We arrived in Copenhagen three days before embarking on our cruise and were very glad we did this. We had purchased transfers from Princess, although since we had changed our plans twice, we were told that no one would be there to greet us at the airport. However, to our surprise, a wonderful lady was there to meet us. Thank goodness, because that airport is mega confusing and we wouldn’t have found our way out so fast. Since Denmark is such a charming country, we walked a lot around the city center and marvelled at both the sights and enjoyed talking to it’s citizens. We took a full day Grand Tour around Copenhagen through Viator tours (Hamlet Tours), visiting Roskilde Cathedral, having lunch at a Danish bakery, touring the awesome Fredricksborg Castle, and driving up to Helsingborg to visit the palace where Shakespeare had Hamlet. The embarkation and disembarkation were both very smooth, very efficient. The ship is enormous and our balcony cabin was totally adequate as far as space provided. Our cabin steward did a great job, always greeting us by name. We had signed up for assigned first seating for dining with a table for 8 so we could meet people. However, our first night, we were at a four top and the other people did not show up. There were some other people nearby with the same problem, so the next night, we were told to switch dining rooms and we merged with them and three other people, as well. All very nice people, so we had a table of nine. Only complaint was having to trek to the Allegro dining room, clear on the other end of the ship Food: there were some hit and misses. The last night strip steak I couldn’t cut it, it was so tough. The buffet did well on its pastries, but the eggs weren’t very good. They did have a wide variety of foods to cater to the many nationalities on the ship. Entertainment: A few standouts, were the MacDonald Brothers and the Bravo night featuring an opera singer and some lovely voices of some of the Princess staff. The Beatlemaniacs was mediocre. We had booked Oslo through SPB tours and the rest of the cities through Alla Tours because they offer tours with much smaller groups than Princess and less expensive too. It is definitely not true that only Princess can provide visa services in St. Petersburg. We had no trouble at all and loved our tours. This cruise is very port intensive and is very tiring. It took us about a week after to recover. Read Less

We did the Imperial Treasures cruise/tour. The land portion was outstanding. The cruise was very good with just a few disappointments. First I have to say the wait staff at the International Cafe always welcomed me happily. Our room steward Marlin, is the best we have had in fifteen cruises with different lines. It was a great way to see a lot of that part of the world in a short amount of time Because we were only going to have two sea days I booked an interior cabin. It was B 419. Though it is a bit larger than most interiors the layout was awful. The door opens directly where the bed is. If you are relaxing on the bed and your room mate opens the door you might as well be sitting in the hallway for those passing by to see. Also, other interior cabins open with a short entranceway with the closet and bath area on one side. The walls block the bed area so you have more privacy. Because the closet area is on the hallway wall area you have noise insulation in other types of interior cabins. This was a sideways cabin layout with the bed area wall of the hallway. We could hear people in the hallway, sometimes kids running up and down the halls. If you have hearing problems this might not bother you but I was woken up often. Usually the food was very good. I found that most beef steaks were tough so avoided them. Also, some eggs were undercooked. I hate to waste food, but will throw out undercooked items. We did book the spa area and it was good. The saunas are nice and hot. We had a charge on our account at the end of the cruise that wasn't ours. The customer service people checked and could not find a paper receipt so they took it off. It was put on during a time we were off the ship on an excursion. Good idea to check your statement and talk to other people on your account to be sure the bill is accurate. I was also disappointed in the promenade (deck 7) layout. It is not possible to walk around the ship on this like other ships and part of the deck is blocked by machinery and the view is obstructed by the way they hang the lifeboats on this ship.They did put a walking/running track on Deck 16. Also, they included some workout equipment like you find in some city parks so you can do some working out outside instead of in the fitness center. I still miss the old type promenade deck where you could stand at the back of the ship. I usually enjoy Zumba. Because they use the Lounge at the back of the ship for art auctions instead of the Explorer's Lounge they had Zumba in the Piazza. There was less room and it also was loud for people at the International Cafe. I could not visit with people over coffee with the loud music. They should move Zumba. Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I learned about this new cabin layout and to avoid it in the future. We met so many interesting people. Princess is the best overall line for someone like us. Read Less

