Royal Review - More Positives Than Negatives

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. I enjoyed reading it. It is nice to see more and more balanced reviews of the Royal come in as people sail her.:):):)

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. I enjoyed reading it. It is nice to see more and more balanced reviews of the Royal come in as people sail her.:):):)

[bonsai3s]

...for those who love sweets, the Pastry Shop onboard the Royal Princess is the best we've seen. :)

[CI66774]

...for those who love sweets, the Pastry Shop onboard the Royal Princess is the best we've seen. :)

 

It always beckoned me with its sugary decadence as I attempted to walk past it. :D

[caribill]

Also, as usual, TSA slow rolled everthing.

 

TSA can be blamed for many things, but when you are leaving the cruise you are dealing with immigration and customs, not the TSA.

[Happy2cruise]

Our main problem was with the "Walk-Off" program. Basically a "you get off now" situation. No attempt to control "first in, first out" policly.

I thought even the "Walk-Off" passengers were given colored tags with specific times to disembark......group 1, group2 ....you didn't have this?

[capriccio]

I thought even the "Walk-Off" passengers were given colored tags with specific times to disembark......group 1, group2 ....you didn't have this?

 

On Our Dec 15th disembarkation they did give you colored tags with specific disembarkation times. Worked like a charm -- we were in an 8:45 departure group; arrived at the Symphony MDR at 8:35 and were called at 8:45. Did have a slight (5 - 10 minutes) wait on the 2nd floor (before taking the escalators down to claim luggage/go through immigration and customs) due, I suspect to the lines for immigration and customs. That said, we were in our car by 9:15.

Edited December 25, 2013 by capriccio

[bonsai3s]

Having sailed on B2B2B cruises, the first two on RCCL's Independence of the Seas, then onboard the Royal Princess, we observed the following:

 

As noted on my previous post, the Pastry Shop on the Royal Princess was hands down better...not even close. There was also the delicious bread pudding available during the Pub Lunch. We also found the "meats" noticeably more tender and juicer on the Royal Princess. And let's not forget the pizza onboard, both at Alfredo's and Prego's were better than RCCL's.

 

RCCL was better when it came to sports and activities. We all know about the rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, full court basketball, golf simulator, and the Flowrider. Unique to the Royal Princess is the Shooting Simulator, where one can practice shooting with a shotgun.

 

The fitness center on the Royal Princess is...horribly cramped. Worse, they have eliminated the sauna and the "lap" pool. For those who love to work out, RCCL's fitness center is massive and can compete with any land-based gyms.

 

We looked forward to the new features of the Royal Princess but was quickly disappointed at both the SeaWalk and the Fountains. These are not something that would make one say: "I'm sailing on the Royal so I can experience the SeaWalk and the fountains."

 

The coffee on Royal Princess was made from syrup, unless of course you purchased the coffee card. On RCCL, they serve "Seattle's Best"...everywhere, no extra charge.

 

The theater on Royal Princess also felt cramped and small. No balconies, no walkways/stairs along the sides, and the seats definitely a bit too narrow. It is a new ship and we expected a lot more. That reminds me, we also expected the towels to feel new and fluffy on this beautiful new ship....it was simply "rough". In both cases, RCCL wins again.

 

We love both Princess and RCCL. We will be choosing our future cruises based on the itinerary and not the ship. :)