Bad start to very good Royal cruise

[clo6216]

Before the Cruise: My husband and I have been on approximately 25 cruises. This was our third on Princess. We traveled with another couple. All of us are from Central Florida. Instead of driving the four hours to Port Everglades, we stayed at the Marriott Renaissance in Boca Raton the night before the cruise. This is a lovely boutique hotel close to great restaurants, shopping and I-95. We did this so we could get onboard early to book The Sanctuary for the week.

 

And this is where the bad start comes in:

 

Embarkation: The couple we traveled with were Elite passengers so we were able to wait in the Elite lounge at the port until boarding commenced. It was very easy. We were in the first group to board. We went straight to Deck 17 to book the Sanctuary. There was one group of six and one other couple ahead of us. We all waited in the hot sun for 20 minutes until someone came out to take our reservations. When our turn came, we were told there was only ONE lounger left to reserve for the week. The “policy” is to book only 16 lounges for the week ($30 per day per person), with the remaining 42 lounges to be booked daily ($40 per day, per person). Despite our protestations, no explanation could be given as to why only one was left when there were only 8 people ahead of us. We later were told that the others were reserved by back-to-back cruisers.

 

Now the good:

 

Public Areas: The ship is beautiful. The public areas are spacious, with lots of live entertainment going on for most of the day/evening. We were mid-ship, very close to the elevators. The lack of stairs was annoying, but the wait for elevators was not bad. Getting around the ship was pretty easy, and the staff were prominent everywhere and ready to assist with directions and general information.

 

Stateroom: We had one of the angled mini-suites. Our room was very comfortable and absolutely immaculate. Our attendant, Roselle, was top-notch. Unlike other ships we’ve been on, where the mini-fridge is just a cooler, the one on Royal actually kept things cold. Our larger-than-most balcony was still pretty small.

 

Food and Beverage: We had dinner at Sabatini’s the first night and found the food and service to be excellent. We attended the Winemakers Dinner another night. The food was excellent, but only two mediocre wines were served. It was not worth the $40 per person price, and it certainly was not a “wine pairing” as advertised. Next time, we’ll do the Chef’s Dinner instead as we have in the past. Our dinners in the Allegro dining room, late seating, were very good. The dining room is beautiful, we had a quiet table, and our servers were adequate though not exceptional. Most days we had lunch in the Horizon Court. It is a great improvement in variety, quality and service over the other Princess ships we’ve been on. We had lunch at Alfredo’s once (excellent) and very late night snacks at International Café (also excellent). We ate dinner in the Crown Grill the last night. The food was just okay, the room was way too noisy, the service was poor, and there were very few tables that were not adjacent to service stations. The location is mid-ship, with no ocean views like there are on the other Princess ships. We never got to eat at Ocean Terrace, and that was probably a mistake on our part.

 

Entertainment: Evening entertainment was very good. We actually enjoyed the Production shows for a change. The pianist was excellent. The Beatlemania show was good, but did not meet our expectations considering the high praise it got on the Cruise Critic boards. The Casino is very nice. It’s quite large, with lots of slots and tables. We especially enjoyed Vines and went there most nights before dinner. We ordered a bottle (or two) of wine each night to share, and our excellent server, Cesar, would hold any leftovers for us for the next day. There is also nearby music to enjoy while “sipping.”

 

Ports: We did not get off the ship for Princess Cay. Been there, done that, live in Florida so the beach is not a novelty. We enjoyed St. Thomas and did most of our duty-free shopping there as the allowance is twice that of the other ports or on the ship. We really love St. Maarten. We tried, and SUCCEEDED, in finding Capi, the taxi driver who took us around on our last trip there. He drove us to Grand Case, on the French side, and we had a nice lunch at one of the LOLOs (locally owned, locally operated). Unfortunately, Talk of the Town, our favorite, was closed.

 

Departure: Quick and easy.

I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments, did you get the Sanctuary spots by going up each day?

[clo6216]

Thanks for your comments, did you get the Sanctuary spots by going up each day?

 

We only used it on one of the sea days. You have to be there VERY early in the morning the day before to reserve, something we did not want to do on our vacation!

