Princess Newbies heading for the Royal Princess!

[Cruising Forever!]

After years of exclusively cruising on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, we are FINALLY going outside our comfort zone and trying something new.  We've been told (based on our past cruise experiences) that we will love Princess.  So far, I have to admit that Princess seems to have communications pre-cruise with their guests down to a science.  Very impressed.

 

My cruise docs say we're to arrive at port for check in at 2pm due to some sort of staggered check in process in LA (San Pedro) that Princess uses.  We will probably arrive earlier due to other circumstances.  Royal and Celebrity always ask guests to arrive by certain times as well, but they allow you to board earlier in most cases.  If we can't board earlier, is there a comfortable waiting area with seats at the port?  My wife has back problems and can't stand for very long.  If there's are seats, no problem.

 

Very excited to be boarding Princess for the first time!  We'll miss our Diamond Plus/Elite perks from Royal/Celebrity, but we are intrigued to experience Princess!  (Btw- we are well aware that there will be differences... but we're Cruise People.  We are very appreciative of how lucky we are that we can cruise at all... we don't hate a ship because the butter was too cold in the Main Dining room!  As long as the food and service is good to great, we're already happy!)

 

I'm sure I'll have other questions later that I'll post here.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[Thrak]

12 minutes ago, Cruising Forever! said:

My cruise docs say we're to arrive at port for check in at 2pm due to some sort of staggered check in process in LA (San Pedro) that Princess uses.  We will probably arrive earlier due to other circumstances.

 

They will likely start boarding around 11:30. Once in a while there is some issue that causes that not to be the case but, for the most part, you can arrive early and board early. There is lunch in one of the dining rooms until 1:00 or 1:30 (sorry, can't remember which). Staff will likely tell you to go to the buffet but there really is lunch in one of the dining rooms. On Royal you can also go to Alfredo's if you like.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Thrak

[4cats4me]

Usually, boarding commences at 11:30 for priority groups in L.A., but on the 3/23 sailing it is delayed until 2:30, since it will be the Royal’s first time to this port and all crew must go through an inspection. 

 

Berth 91 has less seating than Berth 93, from what I’ve read.  

Royal will be at Berth 91.  Unless you’re  on the 3/23 sailing, you are free to arrive whenever you wish.  Princess’ staggered boarding is most always a suggestion, unless a unique situation should arise, as in the 3/23 sailing.  

 

I must add, I notice you’ve sailed on Equinox, and we love the Equinox, and now we ping pong between Equinox and Royal Princess.  Love them both, for different reasons.  

We do love the buffet on the Royal much more than on the Equinox, however.  We used to love the buffet on Equinox more than on the other Princess ships.  

We never eat in the main dining room anymore because we love the Royal’s buffet that much. 

We like the entertainment much more on the Royal than on the Equinox, but we like the martini bar more on the Equinox.  Drink service much better on Princess, however. 

Balconies are tinier on the Royal.  

Movies by the pool one Royal, too, and the extra large atrium is gorgeous.  

You’ve chosen a very nice ship for a first Princess cruise.  

Edited March 10, 2019 by 4cats4me

[chinita415]

Thanks for clarifying the staggered check in process. We are on the 4/13 sailing and taking an early flight in. I was expecting to board around 11am but saw the 2.30p time for my deck. Sounds like we should be able to board early.

[Cruising Forever!]

On 3/9/2019 at 8:47 PM, 4cats4me said:

Usually, boarding commences at 11:30 for priority groups in L.A., but on the 3/23 sailing it is delayed until 2:30, since it will be the Royal’s first time to this port and all crew must go through an inspection. 

 

Berth 91 has less seating than Berth 93, from what I’ve read.  

Royal will be at Berth 91.  Unless you’re  on the 3/23 sailing, you are free to arrive whenever you wish.  Princess’ staggered boarding is most always a suggestion, unless a unique situation should arise, as in the 3/23 sailing.  

 

I must add, I notice you’ve sailed on Equinox, and we love the Equinox, and now we ping pong between Equinox and Royal Princess.  Love them both, for different reasons.  

We do love the buffet on the Royal much more than on the Equinox, however.  We used to love the buffet on Equinox more than on the other Princess ships.  

