Disappointing Royal Princess trip

[Kosi]

Royal Princess

 

Out of 18 cruises..This was the last cruise line I have not cruised with .. (haven't with Cunard, and not sure I would any way).. but I have to say we sadly wasn't impressed in my first cruise with Princess . There were all sorts of things that lead to me say I will never cruise on them again. .some small .. some not so small.

 

 

The staff were so hit and miss.. you get a nice person, you get another that acted like he wanted to be else where.. It was not an over all good feel from the crew. No one has to bend over backwards for me.. we are not like that at all..just a smile will do. Our room steward was great..(deck 14)..

 

 

The room is ok size in the bed area .. (balcony room), what did bother you was small things like the balcony being so small.. middle of the night chairs were hitting door.. but it wasn't so simple to just open door.. there was such suction holding it closed only my husband could undo it.. (strange!) The bathroom was so tiny.. which was ok when all you had to do was shower.. but what about dressing? No one could actually really change in the bathroom , especially if say someone had a shower and now all around you was wet. They need a curtain between the bath/closet area and bed space.. that would give the privacy needed. Shower did not have much water pressure.

 

 

The shows were just okay. For all of you that think they are so great have you been on the other cruise lines? And the Piazza.. I was expecting to be wowed from what all I read.. but wasn't at all.

 

What they do have down in tours.. holding you in the theatre and going out as a group is a very good idea.

 

I know you will all hate me for this review.. but had to write it.. Sorry.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your thoughts on Royal Princess.

You are not alone. Many who normally love cruising on Princess have been less than pleased with Royal. :o

LuLu

[cherylandtk]

Well, at least you know what you like and where to find it. Thanks for your comments, and enjoy your future cruises.

[Lerin]

Don't hate you, it is your opinion. Princess is not our favorite cruise line, but always an option if the scheduling is right.

 

Though it does raise some questions.

For 1, balcony size is listed on the deck plans on the website. Did you not check that before you booked your cabin?

Also my family and I have been on about 12 different cruise lines and don't recall ever being on one that had "a curtain between the bath/closet area and bed space". At least not in a standard cabin.

 

In addition, we rarely get a bathroom big (or dry) enough to change in. Only in suites, and sometimes not even those. Wondering why you couldn't just change in the cabin, that's what most people do. Curious what lines you sailed that have standard bathrooms this size as I can't think of any.

 

The suction on balcony doors is also quite common on all lines.

We personally love this feature as we often travel with kids, but I can see how that may get annoying for a weaker adult. And mind you, I'm not trying to call you weak, I have on occasion had to have my husband help too. However, this doesn't bother me.

 

Comments on the crew, that is too bad and I'm sorry that happened.

Oh well, at least you gave another line a try. Happy cruising with whomever you end up with next. :)

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I've read all the negative and all the positive reviews & I'm still wondering about what to expect. We'll just have to judge for ourselves very shortly & post some comments.

It does make me wonder what they were thinking when they built that class of ship . Maybe it was just $$$.

I've never see so many past Princess people who love the cruise line say they'll never go back to that class of ship and that's never happened before.

Make you wonder. .

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

If you're looking for a 10 day cruise in the Caribbean (and still want to stay with Princess) there's not much other choice. Given the opportunity to sail on one or the older ships first I probably would....but I'll have to see how good or bad it is for myself. I've never seen similar reports about any of the other ships Princess introduced. People were flocking to book trips on all of them and at premium prices at that. It must say something.

Bring back the Emerald, Star or Caribbean Princess for longer trips to Ft Lauderdale & I'd probably never even think about the Royal or Regal.

[JimmyVWine]

Before you give up on Princess completely, please consider a cruise on what they do best...a Grand Class ship. The Royal is not for everyone, and you found out the hard way.

[greenie082756]

OP and many others have stated they were not pleased with Royal. I've only done one cruise (Golden) and will be doing another (Ruby) next month.

 

To be honest, I thought okay, after a few months and all the kinks get worked out I'll be seeing good to fantastic reviews about the Royal and Regal.

