Royal Princess Review Caribbean November 10, 2013

[dedosr]

What a really fun and wonderful review! I had a friend on the 11/10 sailing who is also going to do a review, so it will be interesting to see how the details compare based on his personal experiences.

 

And so much great information! I too am a bit of a lightweight, so the description of your 'Bellini Encounter' had me lol. ;) And I was also looking forward to the food at the Outrigger Bar, so that is an 'expectation reset'. As for Fondue's, I'll have to give it try and see if I like it. Same goes for the Laser Shooting Range. Maybe it's worth a quick look-see?

 

I'm an 'early to bed' type of person on the cruise ship, mainly because I'm still adjusting from the life of midnight shifts and trying to 'flip' my hours, but I hope to be able to catch the fountain shows and Ye Olde Pub Night.

 

THANK YOU for taking the time to share your experiences and writing your Cruise Critic review. I'll definitely have to earmark it and re-read it again the day before embarkation so I can remember all of the details you've listed.

 

12 Days and Counting!!! :D:D:D

 

Yes Dave,

Try the Fondue, and check out the Laser Shooting Gallery. With food, everything is subjective, you might enjoy the Fondue. I will be interested in your thoughts on the shooting range.

 

Also interested in your friends review.

 

Have a great B2B.

Steve

[lx200gps]

My wife and I were on the same 11/10 sailing as the OP, coincidentally in a mini on the Riviera deck as well, and our experiences very much mirrored the OP's.

 

Our steward, Glenn, was pretty much perfect, he couldn't have done a better job. When we arrived, we found that the beds were not in the twin configuration we had asked for, though they never have been on any cruise we've taken. I would blame Princess' bureaucracy, and not the steward, for this sort of thing. Glenn re-arranged them within minutes.

 

Service around the ship was, admittedly, a bit spotty. Generally very good, typical Princess. Never, ever, close to bad or nasty, (I have a very short fuse for that sort of thing) just a bit confused at times, perhaps a bit more than you'd expect on their new flagship. Generally, though, very good service, and we're sure not going to let a late dinner plate or a forgotten coffee refill in ANY way mar our vacation.

 

We had Anytime, and because we usually eat early, 5:30 to 6PM, to take advantage of all the other things happening round the ship in the evenings, never had to wait for a table for two. Never once carried a beeper the whole week.

 

We never noticed logjams at the mid-ship elevators, in the hundreds of times we walked past them, though admittedly, we never actually took any elevators on the ship. We climbed stairs at all times, even going from Deck 5 to Deck 15, so we had no issues moving about. The elevators didn't look that crowded to us, but people still seem to have issues with them. demographically, there were clearly a lot of people on this ship who could not use stairs, so the elevator issue should be resolved ASAP.

 

Our mini was great, no issues with the TV system. I had a chance to catch up on a lot of new movies while endlessly waiting for SWMBO to get herself ready for the day or evening. WiFi strength in the room was just OK. Interestingly, our desk had two power outlets, not one like the OP's mini on the same deck. Still, the two plugs are not very user-friendly, the outboard one in particular, so a power bar is recommended. A few days into the sailing, we noticed, strangely, that the water coming from our bathroom faucet was either very hot, or lukewarm, no cold water at all. I felt the water lines under the sink and the cold water line was warm to the touch. We reported it to the PSD and by the time we got back to the room a few hours later, it was fixed. We, too, never had any issues with the oddly-placed TP holder, but I could see persons with limited mobility, arthritis, etc, having trouble making the needed bend. I STRONGLY recommend using the rubber mat for the shower, it's very slippery and dangerous otherwise.

 

+1 on the comments on the very lame shooting range. We poked our heads in to see what it was all about, saw that it was worse than SRO with no way to get in, and were yelled at very loudly to close the door. We turned around and left. Didn't look too interesting. Like a giant kid's video game with a bunch of strangers staring at you

 

Loved Alfredo's. We ate there twice and found the freshly made pizzas FAR superior to the mass produced, heatlamp-wizzened ketchup-painted cardboard passing itself off as pizza you find on the upper deck. Alfredo's is a great option for lunch or dinner, highly recommended. I wish they'd add it to all ships.

 

Brought two bottles of wine onboard in FLL with no issues, and had no problems in St Thomas handing over two bottles of booze to the collection table. Got them back mid-afternoon the day before returning to FLL

 

We also tried to get the Sanctuary for the week, and despite arriving for embarkation at 10:30AM, were prevented from boarding until 12:15. By then, the Platinum and Elites had taken all full-week slots. We were surprised by the new policy of taking day-bookings one day earlier, not day-of, so we used the opportunity to get a slot for the following day at Princess Cay. The big problem we found with the Royal's Sanctuary is the shortage of chairs in the shade; probably half or more are in full sun. Still, it's a beautiful area and service was, as usual, perfect.

