Royal Princess review with photos

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[chamima]

Thanks for the nice review!

 

You mentioned that you like sushi, but didn't find any at the buffet, so did you try out the sushi at the Ocean Terrace in the atrium? The Ahi Poke is awesome. Also, I am almost certain that sushi is offered a few times in the buffet during a typical cruise.

 

Was it you that recommended the Ahi Poke to me before our cruise on the Royal in February?

I didn't try it until the last day but it was absolutely wonderful!!!!!

I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that I didn't try it sooner.

 

Tuffy - Thanks for the review.

We had sailed the Celebrity Eclipse immediately before our Royal cruise and also found ourselves comparing both lines.

I came to different conclusions than you but that's what makes the world go 'round. :)

 

Oh, and BTW, Celebrity might be doing away with that free sushi at the buffet.

They're changing Bistro on 5 to Sushi on 5 and on the Reflection (the only ship that has it so far) the free sushi is gone.

Edited March 22, 2016 by chamima

[jayne62]

thanks for review and great pictures - we're going on Royal Princess later this year so nice to read your experiences of it

[ian09]

1. Formal nights were the second sea day (so I guess technically day 3) & the second to last night of the cruise (day 8?). Both came on sea days, which was nice!

 

2. Now you're testing my memory! From the titles I can remember: The Martian, Brooklyn, Specrte, Now You See Me. They also played the Steve Jobs movie and The Reverant in the Vista Lounge at various points during the cruise. They also did the Minions movie one afternoon on MUTS.

 

Note that if there was a movie you wanted to see in the Vista Lounge or MUTS, but missed it, they were available on your in-room TV afterward. We couldn't reason spending time on vacation in our room watching a movie, but if you had a bad weather day, it would be perfect.

 

 

 

Have a great trip! The itinerary is fantastic.

 

 

 

We can just agree to disagree :) I haven't found this on the Royal and Carnival ships we were on, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. I just wanted to point it out, as it seemed to be a real issue for some people (especially those with mobility issues - obviously easier for us, who can just walk up and down two flights of stairs). Lots of vocal comments from people on the ship, throughout the entire cruise (including a funny incident at disembarkation where someone who had been on the ship for 3 B2Bs was still trying to go down the wrong elevator!)

 

 

Thanks for your review. My wife and I who also frequent Celebrity ships and are around the same age (31 & 29) are going on the Royal Princess in June, so your review was very helpful. I would be in the agree column about not enjoying the choppy design so that's a bit disappointing to hear. It was one of our main complaints about the Emerald Princess, which was the last time we sailed with Princess. None of the Royal or Celebrity ships we've been on have been designed that way.

[Living on a prayer]

Great review with great photos. We are on the Royal in July. It will be our 1st time with Princess. We were on P&O Britannia last year, which is a similar ship. So we are used to the mid ships stairs issue. Looking forward to the MUTS. One question :- Are there waiters around, when a movie is playing?

 

Thanks

[CRLess]

Was it you that recommended the Ahi Poke to me before our cruise on the Royal in February?

I didn't try it until the last day but it was absolutely wonderful!!!!!

I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that I didn't try it sooner.

 

 

That would be me! I had it every afternoon last time we were on the Regal!

[chamima]

That would be me! I had it every afternoon last time we were on the Regal!

 

So THANK YOU!!!!!

 

That and a mojito were a perfect pre-dinner appetizer.

(Only reason I might be happy I didn't find it sooner was that I already gained plenty on the cruise and that might have contributed to gaining even more weight.) :o

[CRLess]

So THANK YOU!!!!!

 

That and a mojito were a perfect pre-dinner appetizer.

(Only reason I might be happy I didn't find it sooner was that I already gained plenty on the cruise and that might have contributed to gaining even more weight.) :o

 

So welcome!

 

My DW and I would split one and each get a glass of wine. Perfect late afternoon snack before heading up to get ready for dinner!

[tuffy0317]

Thanks for the concise, informative review. We are leaving on the Royal Princess in three weeks for the same trip, but in reverse order. Were any of your private excursions exceptional ? Plus, who was the cruise director for your trip ?

Thanks,

Eric

 

Sorry, not sure who our Cruise Director was (it was an African-American young man, but I realize that's not super helpful).

 

Yes - all our private excursions were awesome. Snorkeling in Bonaire with Woodwind is possibly the best excursion I've done anywhere - great crew, well organized, beautiful reef, yummy lunch. We also did snorkeling in Grenada with Grenada Seafaris, which was also good and had a nice island tour. In St. Thomas, we went snorkeling off of Water Island with dozens of sea turtles (and virtually no one else!) with St. Thomas Adventure Tours. I'd recommend all these tours, without hesitation.

