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Back from the royal 1/12-1/19

nurse@sea

By nurse@sea,
in Princess Cruises

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nurse@sea

nurse@sea

Posted
Posted

Returned from the Royal Princess relaxed and rested. After reading about the positives and negatives, over the last year or so, I wanted to offer a few opinions I had about her. Please remember, these are only my opinions. The ship overall is beautiful, classic and elegant. I wasnt even able to see the whole thing in the short time I sailed on her. I had an owners suite on Dolphin deck. It suited my needs and I felt there was plenty of room. The love seat and the chairs could have been a little more comfortable, but for the times we used them they were fine. The balcony was enormous! The soot issue. It was definitely a factor the deterred us from enjoying our balcony as much as we would have liked to. Upon arriving in our room, I asked our steward how bad the soot was and, not acting surprised that I asked, stated that it was "bad." The soot wasn't the only issue. There were some days when we sailed that the smell of the diesel fumes were overpowering. We were able to enjoy the balcony on port days and it seemed less on the return trip to Fort Lauderdale. I went to passenger services about three days into the cruise and asked to speak with the hotel manager about the soot issue and mentioned that I would like to be compensated for not being able to use the balcony. I didnt go into detail with the passenger service agent, and again, she didnt seem at all surprised that I was complaining about it. The next day when I hadnt heard from the hotel manager, I again stopped by the passenger service desk. I was then informed that there was a monetary credit applied to both mine and my daughters account. I was very happy with the amount and felt that It was sufficient and fair. The food on a ship, I know is very subjective. I had absolutely no complaints. I cant comment on the dining rooms since I never visited them on this voyage. The IC always had delicious snacks and pastries all day long. The new Horizon Court was amazing! The new bistro part had sandwiches and snacks that were so good you wanted to grab them all. It has been a long time since I have been through a buffet where I could decide what to eat because it all looked great and not because I couldnt fine anything I'd like. The crown grill was fabulous as always!! Unfortunately, we didnt get to eat breakfast or dinner in Sabatinis. We also didnt see many shows unless they were in the Piazza. There, the music and dancing was ongoing throughout the day. It was lovely to walk through and decide to sit awhile and people watch. My daughter and I planned this cruise as a time for us to be together and plan her wedding. We had no schedules, so where better than to relax, but the Sanctuary! We both loved it. We made sure we arrived early at the dock and was one of the earliest to board the ship. I sent my daughter on ahead, I have some mobility issues and she's much younger and faster, to the Sanctuary to sign us up. I had heard there were a lot of sailings that the Sanctuary was sold out prior to everyone boarding, but that was not the case for this sailing. There seemed to be about 1/3 of the passengers who booked for the week and the rest were daily or 1/2 day. Port days there were always plenty of empty loungers. The staff at this venue couldnt be more attentive. We used the pools a couple of times. They seemed overflowing on sea days, as usual, and pretty full on port days. The difference with this ship, I noticed, was how windy it was on sea days. I dont know if its because the pools are on higher floors than the other ships, or what but the wind whips right through and can be annoying at times. There were what appeared to be less loungers around the pools then on the other ships too, but they had some very nice seating areas scattered around which were lovely, especially if you were with a group of people. We did use the spa while we were on board and the services and staff were excellent. I purchased the Enclave for the week and was thrilled with it. I used it almost everyday. The Enclave was a major contributor to lessening my stress level over the week. I readily would book it again on any future cruises. The demographics of passengers on the ship were, what appeared to be retired adults. I did see a smattering of small children and a few 20's-30's. I would like to mention the people and elevators. I thank God that our cabin was aft so we were able to avoid the midship elevators most of the time. Those elevators were almost always busy. That was not even an issue a lot of the times, it was the impatient and occasionally rude people that would ride the elevators. There always seemed to be that one person who insisted that they would squeeze themselves into an already packed elevator hindering the doors so they would not shut. On one occasion, this person would not move out of the way of the doors and an argument ensued. Very uncomfortable for the people packed in the elevator to see grown people arguing and no way to leave or diffuse the situation. To avoid these situations we used the other elevators when we had too. The central elevators were less crowded on port days. The casino was unforgiving to me so I only donated once. But it seemed to be busy most days and was one of the largest Ive seen on a ship. I heard a lot of bells and whistles so someone was lucky somewhere. It wasnt me! Im sorry if Ive rambled. There was so much or so little to do and see on this fabulous ship. All a matter of personal preference. I would definitely sail her again. If Ive left anything out or there are any questions I will be happy to answer them if I can.

