Just Back From The Royal Princess Inaugural Med-T/A Cruise

[Woobstr112G]

Greetings All. DW and I just returned from the Inaugural Med-T/A on the Royal. I just submitted my review but thought I'd post it here as well.....:):):)

 

DW & I just returned from the inaugural 18 day Western Med/Trans-Atlantic cruise on the Royal Princess. This was our seventh cruise in a row on Princess and the fourth time we've done this itinerary. I must admit that I really love the sea days. We spent the previous eighteen months preparing for this cruise on a brand new ship. Our roll call was very active and was a great way to get to know everyone and to gather information.

 

For our three night pre-cruise stay in Venice, we again stayed at the Locanda Orseolo Hotel. The "LO" as it's referred to by us regulars is a wonderful boutique hotel. There are only 12 rooms and I believe many, if not all, we're taken up by roll call members. Since there are only 12 rooms and the hotel is so popular, we actually booked the hotel about a week before we booked the cruise in March 2012. The staff at the LO is amazing. I can't say enough good things about them. During our three days in Venice, we just played it by ear. I walked around and look a ton of pictures and we had dinner each night at our favorite pizza restaurant which is just off St. Mark's Square. The weather for the three days was a little dreary. The highlight of our pre-cruise stay was watching the Royal as it sailed into Venice. I must admit that I was impressed now that I had finally seen her in person. The Royal is a beautiful ship and has very impressive lines. When it came time to make our way to the Royal, we hitched a ride on a water taxi that was per arranged by a fellow roll call member.

 

When we arrived at the dock, we made our way into the terminal. I was dreading the embarkation process due to the absolute bedlam we experienced during the 2011 embarkation on our Ruby T/A. I must admit that I was blown away by how smoothly the entire process went. We were on the ship in no time. After boarding the Royal, we walked directly into the Piazza. All of the artist renderings and actual photos, I had previously seen, do not do it justice. The Piazza is simply amazing the first time you see it. After looking around the Piazza, we made our way to Dolphin deck aft to our Owner's suite D726.

 

At this point in my review, I want to say that my initial disappointment with the suite somewhat clouded my judgment about the ship overall and caused me in some instances to judge rather harshly. I knew going in that all of the cabins were going to be a little smaller but when we first walked inside, I was amazed on just how small this "best suite" on the ship really was. In my opinion, the suite was nothing more than two cabins joined together. The living room area consisted of a small sofa and one chair. There was also a desk with one US plug and one European plug. In addition, there was a dry bar. There was no wet bar due to the fact the small refrigerator was directly under the dry bar. The bathroom was divided into two sections. In one section there was the toilet and a sink. The other section had a full size tub and a separate shower. The tub was not whirlpool equipped as in previous suites we sailed on other ships. The shower gave us issues flooding the bathroom on three occasions. We received prompt attention fixing the issue when I called passenger services. Our balcony was arguably the best balcony we had on any of our cruises. We were however unable to fully enjoy it due to a daily buildup of soot. To my knowledge the soot problem was also experienced by a number of fellow aft facing passengers.

 

I cannot say enough positive and great things about our cabin attendant, "Gina", from the Philippines. She always had a smile on her face and did everything in her power to ensure we had a great cruise. Our room was always spotless and every request was handled promptly and professionally. Gina is a true asset to Princess. Interesting enough was the fact that Gina’s supervisor “Frank” was a newly promoted housekeeping supervisor. Frank was actually our cabin attendant on the Sapphire in March of this year.

 

The new on demand television system was a little temperamental in that it was out over several days. Another bone of contention was that before the cruise, I noted that Princess was still marketing the suite perk of having a DVD player available for suite passengers. I was also told this personally when I called Princess two days before we left for Venice. When we boarded the Royal I discovered this was not the case as DVD players were not provided in any suite. I did bring a Blue Ray player that did not work when I tried hooking it up via a HDMI cable. I did remember that information was promulgated prior to the cruise that hook ups to the televisions would not work. However being a little stubborn, I wanted to see it for myself.