[Pam in CA]

We went straight to Deck 17 to book the Sanctuary. There was one group of six and one other couple ahead of us. We all waited in the hot sun for 20 minutes until someone came out to take our reservations. When our turn came, we were told there was only ONE lounger left to reserve for the week. The “policy” is to book only 16 lounges for the week ($30 per day per person), with the remaining 42 lounges to be booked daily ($40 per day, per person). Despite our protestations, no explanation could be given as to why only one was left when there were only 8 people ahead of us. We later were told that the others were reserved by back-to-back cruisers.

Yes. That's the policy. A certain number of loungers are set aside for those booking the entire cruise, the rest are available daily. And yes, those doing a B2B have an advantage. Someone planning to book by the day wouldn't be happy if more loungers were booked by those for the whole cruise. You had the option of booking by the day. Maybe Princess needs to take note and raise the price even more so those willing to pay would be able to do so. That would thin out the Sanctuary lounger "hogs."

[Loonbeam]

We have one of the angled balcs in october.. Can I ask what cabin you had?

 

Before the Cruise: My husband and I have been on approximately 25 cruises. This was our third on Princess. We traveled with another couple. All of us are from Central Florida. Instead of driving the four hours to Port Everglades, we stayed at the Marriott Renaissance in Boca Raton the night before the cruise. This is a lovely boutique hotel close to great restaurants, shopping and I-95. We did this so we could get onboard early to book The Sanctuary for the week.

 

And this is where the bad start comes in:

 

Embarkation: The couple we traveled with were Elite passengers so we were able to wait in the Elite lounge at the port until boarding commenced. It was very easy. We were in the first group to board. We went straight to Deck 17 to book the Sanctuary. There was one group of six and one other couple ahead of us. We all waited in the hot sun for 20 minutes until someone came out to take our reservations. When our turn came, we were told there was only ONE lounger left to reserve for the week. The “policy” is to book only 16 lounges for the week ($30 per day per person), with the remaining 42 lounges to be booked daily ($40 per day, per person). Despite our protestations, no explanation could be given as to why only one was left when there were only 8 people ahead of us. We later were told that the others were reserved by back-to-back cruisers.

 

Now the good:

 

Public Areas: The ship is beautiful. The public areas are spacious, with lots of live entertainment going on for most of the day/evening. We were mid-ship, very close to the elevators. The lack of stairs was annoying, but the wait for elevators was not bad. Getting around the ship was pretty easy, and the staff were prominent everywhere and ready to assist with directions and general information.

 

Stateroom: We had one of the angled mini-suites. Our room was very comfortable and absolutely immaculate. Our attendant, Roselle, was top-notch. Unlike other ships we’ve been on, where the mini-fridge is just a cooler, the one on Royal actually kept things cold. Our larger-than-most balcony was still pretty small.

 

Food and Beverage: We had dinner at Sabatini’s the first night and found the food and service to be excellent. We attended the Winemakers Dinner another night. The food was excellent, but only two mediocre wines were served. It was not worth the $40 per person price, and it certainly was not a “wine pairing” as advertised. Next time, we’ll do the Chef’s Dinner instead as we have in the past. Our dinners in the Allegro dining room, late seating, were very good. The dining room is beautiful, we had a quiet table, and our servers were adequate though not exceptional. Most days we had lunch in the Horizon Court. It is a great improvement in variety, quality and service over the other Princess ships we’ve been on. We had lunch at Alfredo’s once (excellent) and very late night snacks at International Café (also excellent). We ate dinner in the Crown Grill the last night. The food was just okay, the room was way too noisy, the service was poor, and there were very few tables that were not adjacent to service stations. The location is mid-ship, with no ocean views like there are on the other Princess ships. We never got to eat at Ocean Terrace, and that was probably a mistake on our part.

 

Entertainment: Evening entertainment was very good. We actually enjoyed the Production shows for a change. The pianist was excellent. The Beatlemania show was good, but did not meet our expectations considering the high praise it got on the Cruise Critic boards. The Casino is very nice. It’s quite large, with lots of slots and tables. We especially enjoyed Vines and went there most nights before dinner. We ordered a bottle (or two) of wine each night to share, and our excellent server, Cesar, would hold any leftovers for us for the next day. There is also nearby music to enjoy while “sipping.”

