Review : Royal Princess

[Liz54]

I thought this was an excellent review. Pros and Cons backed up by specific examples so we can all decide for ourselves based on what would impact us.

 

Glad I am booked on the Emerald in Feb.:)

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

:D

 

I agree with you on the Sanctuary and the Tvs.. It might bring people in at the beginning for the novelty, but those that book it regularly will not.

 

The massages at the Lotus Spa were wonderful and relaxing. The tension would go right back into my body and negate the massage, every time they would change the price. I am demanding a spa credit on the next cruise from Princess.

 

And it looks like the review has been renamed. .so that solves that problem lol:p

 

Thank you for your balanced views.

 

I would also pursue a credit for the Bungalow, we have had one on a number of occasions and had a fabulous experience, the wait staff were usually from the Crown Grill and were fabulous , spoilt us and make us feel so special. Your issue could have been, usually the crew are on the first tenders to get set up but as they had difficulties everything was delayed. Such a shame for you

 

Again thank you

[DrSch]

Thank you for your balanced views.

 

I would also pursue a credit for the Bungalow, we have had one on a number of occasions and had a fabulous experience, the wait staff were usually from the Crown Grill and were fabulous , spoilt us and make us feel so special. Your issue could have been, usually the crew are on the first tenders to get set up but as they had difficulties everything was delayed. Such a shame for you

 

Again thank you

 

 

I found out after the fact that this was the first cruise to go to Princess Cay this season. They were busy unloading everything and stocking everything as the island has been empty for several months. I would imagine that in future stops there things will go better.

 

I have told Princess I want to 50 dollar credit each for my partner and I on our next cruise. I think I am being quite reasonable. I am not trying to get something for nothing, but rather what I paid for.

[gracie65]

Thanks for the review and sharing the spa issues you had. I haven't indulged in anything at the spa in several cruises because the prices have gone up so high. I have planned atleast getting a massage on my upcoming sailing because the hype of the spa on The Royal has been so high. I guess I will check and recheck to make sure I am charged for the service I am getting.

[windsor26]

Thank you for a well written and well balanced review You had the experiences and told us about them Only if you were there would you know about it so thanks I did not like the thought of ships this large when they brought out the Oasis so I will still steer clear of them

I think the largest and most often moaned about part of the design and a bit flaw is the NO STAIRS IN THE CENTRE OF THE SHIP and everyone moans about this on the Grand Princess and other similar ships so why do they do it?

 

I hope they will re think the Regal and open the doors to the staff stairs and put some carpeting down so they can be used by cruisers.

[critterchick]

OP, that was a terrific review. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We are sailing on RCI's Allure of the Seas and, other than the size of our balcony, I'm afraid that we will have many of the same issues (I'm going because DH really wants to sail on her, in case you ask why).

 

we have never felt that the cabin

and dining stewards on Princess were as good as we found on HAL. The Eastern Europeans don't seem to enjoy their work as did the Indonesians and Philipinos.Bar tenders who get more tips are better.

 

I disagree, although my HAL sample size is only one. I had two of the worst cabin stewards of my sailing career on Oosterdam. In contrast, two of my favorites are Bulgarians on RCI.:)

 

I don't imagine that anybody really enjoys being a cabin steward. Some just fake it better than others, which I appreciate.

[OCruisers]

Thanks very much for your time to share your thoughts on Royal.

 

LuLu

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[DrSch]

just read the reviews of some guys that were on the royal as their first cruise and how much they loved it.. I wish I could experience that first cruise feeling again :)

[eroller]

OP, that was a terrific review. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We are sailing on RCI's Allure of the Seas and, other than the size of our balcony, I'm afraid that we will have many of the same issues (I'm going because DH really wants to sail on her, in case you ask why).