 

Public areas on the ship were generally very beautiful and appealing. There were however a couple of areas I failed to understand the purpose of including. Princess Live seemed like an afterthought. I also did not understand the concept of Club 6 as about the only thing I saw it used for was daily trivia games. The previously mentioned issue of no central staircase did seem to be a problem. This seemed made worse by the central elevators that always seemed crowded and at times, seemed to go right by a floor without stopping. The Piazza was definitely the focal point for entertainment. There were two bands, along with a string quartet, that performed nightly. These groups were very good. We didn't make it to the Princess Theater so I can't comment on any production shows. I was able to enjoy Vines and the Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar. Both venues were great and had very knowledge and friendly staff.

 

DW and I both liked the Lotus Spa. I paid the extra fee and had use of the Enclave. She enjoyed several massages and hair appointments. She stated the Steiner girls were very professional; adding the hard sell was somewhat noticeable but it didn’t really bother her. I also spend a number of days in the Fitness Center. I found a nice variety and quantity of machines that were always in good repair. I never spent much time by the pools, but saw they were being used. I never once saw a for fee cabana being used in the Retreat pool area. I also noted only a few people using the Sanctuary. It will be interesting to see how the Royal’s pool areas handle the Caribbean crowds.

 

For the very subjective point of food, we had chosen late seating traditional dining in the Allegro dining room. The Allegro seemed to be designed differently than the Concerto and Symphony rooms which appeared to be more of the old traditional style. The Allegro was also the location of the Chef’s Table. We never got a chance to try it, but heard it was a very enjoyable experience. We only ate in the dining room one time. We found the food and service very good.

 

On other days we ate at Sabatini's, Crown Grill, Alfredo's, and the Horizon Court. Since we were in a suite, we also ordered several dinners from the dining room menu. We also enjoyed the suite perk of breakfast in Sabatini's on a number of days. We found food in Sabatini's, Crown Grill, and Alfredo's to be very good to excellent. We especially enjoyed Alfredo's as the head waiter, "Franco", was a true gem. The dining room food we had in our suite was very good as well. The food served in the HC however was not so good. Again with food being very subjective, I thought 90% of the HC food was truly terrible. I noted that a majority of hot dishes were barely warm at best. Many of the dishes also, to me, appeared to be way over spiced. The presentation left something to be desired and the variety in my opinion was also sorely lacking. In the HC we also experienced some less than good service. One instance involved a waiter who tried to grab my DW's plate before she was finished.

 

In addition to the previously mentioned areas, we also enjoyed the tasty treats served in the International Cafe and the Trident Grill. I was not however overly impressed with the "Smoke House BBQ" which was served nightly in the Trident Grill. A couple of other negatives regarding dining concerns dealt with the location of the Crown Grill and Sabatini's. On the Royal, the Wheelhouse bar is joined with the Crown Grill. In the Wheelhouse there was a piano player that performed nightly. While his playing was good it, along with the audience participation, made it hard to enjoy a quiet meal. In Sabatini's I noticed music coming from the Piazza that made it also hard to enjoy a quiet meal.

 

Bar service throughout the ship seemed not up to the usual Princess standards. I spent a number of nights in the casino where I saw very few bar waiters. I also noted they wouldn’t ask you if you would like a drink. On another night in Crooners’ I waited over 30 minutes before I was asked if I wanted another drink.

 

As far as excursions go I had organized private excursions for Messina, Naples, and Rome. All of the participants seemed to have a great time. We also participated in a private excursion in Maderia. We did one Princess excursion in Canne that I enjoyed but thought was overpriced for what we actually experienced. In Barcelona, we didn't get off the ship since this was our fourth time visiting this port.

 

We had a very large roll call for this cruise. There numerous events scheduled that were well attended.

 

In closing, I'd like to say that overall I did enjoy the cruise and the Royal itself. The only real drawback for me was paying top dollar for the best class of suites on the ship but ended up with something worth far less. Another related disappointment was the fact I had cancelled a cruise in March so I could afford the OS suite. The inability to use the balcony (soot issues) was also a big letdown. I will continue to sail with Princess, but will find it hard to book the Royal or Regal unless there was an itinerary I just had to sail.

 

Fair Winds and a Following Sea

 

Bob

[chamima]

Thanks, Bob, for a really informative and balanced review.

