jeaniem

First of all let me mention this was my 27th cruise on Princess and have over the years been satisfied with the Princess product. That being said, my DH and I were extremely disappointed that Princess would put a ship with known polpulsion problems on the Panama Canal itinerary as the distance between the ports necessitate shortened port times. We booked this cruise about a year in advance, and by the time Princess notified us of the itinerary change we had already purchased non-refundable airline tickets and made our hotel reservations. We live in the Northwest so it was a big deal as we can't just mosey on down the Florida turnpike and pick another cruise.

The Caribbean Princess does have problems , it was especially noticeable in the Coral Dining room as it would shake and make loud noises. Friends of ours staying on deck 15 said that the noise, grinding etc was quite bad in their cabin.

As far as the new locks go, if you have ever seen locks built in the last 40 years , then these are not different. Very disappointing! and not interesting. The ship goes thru, then only goes a short ways, drops anchor for those doing the panama canal land tours, then goes back out. You will not even be able to see Gatum Lake. Fortunately we have experienced the old locks and they are well worth going thru. The ship returned to the industrial port of Cristobal,(because of the problems) instead of Colon. There is absolutely nothing there except a few craft tables. A terrible stop .

The Public areas of the ship were very nice and well kept up. We felt the food was very good and especially enjoyed club class as there is no wait , the service and food excellent. To us club class is well worth it and will not go on Princess again if it is not available.. We also liked the salty dog, crown grill and international cafe. We only went to the buffet once for a salad and it seemed fine. Same gripe as many others about the theater and having to go very early to get a seat. 3 shows would help this.

The Royal cruise Feb 18 to 28 had only 2 shows . To add to my orginal post we have been on many Princess ships and of course there are times when the ship is crowded-- I was not saying it should never be crowded, however on the Royal it just seemed people were everywhere all the time. A lot of the bar spaces are quite small. The Wheelhouse bar is tiny ! . On some of the other princess ships this is a large space and one can feel they are not in their neighbors lap! Also loved the dance floor and bands that were in the wheelhouse before and after dinner int the larger wheelhouse,. Besides club dining we also ate at the Trident Grill, Alfredos, Crown Grill and international cafe. All was very good. We do not go to Buffets, but heard that it also was wonderful. The bed in our suite was so comfortable that all I wanted to do was stay there.. Loved the Casino and went there when we couldn't into the shows or into some of the other shows in the Princess live area.

My DH and I have cruised on Princess many times over the last 25 years and have always enjoyed being on a Princess ship. Since we hadn,t been on a cruise for about 4 years, we decided to go on a 10 southern caribbean cruise which meant the Royal. The ship is beautiful and felt it was easy to find our way around. That being said we felt that ship was crowded all the time, both in port and on sea days. There seemed to be lines for everything.For example-- We couldn't get into the theater for shows unless we wanted to arrive 45 - 60 minutes a head of time. It was next to impossible to to find a lounger or chair in the shade . Many times It was hard to find a place to sit in the bars in the evening. To us Princess has crammed way too many people on the Royal.

Now for club class ! We booked an aft suite and so were able to dine in the club class. All I can say it was a fabulous addition to the Royals food venues. The first night we had dinner there it brought back fond memories of the wonderful dining that we experienced on the old Star Princess in the very early 90,s We could go to the dining room anytime we wanted, were sitted at once and had the same wonderful service that you find in the Crown Grill . The food was excellent and came to the table at the right temperature. My DH was able to get the special Ceasar salad tossed for him every night and had some special pasta dishes cooked right there for him. Club class dining along with its other benefits is a great option for those who want the extra service and some extra food options.

We (my husband and I have been on 3 Holland Ameican Cruises) and I have to say the enternanment has been boring on all of them. Therefore no more Holland cruises for us.

We were on the Crown a couple of years ago and if I remember correctly we had c751 which was an aft suite with the BEAM! I hated it---always felt closed in and cheated out of a wonderful balcany. Needless to say my husband will not travel that class of ship again as the suites all have problems. The ones on the Riveriara deck seem to have noisy issues. and some of the other aft ones have smells. But to each his own.