 

 

 

 

Having sailed on ALLURE and OASIS twice, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. In fact I would be willing to bet these ships feel less crowded than ROYAL PRINCESS. ALLURE will have a full wrap around Promenade Deck unlike RP. Granted the view is mostly blocked by lifeboats, but it's still a deck you can walk completely around. Regarding the sun decks, they are quite plentiful on ALLURE. There are actually six pools if you include the Adults Solarium and Aqua Theater plus the two Flow Riders and the H20 Zone for kids. Because there are so many pools and activities I never found them overly crowded. There is also so much deck space I was always able to find chairs in great locations. ALLURE is divided into "neighborhoods" so no one area ever feels overly crowded. The exception is the Royal Promenade when there is a parade. Also getting on and off the ship is a non-issue. Royal Caribbean has done such a great job building up all the infrastructure in the various ports that I never had long waits getting on or off the ship. There are actually mini-terminals in each port that Royal Caribbean built to process security procedures so it's not done on the ship itself. Embarkation and disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale is the best ever. About 10 minutes from being dropped off at the pier to walking on the ship. Night and day from the Princess terminal. One similarity is that there are only a forward and aft set of stairs/elevators. The difference between RP and ALLURE is that there are two sets of stairs/elevators aft (port and starboard), and two sets forward, so it divides the traffic up quite nicely.

 

The entertainment is top notch. Full scale Broadway production of Chicago, another more typical production show, the diving shows in the Aqua Theater, and of course the Ice Skating show plus the parades and various dances they have in the Royal Promenade. It's all pretty awesome!

 

Dining choices are exceptional too. Regular dining in the dining room is average, but if you can splurge for the speciality restaurants you won't be disappointed. One word of advice … reserve all the dining and shows in advance on the Royal Caribbean website and it will really enhance your cruise. This is one ship where it truly pays off to plan ahead.

 

I hope you enjoy ALLURE as much as I did!

 

Ernie

[eroller]

just read the reviews of some guys that were on the royal as their first cruise and how much they loved it.. I wish I could experience that first cruise feeling again :)

 

 

The great thing about being a first time cruiser is that you have nothing to compare it to … so essentially you don't know any better. Of course as you become more experienced you realize there are differences between ships, and some are just better designed than others. Same goes for food, service, and entertainment.

 

Ernie - about 35 years since my first cruise. Yikes!

[Lin336]

Thanks for your well balanced review.

[DrSch]

I had sent in my remarks on the problem at the spa to Princess on the survey, and within a day, I received a response. They have honored my request to compensate me for my trouble.

 

If you have any problems with a Princess Cruise, make sure you fill out the email they send you. They really do listen.

[DShock]

Well written, fair and balanced reviews like yours are very appreciated. They helped us make the decision to cancel 14 days on the Royal in April and go back to what we love with Princess...Grand CLASS ships.

[tompeter]

Glad to hear about their timely response, and also really enjoyed your review. We, also, are quickly deciding RP is not for us, even though we really like Princess.

[DrSch]

Well written, fair and balanced reviews like yours are very appreciated. They helped us make the decision to cancel 14 days on the Royal in April and go back to what we love with Princess...Grand CLASS ships.

 

I think Princess will see quite a bit of these cancelations, and hopefully make changes to the design of the Regal to compensate for the problems.

 

Enjoy whatever cruise you took instead. I am looking forward to being on one of the small ships in April

[Iamcruzin]

You should have stayed at a Holiday Inn? That statement ruined the credibility of your review for me despite the fact some of your observations have been confirmed by other reviewers. Sounds as if you were expecting a luxury brand at a mass market price. It also appears your expectations were unreasonably high and quite a bit of your review sounded as bit - let's see - nit picky - as if you were looking for things to moan and groan about.

 

How did you come to that conclusion? What I read was an experienced Princess cruiser was expecting to receive the same service and experience that was present on past cruises and the experience fell short on the Royal.

 

OP I think your review was very well balanced and reconfirmed what others have said about the design flaws. I also wondered how having a large TV and conversation pit would impact the Sanctuary. It's one thing to have to put up with M.U.T.S and another to pay for a relaxing quiet spot on the ship and not receive it.

[DrSch]

How did you come to that conclusion? What I read was an experienced Princess cruiser was expecting to receive the same service and experience that was present on past cruises and the experience fell short on the Royal.

 

OP I think your review was very well balanced and reconfirmed what others have said about the design flaws. I also wondered how having a large TV and conversation pit would impact the Sanctuary. It's one thing to have to put up with M.U.T.S and another to pay for a relaxing quiet spot on the ship and not receive it.