I'm not seeing it.

 

What the OP doesn't mention (and this drives me up the wall) is where and how long was the cruise? That just might play into the review as well.

 

I like Princess and hope to see better reviews of the two newest added to the fleet. Someday perhaps we might sail on Regal or Royal. I think with all the promotions that Princess is doing is to get more people on these ships is a good idea too. I think I prefer the smaller ships for so many reasons.

 

Sorry the OP was not happy enough to try again. :)

[Northender]

Don't hate you, it is your opinion. Princess is not our favorite cruise line, but always an option if the scheduling is right.

 

Though it does raise some questions.

For 1, balcony size is listed on the deck plans on the website. Did you not check that before you booked your cabin?

Also my family and I have been on about 12 different cruise lines and don't recall ever being on one that had "a curtain between the bath/closet area and bed space". At least not in a standard cabin.

 

In addition, we rarely get a bathroom big (or dry) enough to change in. Only in suites, and sometimes not even those. Wondering why you couldn't just change in the cabin, that's what most people do. Curious what lines you sailed that have standard bathrooms this size as I can't think of any.

 

The suction on balcony doors is also quite common on all lines.

We personally love this feature as we often travel with kids, but I can see how that may get annoying for a weaker adult. And mind you, I'm not trying to call you weak, I have on occasion had to have my husband help too. However, this doesn't bother me.

 

Comments on the crew, that is too bad and I'm sorry that happened.

Oh well, at least you gave another line a try. Happy cruising with whomever you end up with next. :)

 

They do not show the balcony sizes for the Royal on their deck plans.:(

Unless they did an update recently which should be done.

If the OP used a TA, this is one of the items that should be brought to their attention. Also the OP could have looked at the many reviews here. Interesting that the word "soot" never came up in this review.:eek:

Like you, Lerin, I do not understand the not being able to get dressed in the bathroom statement.:confused: I don't do this at home and why would I use such a smallish area on a ship to get dressed?

[shredie]

Like you, Lerin, I do not understand the not being able to get dressed in the bathroom statement.:confused: I don't do this at home and why would I use such a smallish area on a ship to get dressed?[/color]

 

The interesting thing about people is that they do not all do exactly the same things. Some people are perhaps more modest than others. Who knows. Why does anyone care?

[Mom33]

The interesting thing about people is that they do not all do exactly the same things. Some people are perhaps more modest than others. Who knows. Why does anyone care?

 

It is possible to be modest and dress in the open closet area right outside of the bathroom.

[beachgirl50]

We were on the September 27th Royal sailing to NE and Canada. With a few minor exceptions, the cruise was enjoyable and exceeded our expectations overall. This was our first time on the Royal and, while we are fans of the smaller, and in particular, Grand Class ships, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Royal. It is a beautiful ship and surprisingly never felt crowded to us. The crew was fantastic and hard-working, as we've come to expect on every Princess cruise.

 

We chose this cruise for the itinerary and the chance to experience the Royal. We enjoyed all of the ports of call except for St. John; a stop in Portland would have been nicer in our opinion. We were a bit early for colorful fall foliage; the next couple of NE cruises should be fantastic for viewing the fall colors.

 

I can't speak for the dining rooms as we chose to eat at the Horizon Court, International Café and the specialty restaurants exclusively this cruise. We enjoyed eating whenever and wherever we wanted, giving us more time in the evenings for the entertainment.

 

Our cabin was one of the "sideways" interiors, mid-aft on the Baja deck. We had always wanted to try one of these cabins, and really enjoyed the layout and extra room despite the fact that I had inadvertently booked a quad cabin. (I know, I know --- silly mistake and I own it, but please don't flame me as another poster did on a thread about sideways interior cabins)The bunks for the 3rd and 4th passengers did stick out a bit from the upper side walls, but it really wasn't an issue for us as I had feared. Even with the beds in a queen configuration, there was adequate room for walking between the side of the bed and the wall with the bunk. We would book another sideways cabin in a heart beat!

