Horizon particulars on the Royal

[edpeeks]

We will be on the Royal in a couple of weeks. With her different Buffet "Horizon" areas, Bistro, Court & Terrace, those who have already sailed her give us an overview of the layout, do's and don'ts of the area and any other tips. Thanks in advance.

[Pam in CA]

The Horizon Court is fabulous. Unlike other Princess ships, the sides of the buffet do not necessarily duplicate. When you board, go up and explore the entire buffet area because there are some areas you may not discover. It's huge.

 

The Horizon Bistro has made-to-order sandwiches at lunch. A hidden gem. It also has a separate salad bar with lots of goodies to make a chef's salad.

[NewPennCruiser]

When you walk into the buffet from the pool area, you will first walk into the Bistro. The furniture is different with lots of tall tables and counter type space to sit at and the pastry shop is located here. Desserts are available there all the time even if the Bistro section is not necessarily open. As you continue aft, you will enter the Horizon Court area and there are many serving areas available and as Pam has mentioned, make sure you walk through and check out everything because there are many options. There was often a taco area, many pastas, a grilled food area and many salad options.

 

You will get spoiled and the old Horizon Court will just seem totally inadequate, so enjoy. As you continue back through the Horizon Court you can go through the doors to the Horizon Terrace which is outdoors but completely covered. The Outrigger Bar is located here with sofas to lounge on and many tables that give you the option to eat outdoors even if the weather isn’t all that great. There always seemed to be open tables.

 

A nice addition to the buffet is hand washing areas as you walk into the Bistro. They still have the hand sanitizers around but I thought it was smart to add an easy option for washing your hands. We always stopped and they usually had someone there asking people to wash their hands as they entered the area. At busy times, most people just seemed to walk by but many people stopped.

 

Depending on time of day or how busy they are, the entire Bistro / Court area might be open but there were often times when some sections were closed down. Even if a section like the Bistro might not be serving food, you were always welcome to sit there.

 

Oh and before I forget, if you have a coffee card or just would like to get an espresso or latte, they have a coffee machine in the pastry area of the Bistro that will make coffee drinks, just like at the International Café.

 

Have fun exploring!!! Dave

[Steven_&_Daniel]

We also loved the new Horizon Buffet on the Royal Princess. There are some areas that are easy to miss, so take your time looking around. We loved the covered outdoor dining area aft of the buffet. Some spots can be very windy, but there are some great ones too. It was never crowded out there, so we considered it a hidden gem if you like eating at the buffet.

 

I would love to see Princess renovate the Grand Class buffets to match the new design on Royal, if at all possible.

[edpeeks]

Thanks for all the wonderful overviews of the Royal buffet areas. I will do my part to partake of every section!

[HleeCruiser]

We also loved the new Horizon Buffet on the Royal Princess. There are some areas that are easy to miss, so take your time looking around. We loved the covered outdoor dining area aft of the buffet. Some spots can be very windy, but there are some great ones too. It was never crowded out there, so we considered it a hidden gem if you like eating at the buffet.

 

I would love to see Princess renovate the Grand Class buffets to match the new design on Royal, if at all possible.

 

Obviously not possible due to the lack of square footage. However having recently been on the Royal and Sapphire I can report the newly configured Horizon Court on the Sapphire is a great improvement. They have increased the serving area by taking some of the seating and converting it to a pastry section thus freeing up space in the hot food area for more variety. The traffic flow is much improved on the Sapphire. Perhaps they will do this on all the Grand Class ships.

[caribill]

However having recently been on the Royal and Sapphire I can report the newly configured Horizon Court on the Sapphire is a great improvement. They have increased the serving area by taking some of the seating and converting it to a pastry section thus freeing up space in the hot food area for more variety. The traffic flow is much improved on the Sapphire.

 

Having experienced this rennovation on another Princess ship, I find that, yes, the traffic flow if greatly improved.

 

Part of that improvement is to have the same foods on both sides of a counter, but the result is less variety than before since the same items are there twice.

[hehny]

Just to add, there is a coffee bar in the pastry section but it doesn't serve everything the IC does. For example, they can't make iced drinks.

 

Also found it interesting that some greeters made you purell and others didn't. This is why I prefer to only take food the passangers can't handle themselves. Was pleasantly surprised as to how many options there were since buffets aren't usually my thing.

Edited March 18, 2014 by hehny

[De De of Las Vegas]

We will be doing our first trip on the Royal Princess May 12. Thank-all of you for your valuable Buffet information. We live in Henderson, Nv. I know Buffet's but Royal sounds fabulous.

[cruisehome]

does princess still have wonderful deserts like in years past

[Pam in CA]

We will be doing our first trip on the Royal Princess May 12. Thank-all of you for your valuable Buffet information. We live in Henderson, Nv. I know Buffet's but Royal sounds fabulous.

The Royal's Horizon Court and Bistro are so large and the options so varied that it's a bit intimidation or overwhelming at first. One thing I love about the Royal's buffet design is that there are chefs behind each smaller section so that food is constantly fresh and refreshed. They don't have to check from the central kitchen area and then run across with filled bins or platters. You'll also see multiple woks, for instance, so that if someone is taking something from one, you don't have to wait.

 

As for Purel, it makes little difference. The plus is that it might inhibit bacteria and make you feel better. At worst, it spreads germs on your hands as you spread the Purel on them. The Royal has hand washing stations at each entrance which is far better than Purel to prevent Noro and other viruses.

 

 

Some photos of the HC:

 

 

 

[UpcountryTravelers]

The buffet on the Royal Princess is far superior to the buffets on any ship we have sailed, on any of the 4 cruise lines we have done! (See list below.)

ENJOY!!