 

Ports: We did not get off the ship for Princess Cay. Been there, done that, live in Florida so the beach is not a novelty. We enjoyed St. Thomas and did most of our duty-free shopping there as the allowance is twice that of the other ports or on the ship. We really love St. Maarten. We tried, and SUCCEEDED, in finding Capi, the taxi driver who took us around on our last trip there. He drove us to Grand Case, on the French side, and we had a nice lunch at one of the LOLOs (locally owned, locally operated). Unfortunately, Talk of the Town, our favorite, was closed.

 

Departure: Quick and easy.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can.

[hehny]

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise!

 

I'm not sure why everyone is so angry about b2b reserving. That's a perk they get. It's not like the ability to sail b2b is limited...anyone can technically do it.

 

Similarly, If Princess did not hold back seats for daily reservation, it's very possible they could all be booked by b2b before anyone else boards. Or if it's first come first serve at embark, only priority boarders would get it. I remember how disappointed I was on HAL when I found out the cabanas were prebooked before sailing.

 

By now, even casual CC readers are realizing how hard it is to get Sanctuary seating on Royal. I don't think there is an answer that would satisfy everyone. I'm not a corporate cheerleader, but low supply and high demand is a no win situation.

 

I've been on the Royal twice, once with reserved Sanctuary seating and once without. I can honestly say I had a great time during both trips. I'm glad the OP was able to see past the bad start and enjoy the ship.

[caribill]

Similarly, If Princess did not hold back seats for daily reservation, it's very possible they could all be booked by b2b before anyone else boards. Or if it's first come first serve at embark, only priority boarders would get it.

 

Other ships allow 1/2 the lounges to be booked for the entire cruise. Per the OP, only 1/3 are so allowed on the Royal.

 

Why not 50% like the other ships?

 

Maybe so they can get $40/day instead of $30.

[Cruisin' Chick]

...

 

Embarkation: The couple we traveled with were Elite passengers so we were able to wait in the Elite lounge at the port until boarding commenced. It was very easy. We were in the first group to board. ...

 

My nicky-picky question was regarding whether you were able to board with the Elite (since you're Gold status) or were you in the first group following those with Elite and Platinum status? Because if it's the first, it doesn't seem fair unless you were sharing a cabin with your friends. I would imagine even getting to sit with your friends in the Elite lounge was not appropriate if there was enough Elites to fill it.

[mysaddlebred000]

I also agree that it is not fair for you to be able to board with your elite friends. That is a perk for them or someone sharing a cabin with the an elite or suite people. Your plan was to get on board first so you could book the sanctuary - that is not right! I'm glad you didn't get to book one. But am glad you had a nice cruise.

 

Not sure if their system for booking the sanctuary is best. And that is why so many people do b2b's. I have booked it several times and it really isn't my thing. It has been discussed her many times.

 

I wish they would try a lottery system. Not really sure what would be the best.

[Pam in CA]

I wish they would try a lottery system. Not really sure what would be the best.

How would a lottery system be better? The only way it would be fair is one person at a time lottery so that each person is in the lottery, not one person putting in for two or more loungers.

 

One of the issues with the Sanctuary as I see it is that one person can reserve multiple loungers. Theoretically, someone could reserve all of the available loungers. I've seen one person reserve 4-6 loungers for themselves and friends.

[cruisehome]

what was the evening entertainment like in the atrium what kind of music did they plan

 

I understand there is music and dancing

 

did you visit the club 6 or the vista lounge

 

did anyone have the drink package

 

thanks

[Happy ks]

I'm more interested in the Winemakers dinner than anything else. We are a group of 6, 4 of us enjoy wine a lot, the other 2 enjoy wine, but not like we do. I'm not a connoisseur by any means, but I enjoy a good bottle.

 

We're planning on getting a number of bottles from Total Wine prior to boarding (we do not mind the corkage fee, happy to pay it to select our own wines) and we had thought if we went to the dinner one night, we could eliminate several bottles.

 

Would we be better off avoiding the Winemakers dinner? How was the food in comparison to the dining room food? The description of the dinner makes it sound like a pairing, so I'm a little disappointed to read this.

