15 Night Norway and Atlantic Passage Cruise Gone South

[spyro1952]

I would have to say that the review posted is not an accurate representation of the Royal. I just did the spring crossing on the Royal and have sailed numerous times on the ship. Princess offers a different product unlike Celebrity or Norwegian where it’s a constant upsell.

Edited October 3, 2018 by spyro1952
.

[Griller]

I would have to say that the review posted is not an accurate representation of the Royal. I just did the spring crossing on the Royal and have sailed numerous times on the ship. Princess offers a different product unlike Celebrity or Norwegian where it’s a constant upset.

 

We just spent 25 days on the Regal and had a lovely time, we are booked on Royal for 49 days next spring and hope for the same.

 

I never complain about diversions due to bad weather, it helps that we don't have private excursions paid for in advance of course, but I rather like a cautious Captain!

[geoherb]

Who was the Captain?

Tony Draper was the captain. I think they did a good job overall in handling the itinerary changes. I was disappointed to miss the three ports and disappointed that many things were closed in Vigo because it was Sunday, but glad we missed having a rough crossing.

[geoherb]

We sailed on the Sept 10 transatlantic Royal sailing. Has anyone received the promised cruise credit of $200 each on their credit cards yet????

 

It was on my cruise account $200 deduction on on board charges. Was listed the same day as announced. Mike

PS It was a $200 credit (subtraction listed as something like “company accommodation)

Those of us who did not all of spend the credit on board will be receiving it as refund. That's the great thing about having refundable credits. We also had refundable credits on port charges. On the roll call thread, some said they were told it would be a refund to our credit card. Others were told it would be a check in the mail. I'm thinking it will take two or three weeks to get processed either way.

[spyro1952]

We just spent 25 days on the Regal and had a lovely time, we are booked on Royal for 49 days next spring and hope for the same.

 

I never complain about diversions due to bad weather, it helps that we don't have private excursions paid for in advance of course, but I rather like a cautious Captain!

 

I love the Royal and the Regal. Like you I never complain when bad weather is the reason for diverting.

 

Have a great cruise. I leave in 30 days on the Crown.

[asingl]

This review lost credibility for me after I read that the bread was no good. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

 

 

Jokes aside, we were on this cruise as well. Our disembark time was 8:20. (Light Blue 3) if possible, I'd highly suggest downloading Uber or another rideshare service! We got right off the ship and called an Uber. The driver was there 5-6 minutes later, and we paid $43 for a trip to LaGuardia. It's even a better deal if you can fill the car, but we only had two passengers!

[hobbyfarmer2]

We have sailed the Royal three times and have found the staff to be excellent on each occasion - no problem with English. The food has been great twice in the Caribbean and average once in the Med.

 

There is a large pool in the Retreat area, perhaps you meant the Sanctuary. I run each morning and that tiny track on the 18th deck does the job for me before a throwing a few hoops in tn the basketball court.

 

The ship has no wrap around promenade but you can go out on the 7th deck through at least four doors or do I remember.

 

I believe the course change may have been done to miss rough weather caused by the hurricane.

[jagsfan]

Those of us who did not all of spend the credit on board will be receiving it as refund. That's the great thing about having refundable credits. We also had refundable credits on port charges. On the roll call thread, some said they were told it would be a refund to our credit card. Others were told it would be a check in the mail. I'm thinking it will take two or three weeks to get processed either way.

 

 

 

Be aware that the envelope your check comes in will not say Princess on the return address.

In other words, open everything till you’ve gotten the refund.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Griller]

We have sailed the Royal three times and have found the staff to be excellent on each occasion - no problem with English. The food has been great twice in the Caribbean and average once in the Med.

 

 

.

 

I have found the Executive Chef to be the reason for average or great food, on Regal recently he was excellent and a lot of the other chefs were Indian, they were fantastic in all sorts of cuisine, but as we like Asian food we were specially happy with the variety of authentic Indian and Chinese dishes they served up.

It was the first cruise ever where we went and looked at the buffet in the evening before we went to dinner, and sometimes we stayed right there in the buffet and didn't go to the MDR.

[DChabira]

Every cruise is a great cruise, some are just better than others. I didn’t post this review to start a debate. It’s just our perception, one person’s opinion. For me the change of itinerary was not that big of a deal.Sure, it was disappointing, but you can’t control mother nature.

 

I’m sure those that had traditional dining, probably received better service and hotter food. I just don’t think Princess has perfected “Anytime”dining. We preferred traditional dining ourselves for many years, but have come around to the “Anytime” dining concept in recent years.

 

We have cruised on the NCL Epic and Breakaway over the past few years and loved all of the different dining options. Earlier this year we did an 11-day voyage on the Celebrity Reflection and loved everything about Celebrity.

 

I do agree that he 20% compensation for the missed ports,will make it hard not to do another Princess cruise in 2019.

[jcruizer]

Every cruise is a great cruise, some are just better than others. I didn’t post this review to start a debate. It’s just our perception, one person’s opinion. For me the change of itinerary was not that big of a deal.Sure, it was disappointing, but you can’t control mother nature.