 

One of our new favorite areas, at least for breakfast, is the Horizon Terrace. We never eat in buffets except for the occasional breakfast, and found this area at the far aft end of the Lido Deck to be a great bet. Rarely crowded, fully covered from the sun, very wide space between tables and great views of the open ocean. We would have loved to have more couches and loungers, as it's really only an eating area. Not sure why people would eat in the crowded, jammed, noisy buffet areas when this place was much less crowded and much quieter.

 

In short, it's a FANTASTIC ship. The whiners who refuse to sail her are missing out on a wonderful trip. We're comparitive newbies, and we'll always have a soft spot for the Ruby as the first ship we ever sailed on, but the Royal is now our favorite ship. Having sailed the Royal, we're worried that going on another ship, even our beloved Ruby, is going to be a bit of a let-down.

[chamima]

Thanks for the great, balanced reviews!

[billco]

The whiners who refuse to sail her are missing out on a wonderful trip.

Do you really have to call people names just because they have a different opinion. I thought your post was fine until I got turned off by the last part.

[Clutterlady]

Thank you for the great reviews. Too bad I have to wait so long to board the Royal...:o

[lx200gps]

Do you really have to call people names just because they have a different opinion. I thought your post was fine until I got turned off by the last part.

 

Sorry, but I was referring to the multitude of people on these forums who clearly had no interest in doing anything but being negative about something they had not even experienced. Where I come from, that's whining.

 

...and sadly, I heard a lot of it on the ship as well. Some people are just NEVER satisfied with anything, and love to force others to share their perceived grief. Of course, they are allowed to express their opinions, but some carry it way too far and seem to thrive on loudly inflicting their all-consuming negativity on others.

[cruizecrazygramma]

Can you tell me more about the "retreat area" and the "cabanas" there. I just booked the royal for February and have not seen any information on these areas. How do you book cabanas and how much are they. Thanks for your review.

[lx200gps]

Can you tell me more about the "retreat area" and the "cabanas" there. I just booked the royal for February and have not seen any information on these areas. How do you book cabanas and how much are they. Thanks for your review.

 

The Retreat is an adults-only area just outside (aft) of the Sanctuary, up full forward on Deck (17?) A pool in the middle, cabanas for rent directly in front of and around the pool, and a bunch of loungers, some in sun, some in shade. A very nice area, if you can't get the Sanctuary, or don't want to pay for it. No charge for the loungers in the Retreat

 

The Cabanas in the Retreat are at cost, $50 for a half day, $80 for the full day. From what I saw of them, they don't, unfortunately provide a lot of shade and so you are in direct sun a lot of the day. That's why we didn't try one. They do come with nice, Sanctuary-style wide loungers.

 

There should be a lot of photos of the Sanctuary and Retreat on this site, or at least links to them. perhaps someone can point them out.

 

The Retreat is a very nice area away from the loudness of the main pool area amidship. Highly recommended

[Clutterlady]

Sorry, but I was referring to the multitude of people on these forums who clearly had no interest in doing anything but being negative about something they had not even experienced. Where I come from, that's whining.

 

...and sadly, I heard a lot of it on the ship as well. Some people are just NEVER satisfied with anything, and love to force others to share their perceived grief. Of course, they are allowed to express their opinions, but some carry it way too far and seem to thrive on loudly inflicting their all-consuming negativity on others.

 

Got to agree with you....sorry to say there are whiners on this MB concerning the Royal. They continually post negatives without ever stepping foot on this ship. Voicing your opinion is one thing, but to continually bash over and over is another. Yep, where I came from they would also be considered whiners:)

[CruisinChris]

Thank for the two reviewers on this thread. I appreciate that they both describe their experience and the ship objectively rather than comparatively. Some folks posting draw inference or causality from things they observe and generally speaking, that's often not correct. For example the poster who had a fixed dining time and posted a picture showing many empty tables and draws the inference that people are avoiding the dining room because the service is bad/slow. I think it's more likely that all the other wonderful dining options have caught people's attention. It hasn't been uncommon at all over the last 7 years or so for folks to absent themselves from traditional to go to the alternative venues. Most people don't do that to avoid the dining room, they do it to enjoy something else. I am very much looking forward to my Christmas cruise and to sharing my experience with everyone.

