This was our 3rd trip to Alaska and it did not fail to disappoint. We had done a land/sea cruise the last time and this was more of a sit back and relax type of experience. Would recommend it to anyone who has not been there or anyone who is returning. Just a pristine part of the U.S.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Crowded and confusing. More than one ship leaving and with all the Covid requirements, it was a big pain..
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Ate dinner in the MDR most nights. Service was slow, like 1-1/2 hours. It got better as the cruise went on. Food was ok most of the time but selection was limited. One night I was tired of the selections and asked the waiter if I could get a steak, as steak was not on the menu very often. He did get me one which I was grateful. Ate twice at the steak house. The first time it was just the 2 of us and it was fantastic! Food great, service the best. The second time we were there as a group of 8. Service was very slow and they brought extra appetizers that no one could eat as we were stuffed. Hated to see food wasted. As this was the first time the Royal had sailed in 2+ years, there were some kinks to iron out. The buffet was just OK. DO NOT GET THE SCRAMBLED EGGS on the buffet! Don’t get me wrong, service throughout the ship was excellent as you could see the crew was happy to be working again.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Casino
4 out of 5
Played fun blackjack and the dealers were well mannered. You always get one or two players that have had too much to drink. That was handled with discretion. Smoke from the slot area was a bother. Should ban smoking throughout the ship.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
4.5 out of 5
Princess Theater
4 out of 5
Went to several shows. Entertaining most of the time. You could get a good seat if you got there 20 minutes early. Always the late comers that have to make you move to get by. That is a very annoying behavior. Had the same 2 women do this 3 times to us as we like to sit next to the aisle as my wife has mobility problems. No class! Get there on time, buttheads!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was top notch; from the cabin stewards to the bar and dining wait staff. They really tried hard to make our vacation a positive experience. My hat is off to all of them!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Royal is an older ship and as such, she does not have all the bells and whistles. That is fine for us. We just need a clean cabin and an interesting itinerary. The ship was clean all over with none of the nasty odors you sometimes encounter. At all hours of the day, staff were at work cleaning. No complaints.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a balcony, A505. Well located and clean. The only complaint I will mention is they still have shower curtains that literally grab your behind when trying to use the shower. Need to refit with doors of some kind. Of course you had a small balcony, just able to fit a table and 2 chairs. It was adequate.
Ship tip
Don’t expect go-karts and water slides. They ain’t there. What you will find is a relaxing, comfortable cruise experience shared with fellow cruisers about retirement age. Very few kids which was fine with us. Mainly school was still in session.
Busy and expensive. We had a sightseeing trip at the end of our cruise and went to a big indoor market. BIG MISTAKE! 5 of the 8 of us came down with Covid after we got home. Pretty sure we got it there as we all had different flights home. Thank God we did not test positive until after we got home. Our son picked us up at the airport and 2 days later he got it.
That was a disaster. A mega ship docked right after we got off the Royal and totally clogged up the town. We were stranded at a place in town and had to flag down a bus to get us back.
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