We have taken many cruises and used a number of different cruise lines. We chose this ship because it worked well with a direct flight from our home city, where you can never count on good flying weather. We like to book our flight departure for one or two days before the ship leaves in case of bad weather at home. So flying on Jan. 7 for a Jan. 9 sailing was ideal. This was our third Princess cruise, first time on the Royal. What a beautiful ship! I had read many reviews and watched videos on Youtube and it lived up to my expectations in that regard.

Embarkation wasn't too bad. We got there shortly after 11:00 a.m. and enjoyed chatting with other people while we waited. The lineup for security was one long line that split into a couple more once inside the terminal. However the 'line-up' to check in was not organized at all. Kind of like the grocery store - pick the one you think might be the best. Having said that, we were on board the ship just before noon and we were able to put our carry-on items in our room before we went to the buffet for lunch.

We both thoroughly enjoyed the food, both in the MDR, the buffet, Alfredo's and the International Cafe. We had anytime dining in the evenings and we always got there sometime between 5:50 and 6:15 and never had to wait more than 2 or 3 minutes because we were always willing to share with a larger group. I had many poor reviews about the food in the MDR over the past many months but it seemed that Nov. and Dec. reviews said the food was very good. So I went into this cruise not sure what to expect and was very pleased with almost everything I ordered. Read more