(We like spicy food and usually find the food on ships to be too mild so I'm actually looking forward to the HC. :o on the Royal.)

 

We have an aft balcony booked for next year so I REALLY hope they solve the soot problem by then! We aren't paying anywhere near what you did for that disappointing suite but it's still a hefty hike up from the price of even the other deluxe balcony cabins .

[Bimmer09]

Bob- thanks for your comprehensive review!

Re the balcony soot issue- did your balcony have any kind of overhead protection? The suite I canceled on Caribe had nothing above the balcony deck so no shade, no protection from rain or falling objects, soot being one of them.

What was your cabin number?

 

Welcome home!

 

Norris

[san diego sue]

Thanks for the review.

Your suite was an afterthought. They combined two cabins. Maybe they should not have called it an owners suite but something new.Better write Princess Customer relations and complain.With no photos or renderings showing what you would be getting, they should compensate for what you actually received and not being able to use your huge balcony because of soot.

I agree about food in Horizon Ct. , plenty of it but not that great.

Thanks for posting while on board and finishing up here as well.

[chamima]

Bob- thanks for your comprehensive review!

Re the balcony soot issue- did your balcony have any kind of overhead protection? The suite I canceled on Caribe had nothing above the balcony deck so no shade, no protection from rain or falling objects, soot being one of them.

What was your cabin number?

 

Welcome home!

 

Norris

 

Greetings All. DW and I just returned from the Inaugural Med-T/A on the Royal. I just submitted my review but thought I'd post it here as well.....:):):)

 

After looking around the Piazza, we made our way to Dolphin deck aft to our Owner's suite D726.

Our balcony was arguably the best balcony we had on any of our cruises. We were however unable to fully enjoy it due to a daily buildup of soot. To my knowledge the soot problem was also experienced by a number of fellow aft facing passengers.

 

 

 

Fair Winds and a Following Sea

 

Bob

 

 

 

That's one of the reasons the soot was so upsetting to those of us who researched these cabins and booked on Baja or Dolphin, where there is overhead protection.

[Gunner22aa]

As we sail in aft suites exclusivly I read your review with interest. Even with all of the bad press I was considering a cruise on her for 20 days in the spring of 2015. Your review has confirmed the doubts in my mind and we will stick to the other classes of ship which we have come to love.

 

Thanks again.

[Woobstr112G]

Bob- thanks for your comprehensive review!

Re the balcony soot issue- did your balcony have any kind of overhead protection? The suite I canceled on Caribe had nothing above the balcony deck so no shade, no protection from rain or falling objects, soot being one of them.

What was your cabin number?

 

Welcome home!

 

Norris

 

Hi Norris;

We were on Dolphin deck and had the most overhang of any of the balconies. This however was just in a portion of the balcony where it curved from aft to port side. Most of the rest was nearly uncovered.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Gran2five]

Thanks Bob for your review. I followed your postings on the Live From and realize that looking forward to a special cabin that falls short on so many fronts is really disappointing. Did you ever escalate your concerns regarding the bar and buffet service to anyone? If necessary, after initial escalation to the Bar Services Manager (uncertain if that is the correct title?), the Hotel Director would have or should have been informed of lack of service etc.

 

Pat

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks Bob for your review. I followed your postings on the Live From and realize that looking forward to a special cabin that falls short on so many fronts is really disappointing. Did you ever escalate your concerns regarding the bar and buffet service to anyone? If necessary, after initial escalation to the Bar Services Manager (uncertain if that is the correct title?), the Hotel Director would have or should have been informed of lack of service etc.

 

Pat

 

I believe the issues were elevated to the proper individuals.....:):):)

 

Bob

[chamima]

Hi Norris;

We were on Dolphin deck and had the most overhang of any of the balconies. This however was just in a portion of the balcony where it curved from aft to port side. Most of the rest was nearly uncovered.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Bob, I was under the impression from the photos of the aft that at least half of the balcony on Dolphin (and this would be for the premium deluxe next to you) was covered. Are you saying that wasn't the case?

[Woobstr112G]

Bob, I was under the impression from the photos of the aft that at least half of the balcony on Dolphin (and this would be for the premium deluxe next to you) was covered. Are you saying that wasn't the case?

