princess ship questionaire and this is my impression: 1. Very clean 2. STAFF VERY FRIENDLY, POLITE AND ATTENTIVE 3. NEVER GOT SLIPPERS AND TOWEL QUALITY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT 4. Balcony, ROOM SMALL 5. FOOD EXCELLENT, Crown Grill best specialty restaurant  Similar to QM2 6. ITINERARY GOOD 7. ST THOMAS POOR CHOICE OF DOCK ( one other ship in port) and they put us at the old Navy base! 8.  Princess canceled St. Kitts and Substituted Dominica 9. Canceled Princess Cay due to failed generator but we still did 20 knots returning to Ft Lauderdale! 10. More expensive than HAL!  

Great ship.  Princess did a 'great job of centralizing' restaurant venues, entertainment, etc. in close proximity to the expanded atrium.

All in all, it was a good cruise. My wife had never been on a Princess cruise so, there was a lot that was new to her. The Royal Princess is significantly larger than the other Princess ships I have been on previously. 

Fantastic itinerary, EXCELLENT service by stateroom steward and restaurant staff, lovely ship and comfortable, clean accommodations.  I would travel Princess again!

Had a little run in with the Matre D He refused to hold our table for 15 mins, while my wife arrived, thus our complementary specialty dinner went to waste. He was arrogant and pompous.

The melody it plays at departure is a nice throw back to the love boat! The anniversary design really was well done! I was a fan of the bar on the sky bridge, a fun way to grab a drink. The wheelhouse bar is in a bit of a less than ideal location, but other fun areas like princess live theatre was really cool.

  We are very pleased and happy about Royal Princess, it's a  beautiful ship,, the food was amazing ,the service  was outstanding. The productions shows  were fantastic .The only thing was the music played by the bands were very old ,I guess due to the old age passengers in the ship. I wishes they played more current music and the Piazza would not be the main area for dancing with the light was always bright.

We got the most wonderful cabin - mid section - balcony - NO obstruction AT ALL on Emerald Deck (8th). A HUGE improvement on the food variety at the Horizon Court/Bistro with NO long line! Games at Princess Live were a lot of fun. Marriage Match was HILARIOUS!! 

Food at Concerto Restaurant were really good. Surely glad that Alfredo's Pizza is back. DELICIOUS soup, salad, and pizza!! 

Honestly, fell in love with Royal Princess!! 

We just returned from this 10 day cruise and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.  The entertainment was terrific and the food very good.  Too many things available to do in only 10 days - had a hard time choosing.  Would have like Zumba  more days.  The staterooms seem a little small for such a big ship but adequate.  Would sail on the Royal Princess again.

Cruise was great. The service was excellent. The food was fantastic. Everything about this cruise was excellent. This will be the cruise of choice for us going forward.

There were 3 families involved in the planning of this trip so that nothing would be left undone or missed. It involved a 50 & 25th Wedding Anniversary and a wedding proposal. As we said to each other the last night onboard....Do Over and we will laugh someday at all of the nonsense. Our take on this trip, chaos at the pier. My son and future daughter in law were put on someone else's credit card for their room charges. We were told we did it, then told the booking agency did it. First night at our 8:15 seating for the 8 of us. They put us at a table of 6, Maitre d Giorgio told us....we could eat somewhere else and it would be fixated the next day. It wasn't, he sent over someone else to take the blame. He never himself recognized the screw up and never offered to make it right. Keep in mind all of the major events we were celebrating that week. 3rd night we had a table. The waiter was Fantastic as well as his supervisor. As our time unfolded the service ship wide became apparent. Lake of caring or engagement was seen in all areas and the front desk is like looking into the Abyss. They had our disembarkation so screwed up and at one point the young man thought there were 6 of us in a cabin. Hello!! Don't even get me started with if you are a smoker....sure it may not be sexy and accepted by America's mainstream standard but it you eat fattening food or take a drink ever you have no room to judge. All 4 of us woman do not smoke but our men do and the horrible location and almost cattle herding area that they have for the smokers is horrible. No bar service, the poor young gal working the area...how cruel for her, no way for her to get out of the heat and she ran her butt off. Bless her heart! Churchill is a JOKE! And really if they didn't want the "smokers" to bother other passengers then you need to take a whiff of the casino which is basically mid ship and open to the Piazza. It stinks! The ship does not flow and all the activities seemed to be located inside. Poor design....well perfect for making $. Keeps you towards the interior. Some things about it were pretty but the ship did not have that feel or energy. You just know when you get on a ship and she feels Alive and has that smell..she draws you in. The Royal is just a ship on the ocean without any heart. 

Great ship except for the balcony.