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toberman

toberman

Posted
Posted

Here you go....

 

quote=nurse@sea;

 

Returned from the Royal Princess relaxed and rested. After reading about the positives and negatives, over the last year or so, I wanted to offer a few opinions I had about her. Please remember, these are only my opinions.

The ship overall is beautiful, classic and elegant. I wasnt even able to see the whole thing in the short time I sailed on her. I had an owners suite on Dolphin deck. It suited my needs and I felt there was plenty of room. The love seat and the chairs could have been a little more comfortable, but for the times we used them they were fine. The balcony was enormous!

 

The soot issue. It was definitely a factor the deterred us from enjoying our balcony as much as we would have liked to. Upon arriving in our room, I asked our steward how bad the soot was and, not acting surprised that I asked, stated that it was "bad." The soot wasn't the only issue. There were some days when we sailed that the smell of the diesel fumes were overpowering. We were able to enjoy the balcony on port days and it seemed less on the return trip to Fort Lauderdale. I went to passenger services about three days into the cruise and asked to speak with the hotel manager about the soot issue and mentioned that I would like to be compensated for not being able to use the balcony. I didnt go into detail with the passenger service agent, and again, she didnt seem at all surprised that I was complaining about it. The next day when I hadnt heard from the hotel manager, I again stopped by the passenger service desk. I was then informed that there was a monetary credit applied to both mine and my daughters account. I was very happy with the amount and felt that It was sufficient and fair.

 

The food on a ship, I know is very subjective. I had absolutely no complaints. I cant comment on the dining rooms since I never visited them on this voyage. The IC always had delicious snacks and pastries all day long. The new Horizon Court was amazing! The new bistro part had sandwiches and snacks that were so good you wanted to grab them all. It has been a long time since I have been through a buffet where I could decide what to eat because it all looked great and not because I couldnt fine anything I'd like. The crown grill was fabulous as always!!

 

Unfortunately, we didnt get to eat breakfast or dinner in Sabatinis. We also didnt see many shows unless they were in the Piazza. There, the music and dancing was ongoing throughout the day. It was lovely to walk through and decide to sit awhile and people watch.

 

My daughter and I planned this cruise as a time for us to be together and plan her wedding. We had no schedules, so where better than to relax, but the Sanctuary! We both loved it. We made sure we arrived early at the dock and was one of the earliest to board the ship. I sent my daughter on ahead, I have some mobility issues and she's much younger and faster, to the Sanctuary to sign us up. I had heard there were a lot of sailings that the Sanctuary was sold out prior to everyone boarding, but that was not the case for this sailing. There seemed to be about 1/3 of the passengers who booked for the week and the rest were daily or 1/2 day. Port days there were always plenty of empty loungers. The staff at this venue couldnt be more attentive.

 

We used the pools a couple of times. They seemed overflowing on sea days, as usual, and pretty full on port days. The difference with this ship, I noticed, was how windy it was on sea days. I dont know if its because the pools are on higher floors than the other ships, or what but the wind whips right through and can be annoying at times. There were what appeared to be less loungers around the pools then on the other ships too, but they had some very nice seating areas scattered around which were lovely, especially if you were with a group of people.

 

We did use the spa while we were on board and the services and staff were excellent. I purchased the Enclave for the week and was thrilled with it. I used it almost everyday. The Enclave was a major contributor to lessening my stress level over the week. I readily would book it again on any future cruises.

 

The demographics of passengers on the ship were, what appeared to be retired adults. I did see a smattering of small children and a few 20's-30's.