 

No, it was half covered. I was referring to the rest of my balcony.

Bob

[TorontoTL]

Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time during the cruise to post on the Live From thread, and for taking the time to submit both this review and the one on CC. I know you were really really looking forward to the suite and I fully understand your disappointment when your expectations were so high. I'm really happy that in the end, you were able to enjoy your cruise despite that initial major disappointment with the cabin. So often, one big negative at the beginning of a vacation, can sour you for the rest of it. Glad that that didn't happen to you.

[spingal]

Bob,

 

I really enjoyed all of your posts on the Live thread!!! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

I am sorry to hear about the suite situation. My folks always sail in suites and I think I need to cross the Royal/Regal ships off their list. The side suite balconies are a complete joke and the aft suites are too small and the balconies have a soot problem.

 

Makes me wonder what Princess was thinking??? You would expect that the suites would be the best cabins on the ship and not ones with these types of issues. I wonder if they are having a hard time selling them? :confused::confused:

 

Glad to see you are home safely!

[spingal]

I paid the extra fee and had use of the Enclave.

 

Bob,

 

So suite passengers can't use this for free like the Thermal Suite on other ships??

[NewPennCruiser]

Bob, I first wanted to thank you for contributing to the “live” thread over the last few weeks and hope you adjust back to “normal” life easily. ☺ I had a really hard time adjusting after just 14 days back in February when we sailed in a Suite on the Sapphire….can’t imagine having to end a longer cruise and getting back to normal.

 

I had a couple of Suite related questions if you don’t mind. We are booked in a Penthouse Suite (not an OS) in February on the Royal and I remember thinking it was a lot less money than the aft OS Suites. When we booked I was disappointed that they didn’t offer an equivalent to the Vista Suites on the Grand Class ships but as it turns out, it seems like they do; they are just calling it an Owner’s Suite. I certainly understand your comments about what you paid for on this cruise and if I remember correctly, weren’t these Owner Suites more of an afterthought and added once construction started? That might attribute to the odd layoff somewhat. It does appear though that the Penthouse Suites on Riviera Deck seem to be pretty much what we are used to from our cruise on the Sapphire except for the much smaller balcony. I practically lived in my lounger on our aft balcony on our Hawaii cruise so I’ve “convinced” myself that the smaller balcony won’t bother me. We’ll see.

 

You mentioned early in the “live” thread that you stopped in the concierge lounge to check it out but you never really mentioned it again. What were your impressions of the lounge? It appears to me they could be missing an opportunity to offer some nice features here for suite passengers but my fear is that it could end up being wasted space. Being that we will be across the hall from the lounge, we probably will utilize the coffee machine…. Did you use this much? And was it ever used for anything else, like maybe suite disembarkation lounge?

 

Also, breakfast in Sabatini’s was probably our favorite perk when we cruised last February on the Sapphire. Amazing service, food, people, etc. I wanted to take them all home with me at the end of the cruise. I’m curious, with more suite passengers on this ship, there are probably more passengers eating breakfast in Sabatini’s. Did you notice anything different than previous cruises? Same level of service? I remember on the Sapphire, there were a couple of mornings we would be the only ones there or maybe there were only 2 or 3 tables being served at most at any given time.

 

Anyway, welcome back and glad you enjoyed your trip. The Royal looks like a beautiful ship and we’re looking forward to checking it out. There seem to be both pros and cons related to the design of this ship but I guess we all just have to realize there probably isn’t one perfect ship out there for everyone. That’s why we have options. ☺

 

Dave

[Bob]

My DW and I are just back from TA on the Royal. I don't post a lot on CC, but I feel I need to make some comments regarding the Royal. For us we felt the ship was too big, and we know some like big. The HC and the Piazza were plusses, we felt the staff in the HC and the Symphony DR were very good. As has been stated the subject of food is subjective, being celiac and needing gluten free, I felt the food was very good. The entertainment was a mixed bag, from classical to glitz.

Now for the bad, we were in B615, extended balcony, we travel with very close friends and always book cabins next to each other, so they were in B617. We were coming back from their cabin when I heard DW scream OMG, so I ran into our cabin to find ankle deep water.