We never eat in the main dining room anymore because we love the Royal’s buffet that much. 

We like the entertainment much more on the Royal than on the Equinox, but we like the martini bar more on the Equinox.  Drink service much better on Princess, however. 

Balconies are tinier on the Royal.  

Movies by the pool one Royal, too, and the extra large atrium is gorgeous.  

You’ve chosen a very nice ship for a first Princess cruise.  

Now you REALLY have me excited since you love BOTH ships!  Can't wait!!!

Thank You!

[wheezedr]

Highly recommend Alfredo’s for your embarkation day lunch.  Generally not crowded, easy to find and a good menu.  Not just pizza.  We have done it multiple times on the Royal.

[Cruising Forever!]

36 minutes ago, wheezedr said:

Highly recommend Alfredo’s for your embarkation day lunch.  Generally not crowded, easy to find and a good menu.  Not just pizza.  We have done it multiple times on the Royal.

 

I keep hearing so much about Alfredo's!  We will definitely eat there at least once for lunch during our trip!  Apparently the pizza is pretty good there... but I come from the Northeast where pizza is legendary (LOL) so it'll be facing some big competition.  I love that Alfredo's is an included location.  In fact, I'm blown away by the low price of the two Specialty restaurants we will also be dining at during our cruise on Royal Princess.  (We are sailing Celebrity Edge next year, and that ship's Specialty locations look exorbitant price-wise to say the least.  We will probably skip specialty restaurants aboard her for that reason.)

 

Really excited about this ship!   So glad to hear from Princess cruisers!

[wheezedr]

The other food venue that Princess regulars, we are Elites, swear by is the International cafe.  It is open 24 hours so is a great spot when hunger arises at an odd time.  Basically breakfast stuff in the early AM switching to salads and Paninis and soup in the afternoon.  Always some desserts and the go to spot for cookies.  The DW is a self defined Cookie Monster   We always stop by if we are on an oddly timed excursion and skip lunch or in the AM if we want a quick bite before getting off the ship and do not feel like a full meal.  The coffee center is right next door so works well for a quick snack.

[Times Prince]

On the Royal Princess, please do check out the buffet (Horizon Court), especially looking at the selections in the area closest to the aft of the ship.  They often have specialty menus there - we've seen oriental, Mongolian Wok, Bavarian and others.  That's also where they make omelets to order in the morning.

[skynight]

Tip. No reservations for theater shows. Arrive early for mid evening shows. Some shows like the Secret Silk and Encore you have to arrive 45 minutes early. The theater starts filling up 1 hour before showtime. For other entertainers such as singers and comics you don't have to arrive as early. For shows, usually comics and singers, in the Vista Lounge also arrive early. The Vista Lounge is smaller.

Late evening shows are not as crowded.

Be sure to try these no charge food venues:

Alfredo's open for lunch and dinner and late into the evening

Very large buffet area. Scan the entire area before selecting. Open all day from 5am to 11pm, never closes.

International Cafe open pretty much 24/7

Pub Lunch on some sea days in the Wheelhouse/Crown Grill Bar. Watch the Princess Patter for days and times.

Of course there are the pool side venues for pizza, the grill for burgers and other fare and soft ice cream.

 

[ams1130]

May I please piggyback onto the OP's question? I understand the food items in the International Café are complementary, but what about the coffee/tea? Are there only specialty beverages available there, or are there just "regular" beverages that you are not charged for?

[4cats4me]

24 minutes ago, ams1130 said:

May I please piggyback onto the OP's question? I understand the food items in the International Café are complementary, but what about the coffee/tea? Are there only specialty beverages available there, or are there just "regular" beverages that you are not charged for?

You will have to pay for all coffees there, unless you have pre purchased a coffee card for around $35; yes, they have all the specialty coffees.  

Mo freebies except water. 

 

[ams1130]

1 minute ago, 4cats4me said:

You will have to pay for all coffees there, unless you have pre purchased a coffee card for around $35; yes, they have all the specialty coffees.  

Mo freebies except water. 

 

Thanks for replying!

[dcrow72]

They tell you to come later but I always arrive around 10:30 - 11 and usually board by noon.  