 

I would like to mention the people and elevators. I thank God that our cabin was aft so we were able to avoid the midship elevators most of the time. Those elevators were almost always busy. That was not even an issue a lot of the times, it was the impatient and occasionally rude people that would ride the elevators. There always seemed to be that one person who insisted that they would squeeze themselves into an already packed elevator hindering the doors so they would not shut. On one occasion, this person would not move out of the way of the doors and an argument ensued. Very uncomfortable for the people packed in the elevator to see grown people arguing and no way to leave or diffuse the situation. To avoid these situations we used the other elevators when we had too. The central elevators were less crowded on port days.

 

The casino was unforgiving to me so I only donated once. But it seemed to be busy most days and was one of the largest Ive seen on a ship. I heard a lot of bells and whistles so someone was lucky somewhere. It wasnt me!

 

Im sorry if Ive rambled. There was so much or so little to do and see on this fabulous ship. All a matter of personal preference. I would definitely sail her again. If Ive left anything out or there are any questions I will be happy to answer them if I can.

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Happy ks

Happy ks

Posted
Posted (edited)

If only I had scrolled down prior to reading :roll eyes:

 

It was a nice review, only very hard to read without paragraph breaks. At least it didn't have a bunch of acronyms, spelling and grammar errors.

 

Thanks for posting it, nurse@sea.

Edited by Happy ks
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JimmyVWine Great Review Rare

JimmyVWine

Posted
Posted
Would love to read it....but very hard when it is all one paragraph. Finish a line and don't know which one is next.

 

Sorry...but...

Here's the Reader's Digets version:

 

Returned from the Royal Princess relaxed and rested.

The ship overall is beautiful, classic and elegant.

I had an owners suite on Dolphin deck. It suited my needs and I felt there was plenty of room. The love seat and the chairs could have been a little more comfortable, but for the times we used them they were fine. The balcony was enormous!

 

The soot issue. It was definitely a factor the deterred us from enjoying our balcony as much as we would have liked to. ..I was then informed that there was a monetary credit applied to both mine and my daughters account. I was very happy with the amount and felt that It was sufficient and fair.

 

The food on a ship, I know is very subjective. I had absolutely no complaints. I can’t comment on the dining rooms since I never visited them on this voyage.

The IC always had delicious snacks and pastries all day long. The new Horizon Court was amazing!

The crown grill was fabulous as always!!

 

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to eat breakfast or dinner in Sabatini’s.

We also didn’t see many shows unless they were in the Piazza.

The Sanctuary! We both loved it.

 

We used the pools a couple of times. They seemed overflowing on sea days, as usual, and pretty full on port days.

The difference with this ship, I noticed, was how windy it was on sea days.

We did use the spa while we were on board and the services and staff were excellent. I purchased the Enclave for the week and was thrilled with it.

I would like to mention the people and elevators. I thank God that our cabin was aft so we were able to avoid the mid-ship elevators most of the time. Those elevators were almost always busy.

 

The casino was unforgiving to me so I only donated once.

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bonsai3s

bonsai3s

Posted
Posted
I went to passenger services about three days into the cruise and asked to speak with the hotel manager about the soot issue and mentioned that I would like to be compensated for not being able to use the balcony. I didnt go into detail with the passenger service agent, and again, she didnt seem at all surprised that I was complaining about it. The next day when I hadnt heard from the hotel manager, I again stopped by the passenger service desk. I was then informed that there was a monetary credit applied to both mine and my daughters account. I was very happy with the amount and felt that It was sufficient and fair.

 

 

How would you have felt if Princess decided not to compensate you?

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lynwar

lynwar

Posted
Posted

Hi

nurse@sea-I did read it in your paragraph form and didn't have a problem. I have relatives who write in that style. :) That said, I did write something in one paragraph, once, and was given suggestions on to improve it with paragraphs. ;)The important thing is that you wrote a review of your experiences.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your week on the Royal Princess. We were aboard her the week before Thanksgiving. We never took the opportunity to go to the Sanctuary or Enclave, or even the pools, so it was nice to hear all about it.

