We decided to sail on the Royal Princess after hearing it was brand new in June of this year. We had no experience with the Princess line and did not know what to expect. The initial check-in procedure seemed a bit confused and disorganized, but once we got checked in things went very smoothly. Our cabin was ready when we got on board and we were very happy with our choice of a stateroom with a balcony. The stateroom was smaller than we have had in the past on other ships, but we really liked it and found it very comfortable. One issue was that we were mid-ship and there were no stairs for passengers to use only elevators in the location. It took us a couple of days to figure out how to avoid the long waits for the elevators to go up or down. There was an issue when they were taking the photos in the Piazza as you couldn't get up the stairs and the elevators were really busy. We had to walk through the Casino to get where we wanted to go and the smoke was terrible. Even though it isn't a long walk I was coughing by the time I got out. Fortunately smoking is not allowed in the staterooms or other areas of the ship.

Once we had explored the ship completely we were impressed by the Piazza area and also the layouts and places to eat and drink in that area. The food was excellent and although we didn't get reservations in the Crown Grill, all the other food locations were great. We selected the anytime dining and although we had to wait for dinner on 4 nights, we were given a buzzer and had time on 3 occasions to have a drink before going to dinner. We were never rushed and since we like to have time between courses, with a more European timing of the courses, it was perfect. The staff were superb and we enjoyed all the mealtimes. If they are offered the wine tastings, especially with the food pairing is well worth the time. We got to try wines that we had never seen before and were pleasantly surprised by their quality.

The shore excursions were what we wanted on this trip, short but complete and we didn't have to be dropped off for shopping, instead we were able to return directly to the ship. On board there was always something going on and the evening shows were excellent, I really enjoyed them. The talent for all the venues was great. Read more