The Regal Princess Baltic Sea cruise marked our 12th cruise. The trip was booked as a high school graduation present for my son. He and our 16 year old shared a room, while my wife and I enjoyed our own peace and quiet. The trip was incredible. The itinerary is perfect for sampling the Baltic countries. Two days in St. Petersburg was definitely necessary to properly explore. (Obviously, in any of these countries you could spend weeks!) The Regal Princess was the best experience we've enjoyed in all our cruises. Highlights: Food-We ate in "Anytime" dining room and buffet. Best tasting and generous portions of all our cruises. Buffet was phenomenal. Fresh shimp, mussels, and oysters on ice (not the tiny little shrimps!) Sushi(no corner cutting...tuna, shrimp), carved meat, and hibachi chicken were highlights. Burger, pizza, and ice cream on pool deck. International cafe on deck 5 could be a restaurant in itself...tasty desserts and the sandwiches, salads... Waitstaff: Anytime dining was terrific. A couple of different wait staff, but all friendly and exceptional flow to service. This has been an issue on other ships where service is inconsistent in this dining format. Drinks were brought to your table during every buffet meal...nice touch which eliminated the normal frenzy at coffee, water, ice tea area. Ship: Mature crowd on the ship, but everyone seemed to have fun. The house band was great in keeping the energy high in the atrium and on pool deck. Ship was in wonderful condition. Perfect set up to me. My wife runs and enjoyed the track which did not weave in and out of pool chairs. Fitness room was equipped with up to date machines. Deveon kept our room impeccable. Embark and Disembark: Could not be any easier!!! I don't know what else to say...on and off in a blink. Russia customs took a couple extra minutes, but that is to be expected. Entertainment: Nice mix of cruise productions and outside acts. Beatles were fun, MacDonald Bros from Scotland brought house down. The Voice contest was very cool! Staff: First class! Smiles everywhere. Rarely saw dishes at tables in buffet area. Bartenders (Peter and Benny!) are pro's. We have never considered sailing the same ship twice, as we like to explore. However, we anticipated another trip on the Regal Princess soon. The Baltic should be considered on your list, along with Alaska. Read Less

When we cruise I often ask seasoned cruisers their favorite destination. The Baltic was frequently mentioned and it worked out for us to go this year. We were scheduled to embark on the 23rd of June. We took off from LAX on 6/20 and arrived in Copenhagen on 6/21 and checked into the AC Bell Sky (Marriott property) which was a short metro ride to downtown. Bella Sky had an airport shuttle, daily breakfast, and cruise transfer available. We visited Tivoli Gardens, wandered around downtown, explored by HOHO bus/canal, ate at Hard Rock Cafe and a local restaurant. We purchased a shuttle transfer through the hotel and embarkation was seamless. We were offered an UPSELL to a mini suite and took Princess up on the offer. This is our favorite category of cabin and I am glad we were able to do it. Enjoyed things about all of the ports but Berlin and St. Petersburg were highlights for us. We booked excursions through TJ Travel. The days were long and we packed a lot in. Our guides at both locations were AWESOME (Matt/Berlin & Svetlana/STP). Our big complaint was that there was very limited time in Stockholm. We would have loved to have been able to spend more time there. Read Less

This was our 10th cruise and first with Princess, after sailing with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, HAL, Cunard, Carnival and Costa. Overall it was the best cruise so far. We were upgraded to a suite which obviously added to the experience, but I think Princess beats Celebrity in every category. Food and entertainment were excellent. Very good selection in buffet and very high quality food in the MDR. Good daily activities, including lectures from guest speakers. Service was top notch. Internet was the best we have experienced so far. Very fast, and very reasonably priced - we paid $90 for 12 days of unlimited surfing on one device. You cannot beat it. Embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth and well organized. Entertainment was excellent, especially the production shows and Beatle mania. Cruise director was very good. Few slight negatives: the dining room felt a bit overcrowded, especially on sea days, although we usually didn't have issue to find a table. And the excursions - very expensive. We used a third party operator, Alla Tours, and highly recommend them. Small groups at half price. Overall, excellent experience. We will definitely be back. Read Less

We chose this cruise as we had not travelled to the Scandinavian countries before. It was beautiful although you need to pack some warmer clothes as on occasion jumpers and long trousers were required. But the sun was out most days but a cool breeze The food on board was amazing. The variety terrific. Whether you dined in the restaurant or at the smorgasbord I could not see any grounds for complaint. Also we enjoyed being able to do “the walk” on the upper level to get some gentle exercise without having to go to the fitness centre. This accommodated seniors very well. Next year we have committed to another cruise line. But the following year we will look again to see what Princess has to offer. I will certainly tell our friends about the lovely experience we have had on our second Princess cruise. We experienced respect and service throughout the trip. Read Less