 

Great review with great photos. We are on the Royal in July. It will be our 1st time with Princess. We were on P&O Britannia last year, which is a similar ship. So we are used to the mid ships stairs issue. Looking forward to the MUTS. One question :- Are there waiters around, when a movie is playing?

 

Thanks

 

Honestly, I'm not sure. I believe there are supposed to be, and there definitely was a pool bar open, but since we didn't watch one, I can't say for sure.

[tuffy0317]

Oh, and BTW, Celebrity might be doing away with that free sushi at the buffet.

They're changing Bistro on 5 to Sushi on 5 and on the Reflection (the only ship that has it so far) the free sushi is gone.

 

Oh this is very interesting! I LOVE the Bistro on 5, so I'm sad to hear about this because, hello, nutella crepes!

 

And now I'm sad I missed the Ahi Poke :)

[Woobstr112G]

Great review and pictures. Thanks so much for taking the time to post.....:):):)

 

Bob

[caribill]

 

 

We can just agree to disagree :) I haven't found this on the Royal and Carnival ships we were on, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. I just wanted to point it out, as it seemed to be a real issue for some people (especially those with mobility issues - obviously easier for us, who can just walk up and down two flights of stairs).

 

Below is a photo of a sign by a Carnival mid-ship dining room telling how to get to the aft dining room. Must go up, over, and then down.

 

[chamima]

Oh this is very interesting! I LOVE the Bistro on 5, so I'm sad to hear about this because, hello, nutella crepes!

 

And now I'm sad I missed the Ahi Poke :)

 

 

If it doesn't go over on the Reflection it'll be like the GastroBar on the Equinox - one and done.

Let's hope that happens.

 

And, as far as the Ahi Poke - there's always next time - but , as far as I know, only on the Royal and Regal.

Edited March 23, 2016 by chamima

[chamima]

Thanks for the concise, informative review. We are leaving on the Royal Princess in three weeks for the same trip, but in reverse order. Were any of your private excursions exceptional ? Plus, who was the cruise director for your trip ?

Thanks,

Eric

 

 

The cruise director was Marahscalh Stanton.

Not only was he really personable when I saw him and funny on stage - his scheduling of shows , games and music was FABULOUS!!!

(I mostly judge a cruise director on their scheduling.)

 

Not sure how long he'll be there, though.

[Grego]

My thanks as well for the review. I have to believe it's hard to make a review while comparing it to another line. Celebrity has it's very nice attributes and probably shouldn't always be compared to Princess, but it happens.

 

The layout of the ship initially is a little confusing but after a day or so it makes good sense. Having been on this class ship many times it becomes like second nature to navigate anywhere. The Allegro dining room is tucked in an unusual spot because of the galley locations.

 

We also love the HC/Bistro layout. The food choices, presentation and ease of navigation.

 

Glad you had a great time. We love that itinerary and will be on that voyage again next February. Until then, we are on the Regal for a Baltic/Transatlantic BTB this August.

 

Sail on.....

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

A very thoughtful review.

Dang that's a big ship.

[realtorcruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[martin jenkins]

just off the royal i'll detail our trip of 20 days when i get back home, my main gripes regarding food was doughnuts only served in IC between 7am and 11am, why no offerings in the pastry shop??.

the sushi hey did on the lunch buffet i think twice a week was tastless and the rice overcooked.

they did some great roasts in the horizon court but got sick and tired of seeing mashed pototo, boiled potato, boiled broccoli, boiled cauliflower, and green beans that looked like they were out of a packet,

the pastry shop in no more diffrent than the sun that presents the same type of desserts in a display cabinet, the quality of some of the desserts was hit and miss. i'll post more later.

[floridalover5623]

just off the royal i'll detail our trip of 20 days when i get back home, my main gripes regarding food was doughnuts only served in IC between 7am and 11am, why no offerings in the pastry shop??.

the sushi hey did on the lunch buffet i think twice a week was tastless and the rice overcooked.

they did some great roasts in the horizon court but got sick and tired of seeing mashed pototo, boiled potato, boiled broccoli, boiled cauliflower, and green beans that looked like they were out of a packet,

the pastry shop in no more diffrent than the sun that presents the same type of desserts in a display cabinet, the quality of some of the desserts was hit and miss. i'll post more later.

 

Wow ! I guess that opinions on food are subjective after all. We were on the Royal last Nov & couldn't have though more of the quality in both prep. & selections. Compared to the Emerald the Royal was so much better in all aspects.

Maybe you should have stashed a dozen donuts in your cabin to eat later in the day. :D

[Govantrueblue]

We done this cruise in November and I have to say that I agree with your review the crown grill was my favourite place to eat service food wine everything was top notch

 

 

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