2013 Royal Princess Cruise Review with Kids

[inghilch]

Apologies but the Royal Princess 12/22 Christmas cruise with kids was a sleeper…some PHOTOS

 

I realize people take cruises for different reasons. For us, it's our annual family trip. There were many large groups of multi-generational families. Many non-English speaking groups. One woman told me she didn't even pack a bathing suit for her 2 week B2B. I would say this cruise attracted a more upscale type of crowd compared to Carnival. Barring in mind though our cabin door Christmas wreath went missing the first day. Did we have a good time?? Well I guess so. But it really was kind of boring...

 

TRANSPORTATION - Booked private GO shuttle Van. Reasonably priced and timely.

EMBARKATION - Arrival 12:00pm some traffic pulling up to the boat. Short lines moved very quickly. No hassle for water or wine in bag. I also saw at drop off some cases of water packed with luggage. I didn't know that was allowed.

DEBARKATION - Given cream-colored tags to depart at 7 am. I went to guest services and said that time was no good and they changed to 9:15. Note though you have to be out of your cabin by 8am. We ended up leaving before our schedule time and it was not a problem. The suitcases were all grouped by their color codes. Short lines at customs too. I would say whole process only took 25mins.

 

MUNSTER DRILL. Taken very seriously. Long – took an hour. Must bring life vests.

 

CABINS E731, E733. ADJACENT BALCONY CABINS AFT

So what can I say? It was so tight in the room when the pull out sofa was made you had no place to walk. The only good part was having the balcony divider open.

There was also no place to put anything. 4 tiny cubbies for 3 people. Are they kidding?? Not enough storage by a long shot and I found it VERY difficult to organize anything. Bring more hangers? Very little clothes? It was maddening.

WAS THERE SOOT - Yes! But not that big of a deal. Did make the kids feet dirty. You had to wear shoes on the balcony. Also there was a black stain by the balcony door. I was too annoyed by the tiny space to think of the soot. Balcony very wet night two when the captain announced large swells. Lots of vibrations too that night and often on other nights you can hear music and vibrations from vista lounge directly below. Especially when Zumba class was offered. Positive was the good location given above the Promenade deck 7. Horizon court was also straight up to 16. Annoying though you couldn't walk through on deck 6.

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[inghilch]

MINI SUITES had a LOT MORE space. Bigger cubbies couch, wider. I still can't believe I lost these rooms. Perhaps a little more room would have gone a long way.

ELEVATORS. Painfully slow and local stopping at every deck. Never experienced such long waits on any other cruise ship.

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[inghilch]

DINING

DINING RESERVATIONS - I knew from cruise critic to MAKE DINING RESERVATIONS IMMEDIATELY UPON BOARDING Lets be clear. I could not get through on the dining line. CALLED REPEATEDLY.

Went directly to SABITINI’S 1ish - reservation for the second night.

CROWN GRILL - Found someone there around 2 - reservation available only on the final night.

DINE LINE. Finally through after Munster drill. CHEF TABLE booked. Only 24 guests over 2 nights. We were 4th cabin waitlisted. Was told reservations started at 12. How did they get through? I honestly think you have to know someone. WINE DINNER ($40pp) was available and I took it. It was confirmed for the St marten night and to be honest, the food was only mediocre. The table seats 12 but we were 6. Best part is the social aspect of it - Meeting other cruise passengers and sharing stories. Otherwise the cuisine is no way in comparison to a Chef table. An extraordinary dining experience I was happy to experience on RCL earlier this year.

 

BUFFET/HORIZEN - dinner always empty. I loved the tables were set. Water/ice team and coffee/juice always immediately offered.

Night two. Italian night. Pisa ice sculpture. Fine cheeses and meats. Different pastas. Stuffed breads. Yum. Last lunch day sushi but not the best. Only had breakfast and lunch. At night sometimes I would feed the kids.

SABITINI’S. Night two (princess cays) Many vacant tables. Told by server many people didn’t show. Tired. Maybe sunburn, she said. I was also surprised when told they were not charged for no shows? Hmm.

The server also said sea days were always full. There are two seating’s. 5/5:30 and 8/8:30. Dinner was yum! We ordered lots.

Burrito, SS crab, lobster trio, linguini clams. Salt crusted sea bass. Soup. All was I thought very good.

 

 

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[inghilch]

OCEAN TERRACE. - Nice casual dinner. Sushi and sashimi. Tuna Poke. Lobster claw cocktail. Bloody Mary oyster shooter.

 

ALFREDO'S PIZZERIA - Usually empty. Couple of pastas. Veal ravioli and eggplant wrapped angel hair. Made to order pizza good like Prego (poolside). My son always ordered pizza - cheese and no sauce. No take out though. You would have to sneak it out.

 

MDR - ANYTIME DINING- CONCERTO OR SYMPHONY exactly the same. Good service. Second formal night lobster and porcini ravioli. Yum. We never had to wait around 7:30pm. I noticed longer waits the first formal night.