 

Royal is stunning.  Her piazza is the place to be.  3 floors with food, drinks, shopping, entertainment almost all the time.  

 

I'm from New Haven, CT area, world reknowned for pizza and grew up making pizza with my Uncle and I love Alfredo's pizza.  It's Napolitan style, thin crust but with great toppings like prosciutto and kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, etc or just fresh mozzarella.  Their salads and pastas are good there too!  All free.  It's always my first stop when I get in the door!  

 

The international cafe on deck 5 is 24 hours of good stuff (although last trip they didn't change it up as much as in the past).  Shrimp salad and Chicken salad at lunch are amazing.  All free.  Good morning pastries.  

 

I'm sure you will love her!  Bon Voyage

[casandbliz]

We are also Elite on Royal and Celebrity, but have 3 Princess cruises under our belts (and another scheduled for 2020) since 2018. We started with Princess because of the availability of cruises leaving from the west coast.

We are very happy with Princess, and on our first cruise (the Ruby), kept comparing her to Celebrity. Very, very comparable!! I think you will really enjoy the line.

We usually arrive 11:00-11:30 in San Pedro, and are on board within 30 minutes. Princess has embarkation in San Pedro down to a science!

[Kendivallyn]

On 3/18/2019 at 8:59 AM, 4cats4me said:

You will have to pay for all coffees there, unless you have pre purchased a coffee card for around $35; yes, they have all the specialty coffees.  

Mo freebies except water. 

 

It shows that specialty coffees are included in the beverage package... so also free that way too yes?

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, Kendivallyn said:

It shows that specialty coffees are included in the beverage package... so also free that way too yes?

 

Yes, the specialty coffee / tea is included in the beverage package.  The alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 per day but that limit does not apply for non-alcoholic beverages.  

[Cruise Raider]

We are elite on Celebrity, diamond on Royal Caribbean and elite on Princess, with most of our sailings being on Princess.  Although, we've not ever sailed on the new Royal class, we do have one booked for next month.  

Celebrity is by far my favorite cruise line, and keep in mind, all my sailings on Princess are on the older ships in the fleet.  Princess, in general, does some things very well, though:

 

- their new beds are heavenly ...they really beat that slab of stone on RCCL 

- the specialty restaurants are so much less expensive, however, there are usually no discounts for these restaurants as they have on Celebrity.  The Crown Grill is my personal favorite ... not quite as good or eloquent as Murano but still a very nice meal.

- the Pub Lunch is also another of my favorites.  If there are two of them, the second one is actually better (shrimp and chips vs fish and chips).  Oftentimes, there is a very long line for this event.  

- their drinks are also less expensive and sometimes, you will find a pop up happy hour (they used to have it all the time, then canceled them all but ask your server about specials....sometimes, it is a well kept secret, such as two for one glasses of wine during the evening shows)

- If you don't have the beverage package, on cruises 10 days and over, they have a wine package for purchase and their new wine list is great ... and pretty reasonable, too.  Too bad this can't be purchased ahead of time; it has to be booked onboard. 

- there is a embarkation lunch in one of the MDRs ... again, a very well kept secret and only open until 1:30 PM 

- there is a movie screen out on one of the upper deck (MUTS ... Movies under the Stars).  They provided blankets and popcorn ... although you may have to go fetch your own.  We've found that they have an expanded menu up at the Trident Grill at dinner time as well.  We even got crab cakes, onion rings, ribs, chicken wings, etc up at the grill while up in Alaska last year.  And, with the blankets and if you can find a seat that is blocked by the wind, it is actually quite comfortable ... yes, even in Alaska.  In addition to rather new releases, they also show professional sporting events on MUTS.  They used to show some movies during the day but haven't seen that in quite some time.  Now, during the day, they have concerts, show some beautiful scenery, trivia games, etc.  

- you can stack your perks on Princess whereas Celebrity and RCCL are very restrictive.  If you are military (past or present), a stockholder of at least 100 shares of CCL stock, loyalty credit, future cruise deposit credit ... all those OBC credits are added regardless of the promo under which you booked.  

- Princess has some awesome itineraries and even have a ship home ported in San Francisco.  For Alaska, they are one of few lines that is able to sail into Glacier Bay (a real treat!).  