[dedosr]

An actual event:

 

My wife and I are the only 2 people in the elevator. It stops on deck 8, the doors open, and 1 man gets in. He starts complaining to us that the door is taking to long to close. We tell him its programmed to be open a certain amount of time to let people exit and enter without closing on them, and then tell him he can push the (><) button that will close the door immediately. He looks at us with disgust on his face and says, " I am on vacation, I should not have to do work".

 

An actual event the next day: We were on a crowded elevator, the elevator stops on deck 7, door opens and people exit, others begin entering, the door begins closing as someone else is approaching, they apparently pressed the call key and the door reopens fully. She then says gruffly, "these God D*** elevator doors close too quickly, Princess needs to get their Sh** together".

 

The above are examples of whining.

 

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and have their right to express it. I do not consider a negative opinion of the ship as whining. There were a few things that I did not like and I stated them in my review at the beginning of this thread. Many things are subjective and 2 people can have varying opinions of the same thing.

 

Just as "lx200gps" says that Alfredo's pizza is far superior, than the mass produced pizza on the pool deck, I found it to be the opposite, I did not care for the Alfredo's Pizza, and loved the pizza on the pool deck at Prego Prego.

Is he wrong, and I am right? Or am I wrong and he is right?

 

There is no correct answer, many things are subjective.

Edited November 19, 2013 by dedosr

[sashas_mom]

I was wondering if they did something about the temp of the water after our TA. I spoke to a pool technician the day I went to the pool and complained it was too cold. He tested it, told me they had reported it earlier, but it was still too cold. However, he did tell me what temp it should be, and that was still too cold for a pool. Sorry, I don't remember what it was, but know it was still too cold. I wondered if this had anything to do with the ship being "green". But, as it is, there are too few pools, so why have a gorgeous area for adults and a pool they can't linger in? The woman swimming in there said she had to keep moving or she'd have to get out. I don't actually swim in the pool, but enjoy hanging out in there.....impossible in this pool. I haven't seen others complain about it on the reviews or threads. Would be interested to hear other experiences. Maybe it's another electrical problem with the heater? I was told by the tech the pool by the movie was kept warmer.

[sashas_mom]

What a really fun and wonderful review! I had a friend on the 11/10 sailing who is also going to do a review, so it will be interesting to see how the details compare based on his personal experiences.

 

And so much great information! I too am a bit of a lightweight, so the description of your 'Bellini Encounter' had me lol. ;) And I was also looking forward to the food at the Outrigger Bar, so that is an 'expectation reset'. As for Fondue's, I'll have to give it try and see if I like it. Same goes for the Laser Shooting Range. Maybe it's worth a quick look-see?

 

I'm an 'early to bed' type of person on the cruise ship, mainly because I'm still adjusting from the life of midnight shifts and trying to 'flip' my hours, but I hope to be able to catch the fountain shows and Ye Olde Pub Night.

 

THANK YOU for taking the time to share your experiences and writing your Cruise Critic review. I'll definitely have to earmark it and re-read it again the day before embarkation so I can remember all of the details you've listed.

 

12 Days and Counting!!! :D:D:D

 

Dave,

 

We did the fondue and really enjoyed it. Sounds like they may have changed things up a bit since the TA though. We weren't offered shots. From a menu we chose a salad, there were three cheese offerings. None of us cared for the cheddar one. We weren't just brought the three selections, we asked for two of them. We were a party of 5. Maybe they would have brought all three, but since it was a menu, we assumed we had to choose. The we got a chocolate fondue for dessert with strawberries. Pineapple and marshmallows for dipping. Yum!!!! We have done Fondue restaurants locally before and it can be expensive. We all really enjoyed it and the price was reasonable compared to restaurants. It's the kind of thing to do with a few friends. Makes the experience more enjoyable.

[dedosr]

I was wondering if they did something about the temp of the water after our TA. I spoke to a pool technician the day I went to the pool and complained it was too cold. He tested it' date=' told me they had reported it earlier, but it was still too cold. However, he did tell me what temp it should be, and that was still too cold for a pool. Sorry, I don't remember what it was, but know it was still too cold. I wondered if this had anything to do with the ship being "green". But, as it is, there are too few pools, so why have a gorgeous area for adults and a pool they can't linger in? The woman swimming in there said she had to keep moving or she'd have to get out. I don't actually swim in the pool, but enjoy hanging out in there.....impossible in this pool. I haven't seen others complain about it on the reviews or threads. Would be interested to hear other experiences. Maybe it's another electrical problem with the heater? I was told by the tech the pool by the movie was kept warmer.[/quote']

 

As I said in the review, the Retreat Pool temperature was very cold. It remained cold all week long, some days colder than others. After about being in the pool for about 10 minutes, it didn't seem to bother me any more, but getting in, it felt ice cold. Later in the week one evening I felt the water in the fountain pool area, and it was warmer.