 

CROWN GRILL - best service. Very good food and my favorite dining experience. You can order surf and turf and we were given a plate of lobster tails. Also went will all the service recommendations. Yum.

POOLSIDE PREGO PIZZA - really excellent. Only problem is you found yourself eating it all day long.

GELATO – Yum. For a couple of $$ you were given two scoops. We always stopped her with the kids after the kids club.

BELLINI’s – GREAT BELLINI’s.

VINES – Stammtisch wine and seafood pairing seemed interesting. Offered only a couple nights.

INTERNATIONIAL CAFÉ – only went for coffee but seemed like a good breakfast, lunch or snack option.

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[inghilch]

And the Crown Grill and Gelato..

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[inghilch]

POOL – Major plus no sign out towels. Fountain sprinklers offered to the kids only on embarkation and then on port days 9-11. I thought the pools were fine size wise. Jacuzzis were nice above on deck 17. Many people complaining of no chairs at 12pm. Come down at 9 like the rest of us.

SANCTUARY POOL – Always booked. I met a few people that even at 7am couldn’t get in. I walked around it was VERY NICE.

 

SPA – Husband booked the Enclave spa pass for $159. He went daily and always showered there as it had a “normal” shower. No problem buying a pass on deck 16 day 1 by the pool.

GYM – Busy, good equipment. Lots of classes. You have to also sign up day 1 to get in. Small fee.

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[inghilch]

KIDS CLUB – ZZZ … Just ok. Four groups. Pelicans age 3-5, 6-7 same room. Shockwaves 8-12. Have the ability to sign in and out. Then teens Remix 13 -17.

700 or so kids on board but most did not utilize the facilities. Outdoor areas for the pelicans rarely used because of the heat.

Most of the staff brought on for the holiday cruises. All women and no male youth staff? Motherly types. It really is a quite a different experience without the regular energetic staff. My kids attend the kids club for socialization. A day camp type experience. Not babysitting. The non-port day activities ran from 9-12. Guess what. They always played a kids movie at 10 meaning it was quite difficult to get the kids to move from the pool.

Programming at night ran from 6-10. The two formal nights they offered the kid’s dinner at 7. Now that made zero sense. If your kids didn't want to attend the dinner, programming didn't start until 8. Another night the programming was dinner and then a movie.

All activities end at 10. Don’t be late or you get scolded. No late night parties at all which on other cruises I thought the most fun for the kids.

My kids views - BORING... Not enough interactive games and too much arts and crafts. They went sometimes though. Made some friends. Princess needs to seriously check out the kids programming from RCL, NCL and Carnival.

Oh and kids food. My kids were all starving. No milk boxes. No Cheerios. Not sure why they can't have chicken nuggets at lunch. That's what kids want. I paid regular adult price for the kids. Have kids food then. My sons ate bread and butter and frosted flakes all week. I had to beg five different people for a grilled cheese.

Christmas activities just ok. They had a Christmas fair in the atrium offering cookie decorating, face painting, tattoos, picture with frosty. They had Santa visit and give out a stuffed dolphin. They had some Carol singing in the atrium.

Chef at sea - $25. For 8-10 year olds. Last sea day at 10am. Bake cupcakes. Given hat, apron and a bunch of photos. Cupcakes delivered to the room. One daughter loved it. The other did not.

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[inghilch]

PORTS

PRINCESS CAYS

By 9:20 1/2 tenders already left. Got ticket #4

Pelican Perch - Not many kids at all. Remember - it’s supposed to be social. Maybe Princess needs more organized games.

Chair, float rental no problem.

Bungalows seemed very nice but Number 18 kind of far away from everything

Reef by sanctuary bring bananas when you snorkel and there were lots of fish.

2pm on there is a very long line back. Best guess is 20min or so wait.

Last tender back left at 4:30. The captain also made an announcement ship would be going VERY fast. Some large swells. And high winds in the front. It was Very, VERY rocky that evening.

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[inghilch]

ST THOMAS

It was Christmas day so after we attempted to open presents in the tiny spot by the door we thought we should relax on the beach. The Wyndham offered day pass for $85 each and kids ½ price. I knew from a past cruise on RCL of Emerald beach/Best Western. $7 cab each kids and adults. 15 min ride. Allow more time though as they always drop people off downtown on the way.

Very chill place. $10 for a chair with an umbrella. Beach bar/restaurant. Good drinks (Bushwhacker) and lunch. Great salads. Jet Skis available. Float rental. Waves mild. Great for kids. 9:30 quiet and had your choice of chair and umbrella location. By 1pm it was very busy and little space left. Saw many cruise passengers come from NCL and RCL also there.

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[inghilch]

ST MAARTEN

Bernard tours. Booked a private van and it was same price each for kids and adults. Driver’s name was SEXY. We liked him and he was a super nice guy but difficult to understand. Stopped at the Iguana Farm – just ok. True about the animals in inhumane conditions. Kids didn’t notice and liked the iguanas, snake and monkey.

