Royal Princess. Good, Bad and ugly..

[e2011]

We just got home from the inaugural Caribbean 5 day cruise on the Royal. Ft. Lauderdale to Princess Cays to Grand Turk. Here is my very brief mixed review.

The arrival at the cruise terminal was a nightmare. Princess really got shafted by Port Everglades to get stuck way at the end in the old terminal. There were three lanes of busses, vans, taxi's and private cars all funneling down to ONE lane to baggage drop off!!! We arrived at 12 noon and it took us 40 minutes to go about 150 yards to drop off luggage. We then parked in the garage and made our way to Suite/Elite check in which was very nice. The line moved quickly and without fuss. After the parking situation I needed some good karma! Once on board we went right to our mini suite, L106 right in the front of the ship above the bridge.

 

ROOM: It was a very nice room with a huge balcony. The only complaint with the room was since it was right in the front of the ship, you get a lot of wind while under way. And one night enroute to Grand Turk we had a 25 knot head wind plus the 15 knot ship speed. Due to the design of the ship, the wind was howling so loud off the front of the ship I had to put on noise canceling headphones to sleep but that was the only night with a problem. I would highly recommend you never take a room on the back of the ship. There is a constant smell there from the funnel. Also beware of starboard side rooms under the skywalk. Everyone on the skywalk can see what you are doing on your balcony and in your room!

 

First Stop: The tender service to Princess cays was a disaster. You have to tender in to the docks and the dock area can only hold 3 tenders at a time. It took 48 minutes to go from the ship to the island in the tender crammed in like sardines with your fellow passengers in 85 degree heat. If it would have been the 15 minutes as advertised it would have been ok. Princess was not ready for a ship the size of the Royal at that stop. Once on the island it was very fun and the snorkeling was very good right in the swim area. The BBQ food was good.

 

Second Stop: Grand Turk. Loved it but it is a small, flat island. One visit there is enough for me but we had fun. Did a tour of the island and then snorkeling which was excellent.

 

Ship: Beautiful. One of the most beautiful ships I have ever been on. The decor, art, light fixtures were impeccable. I loved the layout of the ship and the variety of food venues, shopping and activities. The pool area was beautiful and functional. The sea walk was amazing. Loved it!

 

Food: The buffet food quality was excellent. There are really two buffet areas combined at the back, the Horizon Bistro and Horizon Court. The food selection was excellent. No shortage of choices here. Loved it. The pizza place by the pool and the grill by the pool were excellent. Loved the Pizza. We never tried the pizza downstairs but I was told it was good. The Gelato place was excellent but extra money. The regular dining room food was good. We liked it.

 

Specialty Restaurants: We ate at Sabatini's the first night. We arrived for our 5:30 reservation and there was one line for reservations and those seeking reservations! When you finally got to the host desk, he was on the phone taking reservations while those of us with reservations listened to him. No other help to be found. This was absurd. We were finally seated at 6:00pm. We waited at the table with no water, no greeting, nothing until 6:15pm. Finally they were ready to get the operation up and running and took our order. The food was horrible. Shrimp was previously frozen water logged and limp. Lobster tails were tough and over cooked. Olive Garden puts this place to shame. I refused to pay the up charge and they took it off my tab with no argument. Everyone served that night had the same experience. On the third night we went to the Crown Grill. We had heard good things about it and after Sabatini's we were very excited. My daughter wanted steak so they prepared her just a plain butterfly cut Filet Mignon which is exactly what we wanted. We also ordered the Filet as well. When my daughters steak arrived first she said it was "Chewy". I tried a piece and it was very tough so I assumed they really just gave her a cut of the strip steak off the buffet line upstairs. Then my wife and I received our steaks and guess what...they were the quality you would get at a Denny's. Tough and chewy. They were cooked to a nice medium as requested, it was the actual meat was very low quality. I would say it was somewhere between stew meat and choice. The deserts however were wonderful. We also had a lobster tail as an appetizer and it was good. They really need a different purveyor of meats.

 

Beverage: Excellent service but I found just getting a glass of water to be difficult. You had to go to a bar or find a server. Sometimes during busy times this was a difficult task. I felt getting water should not be so much work. The cocktails were excellent and the bar tenders were awesome.