[cruisergal1978]

My husband and I were also on the November 10 sailing and we heard our fair share of "crabby patties" throughout the cruise. It was as if some people just lived to complain. I plan on also doing a review of our cruise because my husband and I had an excellent time. Our only hiccup was embarkation but we rolled with it. Many passengers did not, and those passengers made quite a spectacle of themselves swearing at the Princess representatives, grabbing the reps by their arms, etc.

 

I found that the biggest issue with the cruise were our fellow passengers. Myself and many other passengers we met in our same age group (mid to late 30's/40s) were told on more than one occasion we were on the wrong ship (honey, the allure is right over there. What are you doing here?) and we felt as if the older passenger clientele didn't want us there. This was my seventh princess cruise and never in the past did I have that feeling. Like I said, my husband and I rolled with it all and we loved the Royal. I'll post my review and thoughts in the coming days.

 

 

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[dedosr]

Dave' date='

 

We did the fondue and really enjoyed it. Sounds like they may have changed things up a bit since the TA though. We weren't offered shots. From a menu we chose a salad, there were three cheese offerings. None of us cared for the cheddar one. We weren't just brought the three selections, we asked for two of them. We were a party of 5. Maybe they would have brought all three, but since it was a menu, we assumed we had to choose. The we got a chocolate fondue for dessert with strawberries. Pineapple and marshmallows for dipping. Yum!!!! We have done Fondue restaurants locally before and it can be expensive. We all really enjoyed it and the price was reasonable compared to restaurants. It's the kind of thing to do with a few friends. Makes the experience more enjoyable.[/quote']

 

You are correct, the menu shows 3 types of cheese fondues. We were a party of 6, so they said they would bring all three. There were other tables with just couples, and they had to choose one cheese pot. One in our group who has done fondues in the past loved it. I personally did not care for it, it just wasn't my thing. In addition to what you listed for dessert, they also brought out cream puffs. I must say I did enjoy the dessert part of the meal. As far as a the appetizers go, they were good. Three choices, a salad, a meat tray with 3 types of thinly sliced meats and bread, and smoked salmon on a potato pancake. The cherry liquor shots were very strong. We had 2 people of the six that drank all the others shots, and the servers came back out after dessert and offered more shots. As you can imagine the 2 designated drinkers drank another shot each.

[Clutterlady]

Dedosr, don't think anyone was referring to your opinions on your cruise as whining. All agree that those are your opinions whether they agree with them or not. I believe we were referring to those few who have never sailed the Royal and continually bash that ship at every opportunity. Thank you for your review..:)

[CI66774]

Do you really have to call people names just because they have a different opinion. I thought your post was fine until I got turned off by the last part.

 

I think he's describing those who HAVEN'T sailed on her who complain and whine.

[CI66774]

My husband and I were also on the November 10 sailing and we heard our fair share of "crabby patties" throughout the cruise. It was as if some people just lived to complain. I plan on also doing a review of our cruise because my husband and I had an excellent time. Our only hiccup was embarkation but we rolled with it. Many passengers did not, and those passengers made quite a spectacle of themselves swearing at the Princess representatives, grabbing the reps by their arms, etc.

 

I found that the biggest issue with the cruise were our fellow passengers. Myself and many other passengers we met in our same age group (mid to late 30's/40s) were told on more than one occasion we were on the wrong ship (honey, the allure is right over there. What are you doing here?) and we felt as if the older passenger clientele didn't want us there. This was my seventh princess cruise and never in the past did I have that feeling. Like I said, my husband and I rolled with it all and we loved the Royal. I'll post my review and thoughts in the coming days.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks for your observations. I'm 50 and certainly hope I don't become one of those crabby old people you referenced. I, too, have seen this on other cruises. When I'm that age, I will be thankful to be alive (am now) and ecstatic to have the money to afford a cruise. If I turn out like those people, I think I would cloister myself away so other people wouldn't have to deal with my lousy attitude.

[Atomic911]

GREAT REVIEW !!! I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY CRUISE :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

[Beachdude]

Good review, most of it was subjective, but still good. I have to laugh at the review of softserve and Gelato icecream.

 

Except for the buffet, we thought the food overall was better than most Princess ships. The buffet is about the same of past cruises for us. That is also subjective.

