Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our second time on the Royal Princess. The first one ended abruptly when we lost power in the Mediterranean. This time we managed to complete the trip around the British Isles.
The main design flaws are still present - lack of center stairs - small elevators - a 1 person at a time balcony. It is a nice ship overall but this time the newness had worn off a bit. The food was not quite as good as the year prior on the Emerald Princess. We did the Chef's Table on both and while the one on the Royal was good, it did not compare to the Emerald which was less expensive and fabulous.
It was a busy itinerary with a different port every day. We had light rain almost everyday for a bit but that didn't slow down the excursions. We booked all of our own tours as the ship's tours were 3 times the cost on this trip. Not sure why the price variance was so high this time - everyone remarked on it on board. It is much better to tour in a smaller group.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
Port Reviews
St. Peter Port (Guernsey)
Easy to walk from the ship around town and to the castle.
Dublin
Took the train in and then the HoHo and toured around. Very easy to see.
Liverpool
We used Busy Bus and toured Wales. It was a nice day and we saw many things we would not have seen with a large tour.
Belfast
The ship was supposed to dock at 8:30 a.m. and we docked at 5:30 p.m. due to tides and wind. Most excursions were canceled but I had been in contact with Alister from City & Causeway tours all day and he waited for us. Even with a shortened time he managed to get us to Giant's Causeway at sunset which was stunning and through the Antrim coast and Belfast and back tot eh ship before it sailed. It was amazing!
Greenock (Glasgow)
Another Busybus tour - we saw Loch Lomond and Inverarary and had a wonderful time.
Invergordon (Inverness)
Another private tour this time G&S. It was wonderful - Loch Ness, Cawdor castle and Beauly Priory - in a nice small group.
Edinburgh (South Queensferry)
Another G&S tour - it was wonderful. Rosslyn Chapel and Edinburgh and met some hairy coos!