 

Entertainment: All excellent. We loved every show and every band. A+

 

Misc: There were only 31 children on the cruise so that was nice. Our daughter made some new friends and the kids got a lot of attention in the kids club. I did notice Princess caters to an older crowd and some of them were very mean and grouchy. One fellow made a snide comment to my wife on the elevator that she accidentally touched him while we were all crammed into these very small elevators. She apologized and his response to her apology was "I don;t need any attitude from you!" I wanted to just throw him over the rail but wasn't sure of maritime law on this topic! LOL. But seriously there were a few bad apples in the bunch but we just ignored them. We also found out that Princess either doesn't have a "saving deck chair" policy or does not enforce it. On sea days at 6 am people were putting towels and things on deck chairs only to go back to their cabin and sleep and arrive back at 10 am for their reserved chair. We typically used the pool very early and were gone by the time these people showed up and I do thank them for having my chair toweled for me! Sorry I left it wet if and when you ever showed up! LOL...

Edited November 3, 2013 by e2011

[CI66774]

Thank you for the review. Did you happen to peek inside L108 next door? Did it look big, etc.? I have that particular cabin booked next year. What did you think of the kid's club?

[e2011]

Thank you for the review. Did you happen to peek inside L108 next door? Did it look big, etc.? I have that particular cabin booked next year. What did you think of the kid's club?

 

The kids club was very nice. My daughter who is 6 liked it. I did not look in L108 but it is a very nice room since it is the corner. It is bigger and has both a side deck and a front deck I think. You will love it!

[CI66774]

The kids club was very nice. My daughter who is 6 liked it. I did not look in L108 but it is a very nice room since it is the corner. It is bigger and has both a side deck and a front deck I think. You will love it!

 

Thank you for the information! :)

[Keith1010]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

 

Keith

[kauaigirl722]

We will be on the Royal in March with our 9 year old son. Can you share how the sign up for the kids club worked and what the hours were? Also, do you recall what time it opened on sail away day? My son has loved the kids club on prior cruises and hoping for the same this time! Thanks!!

[mafig]

Oh, so there are some cabins that have large balconies?

Which would these be?

[Steviewonder1]

I have had 3 PH Suites on the Rear of the Ruby and Crown (Aloha Deck right under the adult pool) and none had any odors or wind noise as our suites were next to the stacks. There is a lot of bad press out there from folks that have not had one of these suites as they are marvelous. However those suites on the front are just as described and some have the deck doors locked while the ship is underway so you do not get a 40 knot wind into your suite. I have the Owners Suite on our next cruise also on the Aft end of the ship. Yes we have also slept on the balcony while underway.

[CI66774]

Oh, so there are some cabins that have large balconies?

 

Which would these be?

 

Yes. Mini-suites L107/08 and M107/08. They used to be classified as the cheapest minis but Princess recently reclassified them as premium minis (and raised the price, of course). They're also quite a bit larger than the regular mini-suite.

[Steviewonder1]

Yes. Mini-suites L107/08 and M107/08. They used to be classified as the cheapest minis but Princess recently reclassified them as premium minis (and raised the price, of course). They're also quite a bit larger than the regular mini-suite.

 

You need to ask if these Mini-Suites on the front of the ship (which are very nice) have their deck doors locked while the ship is underway. Both floors are on the front of the ship. Princess will tell you, but your TA will likely be clueless on this very important question. What good is a deck if you cannot get to it while the ship is underway?

[CI66774]

You need to ask if these Mini-Suites on the front of the ship (which are very nice) have their deck doors locked while the ship is underway. Both floors are on the front of the ship. Princess will tell you, but your TA will likely be clueless on this very important question. What good is a deck if you cannot get to it while the ship is underway?

 

People who have stayed in these cabins and posted, stated that their balcony doors were not locked while at sea as this cabin has a front and a side balcony. I can only go on what people who have stayed in it said.

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. Sorry you didn't find the CG or Sabatini's to your liking. On our recent Royal T/A I found the food at both the CG and Sabatini's to be tasty but not over the top. I will agree that the quality of the Lobster has declined significantly since we started cruising Princess in 2008. Back then on the Emerald they still offered the full Lobster option for a small additional cover. On the Golden (Feb 2011) I first noted the full lobster was no longer offered. This was also when I noted they were serving several smaller tails instead. I had the lobster back then and still remember it to be very tasty; much more so than the lobster DW had a couple of weeks ago on the Royal. The number of tails seemed to increase but the quality was noticeably less.

 

We ate twice in the CG and once in Sabatini/s. While the food has never "wowed" me (especially in the CG), I've always enjoyed my meals in both venues......:):):)

 

Bob

Edited November 3, 2013 by Woobstr112G

[Woobstr112G]

Duplicate Post

Edited November 3, 2013 by Woobstr112G

[Mom33]

Thanks so much for your informative review! :D Sorry your specialty restaurant

experience wasn't favorable. It happens now and then. We had a bad experience in the Crown Grill on the Caribbean Princess, but only once.