 

Factual, the soot problem is a real problem. We couldn't use our balcony as a result. However, we were told Princess will have that fixed in just a few months.

 

The staff service was our number one complaint. There is another thread about it going on, so I won't spend a lot of time on it. But we felt it problematic enough that it took away from some of our cruise experience. It's one thing if it is just single trip experience, but if the service on the Royal is indicative of the future Princess cruises, it will change our cruising selection habits.

 

Burt

[cruisergal1978]

I hope I didn't give the impression that everyone was being crabby as certainly not all the passengers were being crabby. We did meet some nice couples and a lot of people who loved the ship. However, the crabbiness was just enough for my husband, who has never cruised before, to ask me what was going on? I could certainly understand at embarkation being unhappy, especially when it was hot and there was no place to sit. But we consistently saw some of the same people throughout the cruise, and they just never looked happy once. It was too bad because the ship had a lot to offer. Maybe their room wasn't functioning well for them, etc, but some people just seemed to walk on with a poor attitude.

 

 

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[sashas_mom]

On the TA they used the Piazza for dance classes and lots of ballroom dancing. Did they still do that on this cruise? Was Nat, the Brazilian dance instructor still on the ship? Just wondering if they had special cruise director assistants on the TA or if they are still there since Sam and Dan are still there.

[lx200gps]

I think he's describing those who HAVEN'T sailed on her who complain and whine.

 

To clarify, I was referring to those few who incessantly complained about things they had yet to experience, and didn't know when to let up. An occasional expression of a justified negative opinion is good (yup, I now agree, the Vista Lounge seating could be better ;o), but some of the constant putdowns I read here fell squarely into the whining regime for me.

 

I was also applying the same term to the surprising number of people on board the ship with us last week, who loudly (and sometimes VERY loudly), expressed their negative opinions as hard fact. One woman walking the atrium, in a VERY loud voice yelled "This Ship Sucks!!!"

 

I studied the ship, largely through this forum, and knew every cubic millimeter of her long before we ever boarded. I was therefore surprised by nothing we saw or experienced, and our trip was everything we knew it would be. In the days leading up to the cruise, I actually had to stop reading these forums as I was getting so down and depressed about the ship from all the complaining. Fortunately, she lived up to all our expectations and WE BELIEVE, is a superb experience.

 

Jeff

[JimmyVWine]

An actual event:

 

... He starts complaining to us that the door is taking to long to close.

 

She then says gruffly, "these God D*** elevator doors close too quickly, ...

 

Although this was a problem, it was handled and resolved very quickly.

 

I think these two stories point out a very valuable difference between "whining" and having a negative opinion. In the first example, one person says the porridge is too hot and the other person says the porridge is too cold. If they are eating from the same bowl, they can't both be right. And in the end, the thing that they are complaining about takes about 2 seconds to resolve itself as the elevator door closes. It is useless to complain about such things, and that does come off as whining. Those folks need to get a grip and learn to relax. But don't equate this level of whining with the complaints that many have voiced about the lack of a central staircase. Recall that this idea was rolled out with a previous ship and it did not go over well. So while many people have stated their concerns on this issue without ever being on the ship, past experience as well as an ability to extrapolate in one's mind what the result will be make such opinions valid. Whether the elevator/stairs situation will "ruin one's cruise" is purely a matter of opinion, and neither side of the issue is populated by whiners. Both sides have a point.

 

As for the second story, this really points out the glass-half-full world versus the glass-half-empty world. In hearing the story of your toilet, (and several others just like it), it is not irrational to believe that a months-old, state of the art ship should not have these problems. On the other hand, one can (and should) rejoice in the speedy and efficient manner in which this was handled. So again, it is not irrational or whining to voice concern about these hiccups, even if said person has never been on the ship. One does not have to actually experience a toilet failure to have an opinion on the subject. Conversely, it is great to see that these problems are fixed so quickly. Hope that continues. In the end, one person might write a bad review because this issue arose. Another person might protest that they will never sail on this ship because the toilets break down. And a third person might write a positive review because the issue was addressed so quickly. I don't see any one of these three people as being whiners.

 

In many respects, whether or not something comes off as whining can only be judged in the abstract after the fact. If one complains about the size of the Royal balconies and future ships are built with bigger ones, then it wasn't whining after all. But if all future ships are built just like Royal, then the complaints do come off as whining since nothing is ever going to come of the complaints. Too early to tell. All I know is that if in 5 years, a new ship is rolled out with bigger balconies, a central staircase and more pools, most people who are loving Royal would probably love that new ship as well, and they might have the "whiners" to thank for it! ;)

 

Great review, by the way.