 

The comments about me were a hit and run.. I doubt they will be back :p

 

The sanctuary was still wonderful, but there were times when it seemed rather loud, people forgot where they were, or had just bought a half day and were chatting.. I was not sitting anywhere near the TVs.. and I wouldn't have.. I thought they were silly to have up there.

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thank you for your well balanced review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[A1A]

Wow! What a great review, well thought out and very thorough. I appreciate a balanced review and if you have negative things to say I want to hear them! We will be on the Royal in April and look forward to our sailing.

[DShock]

Agree and people are canceling and rebooking on other ships / lines. My good friend owns a travel agency that only books cruises. He has seen record numbers of cancelations on the Royal, said nothing he has seen compares to this. We love Princess and are fiercely loyal to Princess (Elite card members) but for our money we rebooked on the Star for 14 days in a PS aft suite and will not be booking the Royal and probably not the Regal unless they make adjustments. Wouldn't you think it would be a good idea if Princess created a Passenger Advisory Board to provide a real life perspective on design, likes, dislikes...a real world perspective. Maybe invite Elite members to serve on this board who travel often on their ships to run thoughts and ideas by? Could save them millions and would result in better ships.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Interesting review, and quite a difference from our experience on the Royal for her maiden Caribbean cruise. The difference being, I suppose, that we go for the main part of the ship and do not use the Sanctuary, as it was way overpriced when first introduced, and we just haven't gotten in the habit.

 

We loved the Royal. 3500 passengers and never felt crowded (well, except for the Piazza on Halloween night). The ship is beautiful. Yes, the balcony is small, but still quite adequate for two. The stateroom was a bit smaller, but the bath was larger.

 

The Horizon Court and Bistro are a tremendous improvement! The regular dining room was more open and comfortable than, say, the Sapphire. And except for lunch on embarkation day, the dinner service was up to the same high Princess standards we have grown to love. Alfredo's dining was delicious and service friendly and competent.

 

Bellini's was a great new experience, and the sushi bar delicious fare and friendly service. Our cabin attendant was competent but not as visible as some we have had.

 

It was nice to experience the International Cafe for the first time. I can see why so many people like it. Nice cheesecake at 1:00 AM!! :)

 

We are booked on the Emerald soon, the Regal next summer, and on the Ocean late next year, so while we still prefer Princess, we do enjoy some variety. Thanks for giving us choices, Princess!

 

I say: don't cancel until you try it yourself.

Edited November 6, 2013 by UpcountryTravelers
Typo

[dmwnc1959]

How did you come to that conclusion? What I read was an experienced Princess cruiser was expecting to receive the same service and experience that was present on past cruises and the experience fell short on the Royal.

 

I certainly hope that I don't get the same service and experience that I had last year on Ruby Princess. That was something I don't ever care to repeat. :eek:

[Winters in NZ]

Thanks for both your review and your entertaining writing style.

[hannibal54]

Thanks for the review. We were also on this sailing.

I didn't like having to walk through the buffet area to reach the Horizon Court. Later in the cruise we learned to just use the aft elevators to get there. I also thought the Atrium was too busy, 3 decks with many venues in a close area. All of the noise and people made it hard for me to hear. By busy I don't mean a lot of passengers, just too much going on in one area.

We did have a great time on board, the crew were fantastic. Loved the movie choices on the room TV's, they had a small selection of live TV however, I just wanted the news, forget about it. The food was great, we had no problems anywhere.

[DrSch]

One other trivial thing that they changed on the Royal.. not a big deal at all and most wouldn't miss it..

 

On the Ruby, Emerald etc, the carpet on the port side was red, and the carpet on the starboard side was blue (or vise versa). It always helped when getting out of the elevators, to help you figure out which side of the ship you wanted to go to, so you didn't end up walking down the wrong hallway, the wrong way.

 

They took that out in this ship. However, for some reason, I found myself being turned around less than on the other ships, but that might be because I was always going up or down near the front or the back of the ship.

 

Like I said.. minor thing, but it was missed.