 

The lack of a true promenade deck wasn't an issue for us on this cooler-weather cruise, but I think we would miss the shade and longer length of the promenade deck for jogging/walking when sailing in the Caribbean.

 

The fitness center was well-appointed with top-notch equipment. We were disappointed that the gym staff seemed to not be very engaged or available, and the class offerings very few on this cruise.

 

The lack of the mid-ship staircase was not a big problem for us; it just helped work off a few extra calories as we walked to either the forward or aft staircase! A staircase mid-ship would be nice, though.

 

All in all, we had a fantastic --- but far too short --- cruise. IMHO, that is!

[Kosi]

"The staff of this ship does not smile. We could not figure out if they are all unhappy or have been told to be unfriendly. . The whole ship just feels strange and unfriendly. "

 

Just read this from one of the reviews for that ship.. and I think they were right on.. could not have said it better!

[Kosi]

"It bothered me that no staff at the entrances to the buffet area held sanitizer dispensers to educate and sanitize ‘hands’ entering the food area" And this..! I forgot this part.. they sure do not in any way try to get anyone to wash hands, use the sanitizer in any way..

[CruzinNoony]

We were just on the Royal for 25 days. We were also on it last year for almost a month and loved it so much that we booked it for this year. We also love the small ships (Ocean and Pacific) and all the ones in between. We basically feel very lucky and blessed to be able to go on ANY of these beautiful ships.:)

[pcsunlover]

Royal Princess

 

Out of 18 cruises..This was the last cruise line I have not cruised with .. (haven't with Cunard, and not sure I would any way).. but I have to say we sadly wasn't impressed in my first cruise with Princess . There were all sorts of things that lead to me say I will never cruise on them again. .some small .. some not so small.

 

 

The staff were so hit and miss.. you get a nice person, you get another that acted like he wanted to be else where.. It was not an over all good feel from the crew. No one has to bend over backwards for me.. we are not like that at all..just a smile will do. Our room steward was great..(deck 14)..

 

 

The room is ok size in the bed area .. (balcony room), what did bother you was small things like the balcony being so small.. middle of the night chairs were hitting door.. but it wasn't so simple to just open door.. there was such suction holding it closed only my husband could undo it.. (strange!) The bathroom was so tiny.. which was ok when all you had to do was shower.. but what about dressing? No one could actually really change in the bathroom , especially if say someone had a shower and now all around you was wet. They need a curtain between the bath/closet area and bed space.. that would give the privacy needed. Shower did not have much water pressure.

 

 

The shows were just okay. For all of you that think they are so great have you been on the other cruise lines? And the Piazza.. I was expecting to be wowed from what all I read.. but wasn't at all.

 

What they do have down in tours.. holding you in the theatre and going out as a group is a very good idea.

 

I know you will all hate me for this review.. but had to write it.. Sorry.

 

I'm so sorry you were disappointed with your cruise. If you're anything like us and only have the time and money to take 1 cruise vacation a year or every few years, it's not easy to say "no big deal, maybe we'll like the next one."

 

We were on the Royal last March on the same cruise as Mom33 (who is a lovely lady by the way) Although the ship is beautiful and we had a nice cruise, we prefer the Grand class ships. We like the pool areas better, the balconies are all bigger (love the Caribe balconies which are a little larger and half uncovered), there are true Promenade decks, and the elevators seem a little less congested. I have to agree with you on the entertainment. I really feel that Princess needs to step up in this department.

 

Maybe instead of giving up on Princess you might try one of the Grand class ships that most loyal Princess cruisers love. They may be more to your liking.:)

[Mom33]

We were just on the Royal for 25 days. We were also on it last year for almost a month and loved it so much that we booked it for this year. We also love the small ships (Ocean and Pacific) and all the ones in between. We basically feel very lucky and blessed to be able to go on ANY of these beautiful ships.:)

 

We so agree!!:D

Edited October 11, 2014 by Mom33

[CruzinNoony]

"It bothered me that no staff at the entrances to the buffet area held sanitizer dispensers to educate and sanitize ‘hands’ entering the food area" And this..! I forgot this part.. they sure do not in any way try to get anyone to wash hands, use the sanitizer in any way..