- they recommend a boarding time, but you should be able to board in order of priority once you arrive.  Special Parties (wedding parties, employee appreciation events), Bon Voyage Experience folks and Suites first, followed by Elite, Platinum, etc, etc.  We usually get to the pier around 10:30 and have rarely had to wait after going through security and checking in.  They usually have adequate seating in LA if you are not yet allowed to board.  

- the Royal now has the new MedallionNet internet and it is supposedly great and priced very well as compared to the pricing that is available on Celebrity if not included in your booking perks 

 

These are all general descriptions by cruiseline and not ship specific.  Am really looking forward to sailing on the Royal. 

-I'd be a better judge in comparing apples to apples as the maintenance of their older ships on Princess is lacking. 

-The specialty coffee at Cafe Al Bacio is incredible compared to those at the International Cafe .... but if you get it in a real cup vs to go, it is then pretty good. 

-I also have had some long wait times or inflexibility with anytime dining and even specialty restaurant dining on Princess.  If your preferred dining time is between 6:15 and 6:30 PM in the MDR, you may have trouble getting a table.  They have reservations available but they will not allow reservations for those dining times ... not in my experience anyway.  

-The show rooms and lounges they have / use don't hold an adequate number of passengers, so we've been skunked out of seeing shows we wanted to see because we didn't get there early enough to grab a seat.  

- Even though they allow that stacking of OBC, the free perks they offer are nowhere near as generous as on Celebrity.  
 

The positives always far outweigh any negatives on any cruise.  Please check back in and let us know how you like it.  

 

  

[vickie_bernie]

We are currently on the royal heading to LA.  Yes boarding will be probably late due to the ship first artiving in the Us after south america.

 

We know all thecrew have to go thru customs as well as all the guests.

 

Expecting public health and probablycoast guard. 

 

We are staying on for the first mexican cruise and have to change cabins.  Going from guest entertainer to a guest. 

 

The ship is amazing.  Entertainment top notch. If you want to see the early show yeah come early but we have had no issue showing up for last show a few min earlier and getting a seat.

 

Enjoy

[musicpro442]

6 hours ago, vickie_bernie said:

We are currently on the royal heading to LA.  Yes boarding will be probably late due to the ship first artiving in the Us after south america.

 

We know all thecrew have to go thru customs as well as all the guests.

 

Expecting public health and probablycoast guard. 

 

We are staying on for the first mexican cruise and have to change cabins.  Going from guest entertainer to a guest. 

 

The ship is amazing.  Entertainment top notch. If you want to see the early show yeah come early but we have had no issue showing up for last show a few min earlier and getting a seat.

 

Enjoy

Fully agree.  Sailed on her last fall and the entertainment is truly top notch.  Production shows Encore and Secret Silk are must-sees as well as all the guest entertainer acts, who are usually some of the best I and DW have seen in the fleet.

 

If Barbi Mcculloch is still onboard as the guest soprano, go see anything she offers. Star of the production show Encore, her cabaret, and/or Piazza show.  Tremendous vocalist in any style.  

Matt O' is the best cruise director I've enjoyed on Princess and you will love the energy he brings to the ship.  

 

Royal Princess may just spoil you by the time you are off.  Here's hoping.

[Papa Yoda]

 

Someone on our 3/23 roll call is on now and says Secret Silk has been pulled - one of the songs was offensive to some.

[musicpro442]

Contacted an insider because we will be returning to Royal for Alaska and the official position is that there was a copyright issue.  Not sure how it's affecting other ships, but it's temporarily off Royal at present. 

[4cats4me]

15 minutes ago, musicpro442 said:

Contacted an insider because we will be returning to Royal for Alaska and the official position is that there was a copyright issue.  Not sure how it's affecting other ships, but it's temporarily off Royal at present. 

 

That is disappointing because we were looking forward to seeing it again.   

[musicpro442]

3 hours ago, 4cats4me said:

 

That is disappointing because we were looking forward to seeing it again.   

You may still see it.  I hear they are in the process of replacing the infringing song in question.  

[caribill]

14 minutes ago, musicpro442 said:

You may still see it.  I hear they are in the process of replacing the infringing song in question.  

Any idea what song that is?