Oyster pond to the sea urchin guy was interesting

Le Galleon beach - $10 per chair. Very quiet. Locals too. Small bay. Also an ocean water competitive swim pool. Kids had a blast running around it.

Orient beach – opposite of Galleon. Super Busy went to Bikini beach to have lunch. New. Very clean. Awesome service staff. Over 200 euros. They had chicken nuggets though!

Beach had great waves. Watersports – Trampoline.

Get badgered all days selling stuff, massage. Really quite annoying.

St Maarten night had LATIN DANCE party. The only deck party offered the entire cruise Kids also had kids disco night. Very Balmy night.

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[LittleMissMagic]

Hey, there! Great review! I think we overlooked your balcony - we were D729/D731, and I might've taken a photo of your balcony from above. :)

[inghilch]

Orient Beach and Lunch and Bikini Beach

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[inghilch]

STAFF - Sure I thought the service was good but the staff to me in particular the Atrium dining venues and some of the bar service staff seem stressed. Perhaps not used to such a large crowd? Our cabin steward had no personality. I kept asking him for a towel animal and he was like we only do it on formal night. Guess what. We never had one! He barely spoke to us.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment - well was entertaining but not Broadway quality and far inferior to RCL and NCL. Still we attended. Hits and misses. Princess live was like a lounge. Intimate venue. Liked the Princess pop star and Quest games show, love and marriage well attended.

Day 1 Princess theatre show - skip. Mostly talking summarizing week, Day 2 - Unexpected Boys (similar to Jersey boys) BEST show for the week. In the Vista lounge. HUGE attendance by the cruise staff as well. Also David Cats Illusionist – kind of cheesy but kids enjoyed. Day 3 Holiday Wishes show , Day 4 St Maarten – comedian – kind of funny.. Then I lost track as they all started to blend in. I remember the Colors show and Sweet Soul were ok.

 

MOVIES. Oh my did they have a lot of them. There was always a movie playing somewhere. Evenings were set up nice. Comfy cushions, blankets popcorn, warm cookies and milk. Truly awesome for movie buffs.

 

To summarize for us it was just okay. I don't know if I just expected more. Was I still upset that my mini suite room was taken away. This was the first cruise I’ve taken that I could not wait to get off the ship. I'm not sure what exactly it was for us but for all the committed princess cruisers. I honestly feel like your missing out if you don't try RCI and NCL.

[janetz]

Loving your review...:)

[RickEk]

Thanks for the review... why were your mini-suites taken away??

[inghilch]

Hey, there! Great review! I think we overlooked your balcony - we were D729/D731, and I might've taken a photo of your balcony from above. :)

 

Thank you! I enjoyed yours as well. I write them every year but sometimes don't bother to post. You must have been above. Did it say go tigers on your balcony?

[LittleMissMagic]

Thank you! I enjoyed yours as well. I write them every year but sometimes don't bother to post. You must have been above. Did it say go tigers on your balcony?

 

Yes, that was me! :D

[Gettingwarmer]

See below

Edited January 4, 2014 by Gettingwarmer

[Gettingwarmer]

Thanks for the review... why were your mini-suites taken away??

 

See

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1952297

[sunsetbeachgal]

Your photos are gorgeous. Thanks for the review!

[inghilch]

Thanks for the review... why were your mini-suites taken away??

 

 

Long story short. We had an upgrade boxed erroneously checked on our reservation. So my carefully selected connecting mini-suite cabins were technically "upgraded" but it moved us on different decks... 2 weeks prior to sailing. In order to be back together, We downgraded to a balcony. The only two adjacent cabins left.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

Sorry you had to deal with being moved.

I think the cabin situation probably didn't help.

[inghilch]

Yes, that was me! :D[/quote

 

Oh small world! I never saw you guys. You probably didn't see us much either because I could barely get through my room to even get to the balcony...

[whynotsooner]

How old are your children? I as because my mother and I were on the week before you and as I was a teen spent much of my time in Remix and saw all the Shockwaves having fun. They said that for the holidays they were bringing on lots of staff. Also as a competitive dancer I have to say that the new shows on Royal Princess were the best I have seen at sea(except for Blu Man Group on the Epic)and also thought that the singers and dancer were out of this world. Thoroughly entertained after every show including David Cats and Carlos Oscar(actually thought that The Unexpected Boys was my least favorite). Love the more upscale experience on Princess but thats just me.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Just wondering what your cruising experience is? Are you more used to Carnival or RCI?

 

My kids always had a great time with Princess kids' program. Even so, their favorite was RCI, but only when they had very small groups. They liked the energy level of their counselors. And yes, 10pm to pick up the kids from the kids' program means 10pm, not 10:10 or 10:30. We were never late because we knew the counselors needed their time off too. They can, and will, charge you if you're late.

 

To have a family of 4 in a regular balcony cabin is rough. Two people can fit somewhat comfortably, but IMO, no more than that. Next time, if you all need/want to share one cabin, I hope you can get that mini-suite you originally booked. You'll be a lot more comfortable.

 

Thanks for the review and welcome home! :)