 

On our sailing, there was a girl standing at the entrance to the buffet and encouraged us to wash our hands at the wash stations.:cool:

[caribill]

Also my family and I have been on about 12 different cruise lines and don't recall ever being on one that had "a curtain between the bath/closet area and bed space". At least not in a standard cabin.

 

 

I have on RCCL in a standard inside cabin.

 

In the picture below the bed is behind the curtain.

 

[Kinkacruiser]

I'm one for making my own judgement when embarking a new ship and don't pay too much attention to cruise or ship reviews....actually looking forward to our 2016 Caribbean cruise on the Royal.

[Clutterlady]

"The staff of this ship does not smile. We could not figure out if they are all unhappy or have been told to be unfriendly. . The whole ship just feels strange and unfriendly. "

 

Just read this from one of the reviews for that ship.. and I think they were right on.. could not have said it better!

 

We sailed on the Royal on 9/27. Have to say that this cruise had an extremely friendly staff. They bent over backwards to do whatever they could to please. Find it perplexing how everyone sees the same cruise differently. Not my favorite ship, but would sail on her again:)

[cruise to live]

"It bothered me that no staff at the entrances to the buffet area held sanitizer dispensers to educate and sanitize ‘hands’ entering the food area" And this..! I forgot this part.. they sure do not in any way try to get anyone to wash hands, use the sanitizer in any way..

 

I'm turning 65 when I cruise on the Royal in December. Now that my mother is dead, I don't need anyone else telling me when to clean my hands.

[Pam in CA]

I have no doubt that there are Elites who return because they genuinely love Royal. Unlike your cheerleading routine, I am comfortable with the notion that some people will love the ship and others will hate it. You seem to be on a crusade to convince the world that everyone should love it and if one doesn't, then that person is irrational. As Pam always tells us....follow the money. The current prices of cruises on Royal and Regal indicate that the feelings about these new ships are decidedly mixed. There are rational people who do not want anything to do with these builds. And rational people booking return cruises. Deal with it.

There is no doubt that the Royal/Regal isn't for everyone any more than the Pacific/Ocean are. Absolutely no ship or cruise is perfect or even "better" as a generalization. They all have their idiosyncrasies, pluses and minus'. What's a deal breaker for one is a Yea for another.

 

I'm one of those who had a great cruise on the Royal last year that I booked the T/A this year as well, returning home a couple of weeks ago. The food was excellent and overall, the service was great, from the staff in the IC to the buffet to the lounges to the dining room. Yes, there were a couple of grumps who acted like you were asking too much of them to order a drink but then there were others who went out of their way to make your experience great.

 

Personally, I'd rather have the open closet/dressing area than a steamy bathroom to get dressed in but that's a personal preference.

 

We each board a ship with expectations and preferences. When boarding a ship or line new to you, it's important to not make assumptions based on experience elsewhere and do your research so your expectations are reasonable.

 

As for a curtain dividing the sleeping area from the hallway/bathroom, quite a few HAL ships have this. I think it helps with hallway noise but other than that, useless.

[Kosi]

I'm turning 65 when I cruise on the Royal in December. Now that my mother is dead, I don't need anyone else telling me when to clean my hands.

 

I am sure you don't... BUT many do!

[Cruisin' Chick]

It is possible to be modest and dress in the open closet area right outside of the bathroom.

 

If one of us is using the bathroom, the other would use the area next to the closet. I don't have a problem using even the bathroom to change in, but I've only been in insides and OVs so I don't now if those bathrooms are bigger or the same size.

 

Other than the Sapphire and the Island, the Princess ships I've been on were in the Grand category. We've enjoyed all of these cruises. We've enjoyed many of the shows we've seen and usually encounter very friendly crew members. But maybe the OP had a very different experience than many of us.