[Jetswdo]

The Sanctuary is discussed over and over.... Not one person has written an explanation why Celebrity cruise lines has their version of sanctuary included with every cruise. Always loungers available- Yet people keep making excuses for Princess, things like, "too many passengers want this" and "just not enough space to meet the demand." I don't blame the o.p. for being upset-- My cruise leaves in a few weeks on the Royal. I am "plotting" for lack of a better word to try to get into Sanctuary-- yes, ridiculous sounding-- but I am assuming it will be a no go, after reading everything regarding this on c.c. I'm glad that at least the o.p. was still able to enjoy the cruise.

I don't know why one of the above posters was so nasty re: sitting with friends in elite section--evidently on that trip it was allowed-- maybe other times it isn't- comment seemed very petty to me....but whatever.

 

I was surprised that Crown Grille wasn't that great--may be it just missed the ambiance of not being next to windows? But I'm glad that Sabatini's was good.

[LMaxwell]

I don't blame the o.p. for being upset-- My cruise leaves in a few weeks on the Royal. I am "plotting" for lack of a better word to try to get into Sanctuary-- yes, ridiculous sounding-- QUOTE]

 

I love when a plan comes together; see you in a few weeks!:D

 

P.S. - What is the official allotment of wine to bring aboard for a Princess cruise? Even though I am "solo" what amount can I bring on? Something I would be happy to share with you.

Edited March 19, 2014 by LMaxwell

[LMaxwell]

I also agree that it is not fair for you to be able to board with your elite friends. That is a perk for them or someone sharing a cabin with the an elite or suite people. Your plan was to get on board first so you could book the sanctuary - that is not right! I'm glad you didn't get to book one.

 

I disagree with you here. Yes, this is an Elite perk, and was used as designed; for an Elite level guest to invite their friends to board with them. Therefore the main beneficiary was the Elite guest who got to have their group together. The earlier boarding for the lower level guest is what I'd label as a fringe benefit.

 

It is my opinion that it is rather pathetic of you to take joy in the fact that a total stranger did not get to participate in something they would have otherwise enjoyed doing on their cruise and that they were well within the cruise lines rules/guidelines to be able to do so. If you disagree with the rule, write a letter to Princess, don't come on a website with the purpose of trying to publicly shame someone for participating in an activity Princess encourages and endorses.

[caribill]

What is the official allotment of wine to bring aboard for a Princess cruise? Even though I am "solo" what amount can I bring on?

 

You can bring on as many bottles as you wish.

 

The first bottle will not be charged a corkage fee ($15) when boarding, but will be charged one if you bring it to a dining room.

 

All bottles after the first will be charged a $15 corkage fee when you check in and can be brought to a dining room with no additional corkage charge.

[caribill]

Not sure if their system for booking the sanctuary is best. And that is why so many people do b2b's.

 

I seriously doubt that anybody booked a b2b just so they could get a Sanctuary lounge on the second segment.

[pablo222]

The Sanctuary is discussed over and over.... Not one person has written an explanation why Celebrity cruise lines has their version of sanctuary included with every cruise. Always loungers available- Yet people keep making excuses for Princess, things like, "too many passengers want this" and "just not enough space to meet the demand." I don't blame the o.p. for being upset-- My cruise leaves in a few weeks on the Royal.

 

I don't get it. If what you want is free on Celebrity, why are you

going on Princess?

 

And, as Princess is getting your business, what is their incentive to change?

[janetz]

I disagree with you here. Yes, this is an Elite perk, and was used as designed; for an Elite level guest to invite their friends to board with them. Therefore the main beneficiary was the Elite guest who got to have their group together. The earlier boarding for the lower level guest is what I'd label as a fringe benefit.

 

It is my opinion that it is rather pathetic of you to take joy in the fact that a total stranger did not get to participate in something they would have otherwise enjoyed doing on their cruise and that they were well within the cruise lines rules/guidelines to be able to do so. If you disagree with the rule, write a laqetter to Princess, don't come on a website with the purpose of trying to publicly shame someone for participating in an activity Princess encourages and endorses.

 

Well said

[gkny]

I'm glad that you enjoyed your cruise.

[clo6216]

I will try to answer your questions and address your comments.