 

We used the aft elevators most of the time, too. It seemed more convenient, unless, we forgot where we were and went up on the forward ones, for a longer walk. :)

 

Thanks again, for your input, nurse@sea.

 

Lynne

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waltd

waltd

Posted
Posted
I went to passenger services about three days into the cruise and asked to speak with the hotel manager about the soot issue and mentioned that I would like to be compensated for not being able to use the balcony. I didnt go into detail with the passenger service agent, and again, she didnt seem at all surprised that I was complaining about it. The next day when I hadnt heard from the hotel manager, I again stopped by the passenger service desk. I was then informed that there was a monetary credit applied to both mine and my daughters account. I was very happy with the amount and felt that It was sufficient and fair.

 

 

How would you have felt if Princess decided not to compensate you?

 

OP since you have been reading about the Royal for a year I wonder why you would have picked a suite with soot issues.

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nurse@sea

nurse@sea

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Posted

 

OP since you have been reading about the Royal for a year I wonder why you would have picked a suite with soot issues.

 

Although I started reading about the Royal over a year ago, it wasnt until around the time of the final payment that the reviews started targeting the "soot issue, as people started sailing her. I always take each review as subjective views of the people reporting. I have sailed in aft cabins before and have experienced soot before. The question I asked myself was the soot a lot or did it appeared as a lot to people who never had a aft cabin before. By that time the final payment was made.

 

And yes, I would have been disappointed not to have been compensated in some way. I purchased a product that was not as advertised and I would have expected Princess to stand behind it, which they did.

 

I love Cruise Critic and have learned many things from it over the years. I also have seen how there are many critical opinions, on this site and any other review site. In the end, I take into consideration what has been said and what, in my experience, I can expect and make my own decisions based on my needs. Most times Im very happy with my choices. On the rare times Im disappointed I just chalk it up to life's experiences and move on.

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chamima

chamima

Posted
Posted (edited)
Returned from the Royal Princess relaxed and rested.

 

We made sure we arrived early at the dock and was one of the earliest to board the ship. I sent my daughter on ahead, I have some mobility issues and she's much younger and faster, to the Sanctuary to sign us up. I had heard there were a lot of sailings that the Sanctuary was sold out prior to everyone boarding, but that was not the case for this sailing. There seemed to be about 1/3 of the passengers who booked for the week and the rest were daily or 1/2 day. Port days there were always plenty of empty loungers. The staff at this venue couldnt be more attentive.

 

All a matter of personal preference. I would definitely sail her again. If Ive left anything out or there are any questions I will be happy to answer them if I can.

 

Hi Thanks for the detailed report.

I have a question about the Sanctuary.

Someone else (who said she was on your sailing) reported that no one was able to book the Sanctuary for the week - that they only had 5 or 6 loungers available for the entire week booking and that all of those had been taken by the previous week's B2B passengers.

She also said they have raised the price to $40/day per lounger. That would be $560 for 2 people for a week. :(

This seems to be different from your experience. :confused:

Any accuracy to any of that? :confused:

 

 

(Oh - and we're in an aft also. Final payment made and hoping for the best. If not, we'll have to deal with it.)

Edited by chamima
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quincytoo

quincytoo

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Posted
Hi Thanks for the detailed report.

I have a question about the Sanctuary.

Someone else (who said she was on your sailing) reported that no one was able to book the Sanctuary for the week - that they only had 5 or 6 loungers available for the entire week booking and that all of those had been taken by the previous week's B2B passengers.

She also said they have raised the price to $40/day per lounger. That would be $560 for 2 people for a week. :(

This seems to be different from your experience. :confused:

Any accuracy to any of that? :confused:

 

 

(Oh - and we're in an aft also. Final payment made and hoping for the best. If not, we'll have to deal with it.)

We were on the same cruise as the OP and also loved the cruise.

We did the Santuary the first sea day from 1:30-6:30 and the charge was indeed $20 per person. A full day would have been $40 pp.

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