Overall, a great experience. From start to finish, the staff was curteous, helpful, polite, energetic. Embarkation was smooth, the cabin was very clean, and the twice-daily service in the cabin was always done at the right moments to leave us with the capability of using our room as we wished (eg: sleep late, early dinner, later dinner, etc...). Bar staff was always happy, and were quick to remember our preferences. Most of the dining room staff was efficient, but we had a couple of times when service was slower, and waiters were not smiling. Dining room food was generally good, except overcooked at times. Buffet choice was exhaustive. Programming on the giant screen was varied and adequate. Many movies shown were still in theaters, and we had the chance of having the World Cup matches broadcast on the giant screen, which created a great atmosphere around the pool. Disembarkation for shore excursions was smooth, but re-embarkation was sometimes lengthy (especially the re-embarkation on day 2 at St-Petersburg). Being able to use Whatsapp for free on the boat was really a bonus. Every evening, while having cocktails, we'd select the day's best photos and send them to family and friends. Nice touch! Overall, a very positive experience. Would not hesitate to cruise with Princess again. Read Less

We're Platinum level cruisers with Princess. Middle aged married couple. Chose this cruise mostly for it's destinations and the Regal Princess itself. 11 nights around the Baltic. On the plus side, the ports and the 3 Princess excursions we booked were great! Copenhagen, Oslo, Warnemunde/Wismar, Germany, Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg (!!), Helsinki, Stockholm, back to Copenhagen. All had something to offer. Highly recommend taking 2 different Princess excursions on the 2 days in St. P. to see everything important. The more expensive 2-day combined excursion leaves out an important site. Also, avoids having to get a visa if you do a ship's excursion. As early arrivers in Copenhagen, great to be treated by Princess to an early-arriver tour of the city. Embarkation and disembarkation were both very smooth and stressless. But, on the minus side, our cabin steward didn't seem to like either his job or us or both from the start. Also, generally, the food was not as good, the menu choices not as up to par as expected, and the main dining room service was lacking as well. Maybe we've been spoiled by the 2 cruises we took to Alaska on Princess. The scrambled eggs in the morning were inedible. Not even sure they were eggs. Lastly, the main dining dress code is either non-existent or not enforced. Smart Casual needs to be defined on the daily newsletter. Sweatshirts? Sandals? Bare midriff shirts on women too old and too overweight to wear them? Come on, people! Overall, the ship (Regal) itself was impressive, and the talent/entertainment both in the theatre and around the ship was really, really good. But if the food, and cabin and dining service are lacking, what are we paying gratuities for? Read Less

The wife and I chose this cruise for our anniversary since we had never been to Northern Europe. Everything concerning the ship was fine. Balcony cabin was roomy, buffet one of the best we've experienced and entertainment was spot on. We departed Copenhagen on June 12th and enjoyed each of our ports of call. My only complaint was the small amount of time in Stockholm. Other than that it was a fabulous vacation. Concerning the excursions we never used any of the ones offered by Princess. Instead we ventured out utilizing either the hop on hop off buses or just walking and exploring on our own. The buses were good except in Stockholm where we had to wait for over an hour to be picked up after our first stop. This really cut our day short since we were there only till 1pm Instead of taking a 2 hour train ride into Berlin we opted to take the train to Rostock. Cost was 2 euro a piece and was simple to navigate. It was a twenty minute walk to the town center where they have shops, restaurants and a couple of nice churches to visit The biggest issue we saw from previous reviews for this cruise was the visit to St..Petersburg. Seemed to be much concern on excursions not through Princess. Many where warned of the problems using a third party tour company but we decided to give it a try anyways. Luckily no problems. We booked a two day tour with Alla Tours and they handled visas and all admissions to museums without any problems. Princess does allow their tours to get off the ship first and make others wait but it doesn't prohibit anything. You have plenty of time to clear customs and meet up with your group. We arrived in Copenhagen three days early and really enjoyed our extra time there Overall this was a great way to spend an anniversary Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary, it didn't disappoint. We loved the ship, the decor of the public spaces was very good. The food in the 'Anytime Dining' restaurant was good although the service was dismal, out of 11 nights we were sent away with a 'beeper' and had to wait anything up to 45 minutes. We were so frustrated, that on two occasions we gave the beeper back and went to "Alfredo's Pizzeria" were the service and friendliness was exemplary and a much more enjoyable experience. The variety of food offered in the Horizon Court for breakfast was good but could have varied a little more on different days. Except for a few exceptions, we found the majority of crew unfriendly and not what we've come to expect after sailing on many cruise ships, (this includes officers}. We got the impression that it was not a happy ship. The shows were good as were the bands and entertainers in the bars. We don't have problems with other Princess ships, but I doubt we will sail with Regal Princess again. Read Less