 

Loonbeam - Our mini-suite was R428 and I recommend it highly.

 

Cruisin' Chick and Saddlebred000 - I couldn't sleep last night after reading your posts. We are honest people who would never try to cheat. We checked in very early as a party of four. The Princess agent is the one who told us to stay with our friends. We did wait with them in the Elite terminal lounge, which was a cavernous room with rows of chairs. It's not like it was really a "lounge," and it was nowhere full when we boarded, so I don't think we took anyone's place. Nevertheless, I'm sorry you think we were trying to take advantage of anything.

 

Cruisehome - The music in the common areas was very varied. Sometimes singers, sometimes just musicians, sometimes jazz, sometimes popular, often 60s-80s music geared toward (older) crowd dancing. We did not go to Club 6. We did go to Vista lounge, which was very nice. No one in our group had a drink package, but we found beer, wine and cocktail prices to be very reasonable. We were on a Celebrity cruise in February which has much higher prices.

 

HappyKs - From the description of your wine habits, I'd skip the Winemakers Dinner. The food was excellent and the room is very pretty. But for $80 per couple... not worth it. The wine served was a Mondavi Savignon Blanc with the excellent bisque and then a Mondavi Cabernet served with the gnocchi and the filet courses. Here's what we did: We brought the one allowed bottle per person onboard. We drank two in the room (cocktails on the balcony) and paid $15 corkage fee for two that we brought to the restaurant. We did buy wine each of the other nights, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. Next time, we'll bring less and buy more.

 

LMaxwell - Your comments made me feel better after getting "flamed." I took the time to write up the cruise in an effort to help others, and I appreciate the support.

[CI66774]

I will try to answer your questions and address your comments.

 

Loonbeam - Our mini-suite was R428 and I recommend it highly.

 

Cruisin' Chick and Saddlebred000 - I couldn't sleep last night after reading your posts. We are honest people who would never try to cheat. We checked in very early as a party of four. The Princess agent is the one who told us to stay with our friends. We did wait with them in the Elite terminal lounge, which was a cavernous room with rows of chairs. It's not like it was really a "lounge," and it was nowhere full when we boarded, so I don't think we took anyone's place. Nevertheless, I'm sorry you think we were trying to take advantage of anything.

 

Cruisehome - The music in the common areas was very varied. Sometimes singers, sometimes just musicians, sometimes jazz, sometimes popular, often 60s-80s music geared toward (older) crowd dancing. We did not go to Club 6. We did go to Vista lounge, which was very nice. No one in our group had a drink package, but we found beer, wine and cocktail prices to be very reasonable. We were on a Celebrity cruise in February which has much higher prices.

 

HappyKs - From the description of your wine habits, I'd skip the Winemakers Dinner. The food was excellent and the room is very pretty. But for $80 per couple... not worth it. The wine served was a Mondavi Savignon Blanc with the excellent bisque and then a Mondavi Cabernet served with the gnocchi and the filet courses. Here's what we did: We brought the one allowed bottle per person onboard. We drank two in the room (cocktails on the balcony) and paid $15 corkage fee for two that we brought to the restaurant. We did buy wine each of the other nights, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. Next time, we'll bring less and buy more.

 

LMaxwell - Your comments made me feel better after getting "flamed." I took the time to write up the cruise in an effort to help others, and I appreciate the support.

 

OP- thanks for your review. I sailed on Royal in December and really enjoyed the experience. I wouldn't pay attention to any flames. If Princess allowed you to be with your "elite" travel partners, that's all that matters. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

[Mom33]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your Royal cruise.:D

[Loonbeam]

Awesome we have the exact same cabin other side of the ship. Were there any issues with lights from the seawalk/seabar? Visibility issues? Have any photos? :)

 

 

 

I will try to answer your questions and address your comments.

 

Loonbeam - Our mini-suite was R428 and I recommend it highly.

 

[Clutterlady]

OP- thanks for your review. I sailed on Royal in December and really enjoyed the experience. I wouldn't pay attention to any flames. If Princess allowed you to be with your "elite" travel partners, that's all that matters. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

 

Gotta agree with this. We have asked about a couple traveling with us, and Princess did not have a problem with this:)