I just returned from my 36th cruise overall and my second aboard Princess Cruises. For this cruise, I selected the Royal Princess because I wanted to experience this brand new ship. I was not disappointed as I had a Royal experience during my week at sea.

Embarkation was very easy and very organized as we were directed to an agent line after passing through security. With my sail documents in hand along with my passport and credit card, I eagerly waited boarding and exploring this beautiful lady. Uh Oh! A problem in front of me...an elderly couple was missing one of two passports. They were politely asked to step aside as they ripped apart their carry on luggage looking for the missing passport. I was then asked to step up to the agent and she professionally processed my credentials to board the ship and was given my room key card. The folks who were missing the passport eventually found it in the gentleman's rear pocket as you have to show the passport twice before even getting near the boarding agent. Glad it worked out for them. We were then directed to a large staging area where we sat for about a half hour waiting to board. I did see a large group of travel agents leaving the ship prior to permitting the passengers to board. Not sure if this was causing the delay. When I inquired as to the delay in boarding I was told "I'm not sure" in a rather demeaning manner and that we would be allowed to board when the ship was ready. When our area was told to begin the boarding process, we entered the ship via a jetway style passageway and arrived in the center of the ship on deck 5.

We then proceeded to the buffet area for lunch. There was few lines at the buffet and we quickly made our selections and enjoyed a nice lunch. The staff greeted you with a "welcome aboard" smile, which made me feel welcomed on the Royal Princess. The staff aboard the ship was the friendliest that I have ever experienced on my 36 cruises. A nice smile and a hello goes a long way in making a passenger feel good. Read more