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise.:D

[Avalon35]

Oh, so there are some cabins that have large balconies?

Which would these be?

 

There are several cabins that have larger balconies..look at the deck plans. If you like mini suites, there are MA mini suites that have large balconies mid ship. I also understand from others who have posted that there are other cabins with larger balconies. You just have to take the time to look at the various deck plans by cabin type. I learned this from that great folks here at CC and proceeded accordingly. The secret is out, however, so if you want a larger balcony, book sooner than later (and the pricing seems to have caught up to it .)

[e2011]

We will be on the Royal in March with our 9 year old son. Can you share how the sign up for the kids club worked and what the hours were? Also, do you recall what time it opened on sail away day? My son has loved the kids club on prior cruises and hoping for the same this time! Thanks!!

 

For sign up, we simply went on the first day to the kids club with our photo ID and SeaPass card and registered our daughter. Make sure you take photo ID for every adult that will have permission to collect your child. They take a copy of your photo ID so you only have to bring it the first time. Then its just check in and check out. You can also get a pager (if you want) in case your child needs you. I am sorry, I don't know the hours on sail away day as we did not go to the club until day 2. Then it was mostly 9am to 10pm.

[e2011]

Oh, so there are some cabins that have large balconies?

Which would these be?

 

L101 to L108 and M101- M108. Also the aft suites. These are the larger decks I know of but there may be more.

[e2011]

I have had 3 PH Suites on the Rear of the Ruby and Crown (Aloha Deck right under the adult pool) and none had any odors or wind noise as our suites were next to the stacks. There is a lot of bad press out there from folks that have not had one of these suites as they are marvelous. However those suites on the front are just as described and some have the deck doors locked while the ship is underway so you do not get a 40 knot wind into your suite. I have the Owners Suite on our next cruise also on the Aft end of the ship. Yes we have also slept on the balcony while underway.

 

On our cruise, no one had their forward doors locked. I can't speak for other ships or cruises. The rear suites on this particular ship seem to be a problem. All I can say is the smell at the back of this ship is terrible. Its not a diesel exhaust type smell but rather a putrid smell. And I did see some posts on this ship from folks who took photos of the black soot on their deck chairs and table in those aft rooms and reported the smell making their deck unusable. Perhaps it is unique to the air flow on this particular ship.

[e2011]

People who have stayed in these cabins and posted, stated that their balcony doors were not locked while at sea as this cabin has a front and a side balcony. I can only go on what people who have stayed in it said.

 

No one on our cruise had their deck door locked in the front rooms.

[dforeigner]

Thanks to taking time to write a review.

[OCruisers]

e2011 .... Absolutely loved your review! You certainly have a way with words. :)

 

Question Please: How was your mini-suite bathroom? Can we expect it to be like the mini-suite bathrooms on other Princess ships?

 

LuLu

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[sunshine100]

I have a question--how would you rate the Royal VS the oasis class ships? Did you feel more or less crowded on the Royal? We have debated going on Oasis or Allure. Going on Royal next Sunday! :)

[High C's]

e2011 .... Absolutely loved your review! You certainly have a way with words. :)

 

Question Please: How was your mini-suite bathroom? Can we expect it to be like the mini-suite bathrooms on other Princess ships?

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

LuLu - I can take that one. The mini-suite bathroom is pretty much exactly like all the others, but with the new, large sink area. We were in A521 for the TA crossing.

[e2011]

e2011 .... Absolutely loved your review! You certainly have a way with words. :)

 

Question Please: How was your mini-suite bathroom? Can we expect it to be like the mini-suite bathrooms on other Princess ships?

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

 

This was our first Princess ship so I have no comparison but the bathroom seemed ok to me. Its not big but it did have an actual bathtub/shower combo and a single sink. One person at a time only however...

[e2011]

I have a question--how would you rate the Royal VS the oasis class ships? Did you feel more or less crowded on the Royal? We have debated going on Oasis or Allure. Going on Royal next Sunday! :)

 

I never felt crowded on the Royal once we got the safety drill finished. I also have been on both the Allure and Oasis with 99% occupancy and never felt crowded on either of those ships. The most congested ships I have been on are the Disney ships around the pools during the day! Those pools are always beyond capacity. The amount of chlorine need to sanitize those pools would blind you!