We called for help, and our steward was first on scene he called for more help. The first words spoken to us were "What did you do"? From there it went downhill. We put luggage, shoes and anything else that was on floor out on balcony, was told it would be taken to laundry and "super dried" moved to B609, which was regular balcony, no comp. because we paid less for B615, because of super deals that were out there early on. They then offed a room of Dolphin extended balcony way forward, too far from our friends. 2 days go by and I want to check on items that were taking to laundry, only to find they were still untouched.

Made calls, finally they were taken down to laundry. They replaced the carpet and told us we could move back in 615, I said no it smells from the adhesive, and the dampness, we stayed in 609 for the duration. Finally met Jackie from passenger service, she was the first one from Princess who said "I am so sorry for the inconveinence the both of you have been through". Bottom line for me I was very disappointed in the initial response from the staff people we dealt with going from blaming us to total ignoring us and what needed to get done. This was my first cruise as an "Elite" and I say big whoopie. Even tho I was accused of saying "I will never sail Princess again" I reminded the Captains circle rep that we had already booked cruise for next year. Hopefull that will be better experience, we still had a good time in spite of what happened.

[Shogun]

Hi Bob.

 

Thanks for the live from, hope we do get to cruise together, but expect it will not be on the Royal class of ship,

 

May be its because I often take insides but a number of features I like are not offered by the Royal, sea views from skywalkers etc, prom deck, standing at the back of ship.

 

I am sorry that you cancelled a cruise to enjoy the owners suite,

 

I have done the opposite cancelled a higher cabin grade to get two cruises,

 

W are taking the Ruby out of Quebec next year fancy coming long,

 

yours Shogun

PS look out for some pics of new family member in a few weeks

[SpencerCruiser]

What was the cause of the water?

[Tweedy]

Thank you for taking the time to jot down your overall impression and review of the Royal Princess. I enjoyed following along on the "live" thread you all did. Looking forward to seeing some of your photos as well.

[Woobstr112G]

Bob, I first wanted to thank you for contributing to the “live” thread over the last few weeks and hope you adjust back to “normal” life easily. ☺ I had a really hard time adjusting after just 14 days back in February when we sailed in a Suite on the Sapphire….can’t imagine having to end a longer cruise and getting back to normal.

 

I had a couple of Suite related questions if you don’t mind. We are booked in a Penthouse Suite (not an OS) in February on the Royal and I remember thinking it was a lot less money than the aft OS Suites. When we booked I was disappointed that they didn’t offer an equivalent to the Vista Suites on the Grand Class ships but as it turns out, it seems like they do; they are just calling it an Owner’s Suite. I certainly understand your comments about what you paid for on this cruise and if I remember correctly, weren’t these Owner Suites more of an afterthought and added once construction started? That might attribute to the odd layoff somewhat. It does appear though that the Penthouse Suites on Riviera Deck seem to be pretty much what we are used to from our cruise on the Sapphire except for the much smaller balcony. I practically lived in my lounger on our aft balcony on our Hawaii cruise so I’ve “convinced” myself that the smaller balcony won’t bother me. We’ll see.

 

You mentioned early in the “live” thread that you stopped in the concierge lounge to check it out but you never really mentioned it again. What were your impressions of the lounge? It appears to me they could be missing an opportunity to offer some nice features here for suite passengers but my fear is that it could end up being wasted space. Being that we will be across the hall from the lounge, we probably will utilize the coffee machine…. Did you use this much? And was it ever used for anything else, like maybe suite disembarkation lounge?

 

Also, breakfast in Sabatini’s was probably our favorite perk when we cruised last February on the Sapphire. Amazing service, food, people, etc. I wanted to take them all home with me at the end of the cruise. I’m curious, with more suite passengers on this ship, there are probably more passengers eating breakfast in Sabatini’s. Did you notice anything different than previous cruises? Same level of service? I remember on the Sapphire, there were a couple of mornings we would be the only ones there or maybe there were only 2 or 3 tables being served at most at any given time.