I’m sure those that had traditional dining, probably received better service and hotter food. I just don’t think Princess has perfected “Anytime”dining. We preferred traditional dining ourselves for many years, but have come around to the “Anytime” dining concept in recent years.

We have cruised on the NCL Epic and Breakaway over the past few years and loved all of the different dining options. Earlier this year we did an 11-day voyage on the Celebrity Reflection and loved everything about Celebrity.

I do agree that he 20% compensation for the missed ports,will make it hard not to do another Princess cruise in 2019.

 

I think if you had a more balanced review, readers might have appreciated it more. It seemed that you did not like very much at all. However thanks for taking the time to review.

[Doris&Nereus]

We were on that TA cruise on the Royal 9/10/18 to 9/25/18. I was a little sad to miss those ports, and Vigo was not great on a Sunday, but I don't want to sail in bad weather , nor do I like rough seas. So, I am happy that we went south. I had done other crossings before on other lines, and some had such bad weather that we had to spend entire days in our cabins. Although, I feel okay and don't get sick, I have a much better time with smooth seas and nice weather. For me it was a great cruise.

[FritzG]

We were on this cruise too, and it was one of our best cruises. Sure, there were little glitches, but overall we love the Royal.

 

How does Princess figure the 20% of what you paid for the credit on another cruise? I looked at my CP, and the amount I see doesn't add up.

[mnocket]

Every cruise is a great cruise, some are just better than others. I didn’t post this review to start a debate. It’s just our perception, one person’s opinion. For me the change of itinerary was not that big of a deal.Sure, it was disappointing, but you can’t control mother nature.

 

I’m sure those that had traditional dining, probably received better service and hotter food. I just don’t think Princess has perfected “Anytime”dining. We preferred traditional dining ourselves for many years, but have come around to the “Anytime” dining concept in recent years.

 

We have cruised on the NCL Epic and Breakaway over the past few years and loved all of the different dining options. Earlier this year we did an 11-day voyage on the Celebrity Reflection and loved everything about Celebrity.

 

I do agree that he 20% compensation for the missed ports,will make it hard not to do another Princess cruise in 2019.

Thanks again for your review. I'll never understand why some people seem to take a negative review personally. This was your experience and subjective impressions reported accurately. Others, even on the same cruise, will have different experiences. I appreciate all reviews - both positive and negative.

[bobby3334]

We were on that TA cruise on the Royal 9/10/18 to 9/25/18. I was a little sad to miss those ports, and Vigo was not great on a Sunday, but I don't want to sail in bad weather , nor do I like rough seas. So, I am happy that we went south. I had done other crossings before on other lines, and some had such bad weather that we had to spend entire days in our cabins. Although, I feel okay and don't get sick, I have a much better time with smooth seas and nice weather. For me it was a great cruise.

 

 

 

Vigo is an hour from the great Church of Santiago de Compostela, for over a thousand years the third most important Church in Christianity

It is difficult to get to by road. What better day than a Sunday? Everything was open and crowded. For the many who made it there by Princess excursion or other means it was the highlight of the trip.

If you are not Christian it still has great historical importance. Hundreds if not thousands of people arrive there on foot pilgrimage daily. The movie “The Way” with Martin Sheehan has the pilgrimage as backdrop. The folks I were with were very impressed. Mike

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Cindy]

We were on the Royal in June-July, and thankfully our experience was just the opposite of yours. I’m sorry there seemed to be so little you enjoyed...that must have been a big disappointment.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Doris&Nereus]

We went to Santiago de Compostela last year, and found it very inspirational. In fact, one of our good friends did one of the the longer walks twice. But dh has some back problems now, and he can't do that much walking , so we went to a lovely house and garden in Vego. It was a great cruise overall, and we had a great time.

[geoherb]

Thanks again for your review. I'll never understand why some people seem to take a negative review personally. This was your experience and subjective impressions reported accurately. Others, even on the same cruise, will have different experiences. I appreciate all reviews - both positive and negative.

Well, some things were reported accurately. Others were exaggerated, such as the wait times for breakfast and lunch and "the majority of the staff did not have a very good command of the English language." Some staff members do have an accent, which some people may have difficulty in understanding, but you don't get to be a waiter on a Princess ship without proficiency in English. The other over-the-top statement was "We docked in Vigo on a Sunday when absolutely nothing was open." It was absolutely not true.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Some of the gripes you had like the “old” look of the ship and the lack of specialty restaurants are the very reasons Princess is a winner for us. We wouldn’t call those old styles, though; we’d call them traditional ship decor and experiences. DH and I who are still young prefer the traditional cruise experience to the floating malls of the seas. We like to know we are at sea and be connected to it as much as possible. Princess provides that. As for the food, we adore the Royal and Regal for their cuisine in all venues and love that Princess doesn’t nickel and dime us like some other cruise lines with tons of specialty restaurants. That’s the beauty of having a variety of cruise lines, though; you can find the one that matches your tastes. Happy cruising to you!

[happy cruzer]

Thanks to all who shared their views.  Was very concerned about the mention of long waits for MDR breakfast and lunch.  Seems experiences there varied.  Also glad that the adult pool being open to all was clarified.

 

Thanks to everyone including the original reviewer!