 

Anyway, welcome back and glad you enjoyed your trip. The Royal looks like a beautiful ship and we’re looking forward to checking it out. There seem to be both pros and cons related to the design of this ship but I guess we all just have to realize there probably isn’t one perfect ship out there for everyone. That’s why we have options. ☺

 

Dave

 

Hi Dave;

Besides the cost, knowing what I know now, I probably would have liked a PH more. True the balcony is definitely smaller, but I like the way the cabin is laid out. All space seems well utilized. I only visited the lounge a couple of times. It is on deck 14 (odd place in my opinion) right next to the wedding chapel and amongst passenger cabins. It is a nice quiet place where they have a latte, etc machine. They also have small snacks laid out for suite passengers to enjoy. I did utilize the host on one occasion to make reservations in Sabatini's for dinner.

As far as the special dining venues go, the service and good seemed just as good as on previous voyages. Breakfast in Sabatini's is also IMHO the best suite perk. There were more people utilizing it when I went later after DW got up. If I went early and solo, not as many people.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

Thank you for taking the time to jot down your overall impression and review of the Royal Princess. I enjoyed following along on the "live" thread you all did. Looking forward to seeing some of your photos as well.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I've started the slow task of scanning and uploading the patters, port & shopping guides. As of now I just finished Barcelona. Gotta take a break and go do some grocery shopping. Once I finish with the scanning, it will go much quicker. While we wwere on the ship, I took the time to catalog, label and touch up my ship/shore photos.....:):):)

 

Bob

[nurse@sea]

Thank you for the review, although I would have loved to have read this three or four days ago as I have a Jan cruise booked in the same room as you. I was on the fence last week, before the final payment, about changing my cruise back to the one I had originally booked on the Crown. I had heard about the aft cabins soot problem and thought I would just work through it. The real problem i have now is the disappointment in the actual owners suit. For what Princess charges for that suite I was hoping for better. Well, live and learn. Im sure we will still have a great time. The rest of the ship sounds wonderful. I can still say that I will always love Princess, but I think this one time on the Royal will be all for me. Time will tell. Thanks again for the great review. Vickie

[Lin336]

Bob, thank you for "taking us with you" on your cruise (the Live thread) and for this review.

[billco]

I did bring a Blue Ray player that did not work when I tried hooking it up via a HDMI cable. I did remember that information was promulgated prior to the cruise that hook ups to the televisions would not work. However being a little stubborn, I wanted to see it for myself.

 

Public areas on the ship were generally very beautiful and appealing. There were however a couple of areas I failed to understand the purpose of including. Princess Live seemed like an afterthought. I also did not understand the concept of Club 6 as about the only thing I saw it used for was daily trivia games. The previously mentioned issue of no central staircase did seem to be a problem.[/size][/i]

 

Quite a comprehensive review. Just a few comments:

 

While we didn't bring a DVD or Blu-Ray player, we did bring a Mini-iPad and Nexus 7 with HDMI adapters and HDMI cable. The input button on the front of the TV was locked out and the remote was very basic. I found that unplugging the ship's HDMI cable and plugging mine in worked fine. We watched several movies and videos I had brought. The TV is a Viewsonic VT4236LED in case anyone would like to set up a universal remote prior to their cruise. Might be able to better access the TV settings that way.

 

We enjoyed Princess Live, particularly the evening quiz shows hosted by Deputy Dan. One thing we liked was walking by, seeing something going on, and stopping in. I also enjoyed Club 6. The veterans meeting were held there with much the same atmosphere as is in the Wheelhouse Bar on other ships. Princess continues to be a good supporter of veterans. I believe there were five meetings held on this cruise.

 

As a vegetarian, I don't feel qualified to comment on food, other than to say the quality and quantity available to us seemed about the same as other Princess ships we have sailed on.

 

It did seem some of the elevator issues might have been alleviated if more of those who were able had opted for the stairs more often. Also, I didn't think the distance between the forward and aft staircases was all that great to warrant a center staircase. It wasn't as if the staircases were all the way forward or aft. Far from it.

[spingal]

Thanks for the kind words. I've started the slow task of scanning and uploading the patters, port & shopping guides. As of now I just finished Barcelona. Gotta take a break and go do some grocery shopping. Once I finish with the scanning, it will go much quicker. While we wwere on the ship, I took the time to catalog, label and touch up my ship/shore photos.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Can't wait to see your pictures!!! :D:D:D