Timing is everything, and we were thrilled that the weather was cooler and children were back in school (says a recently retired teacher.) Weather was too cool for the pool but that was to be expected; besides with these ports of call, we wanted to visit every port. *St. Petersburg was the highlight of our 11 day cruise. We were not expecting such a stunning city! Wish we had more than 2 days there. Took the tour from the ship. I wish we would have taken a private tour. We were tired of being herded in large groups. We did the "best of....." tour in each port. * Needed more time for walking through Vasa Museum in Sweden and delete the 45 min. at end of tour to wonder through Old Town after we just had a walking tour of it. *Finland was a disappointment with the tour. Save your money and get on a hop on and hop off bus. Bathroom availability was an issue on the Finland tour. * Tour in Estonia was about 45 minutes too long. Great history lessons, be prepared to walk and walk. * Took tour of Berlin. Ship docked in an industrial port and we took a train that had to be left over from WWII. Old and dirty and slow. All stops were informative, especially the Berlin Wall area. The Allied Museum can be deleted from the tour. * Oslo, Norway - ship docked next to the Akershus Fortress (castle), was very interesting. Probably could have seen everything on a Hop On, Hop Off bus rather than the expensive ship tour of the "best of". *All tours had nice, clean buses. * Dining was excellent on ship. Service was great. *At end of cruise in Copenhagen, Princess just dropped us off at airport and there was no representative in the airport to direct anyone (is also under construction), and was very confusing for most people. They dropped the ball here. (disembarkation) * Waited too long for bus to ship for embarkation. *Would have appreciated a lecture on "Cruise Medallion" and have it replayed on TV. * Laundry room issues - Need more laundry rooms - Was an issue * Future Cruise Desk should have more staff and more hours available. *Do NOT get an adjoining room unless you want one. You can hear much more than you ever wanted to hear. *Library is too small Read Less

This Baltic Cruise was a “Bucket List” vacation that we had been looking forward to for a long time. We selected this particular cruise because the itinerary was focused more towards the Scandinavian/Nordic ports than the Northern European ports. The port calls and excursions were wonderful and we learned so much about the people, the countries and the history of this area. The Regal Princess was the biggest ship we have sailed and for the size, and with the number of people aboard, there was a minimal amount of waiting. The food was very good, although it is funny that we are using the buffet, grill and pizza areas more often than the dining room. We were gifted with a delux balcony breakfast by our travel agent and that was a very nice gift. If you have a chance it is a little pricy to buy but a very nice experience and they do it up nicely. We especially liked the entertainment on-board, excursions were well run, and the Embarkation & Disembarkation were the smoothest we have ever encountered. The combination of the above, combined with the friendliness of the crew (and the Captain), along with the entertainment I can’t recommend this enough. One thing to take note of is that this cruise was port intensive and it did not leave a lot of time for rest and relaxation. For us this was just fine. Read Less

We boarded the cruise ship in Copenhagen and overall it was a great cruise. As always Princess's embarkation and disembarkation was quick and seamless. All events like muster and the captains welcome party was very well coordinated. However due to the number of people onboard, it can get very crowded and uncomfortable in the Promenade deck especially with the stalls set up its really feels like a flea market! I have concerns over cross contamination on the ship. The satinisers at the Horizon is at the entrance and unmanned and many cruisers just walk in without sanitising their hands. Also i have grave issue of cruisers refilling their water bottles at the water dispensers inspite there being a sign there discouraging cruisers from doing so. No one seems to care. Some bottles are reused mineral water bottles and the spout are inserted to the mouthpiece and its really gross. If the water in the cabins are drinkable then Princess should do away with allowing cruisers to refill their water bottles. Another issue we faced was the hard sell by the dining staff. Everday we are pressurised to dine at the specialty restaurants or purchase lemoncello. Its unpleasant. Overall we had a good cruise and i will cruise with Princess again but maybe with a smaller ship. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the opportunity to visit the Baltic region of the world. The itinerary was great. We arrived in Copenhagen one day early and spent the night at the Radisson Blu which was ideally located right across from the Tivoli Gardens. The embarkation went very smoothly and the check in was extremely fast and easy. The Regal Princess is a beautiful, well appointed vessel with every amenity available. I travelled with five close friends and we had a wonderful time together. Our balcony cabin was spacious and being two women, I can honestly say we even had some storage space that we did not use. We chose the traditional dining option and were very pleased with it. Our waiters were extremely helpful and very humorous. The food was superb, one of the best dining experiences I have ever had on any of my previous 7 cruises. The menu selections were excellent. We only attended one show in the main Theatre which was good. Our main source of entertainment was in the Piazza after our late dinner. The group called Indigo was fabulous. We also enjoyed Arnie on the piano with our nightcap before retiring for the evening. We took advantage of all excursions and some of course are always better than others. I wish we had more time in St. Petersburg as two days was not enough to see all that is there. Stockholm also would have been a place we would have liked to have more time in. But, all things considered, it was a fabulous time, and I will remember it always. Read Less

Chose this cruise because of the ports of call. Had cruised with Princess in the past and had a better experience. The food is quite lacking and anything close to gourmet. Even the food in the steak house was of poor quality. The entertainment was lacking. No staff in the theater to ensure that passengers were not standing in the aisles. This would block the view of others. Cruise director lacks personality and is rarely visible. This cruise director was on one of our excursions and sat on her phone and barely interacted with passengers. The staff needs to do a better job ensuring that passengers wash their hands prior to enter the buffet. Very limited storage space in the cabins for clothes There is more hanging space than shelves. Bathroom often had an odd odor even after cleaning. WiFi is quite adequate and available throughout the ship. Shops are lacking Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the region (ports) and Princess based upon reviews, particularly the quality of the dining experience, which did not disappoint This was our first cruise on Princess and were extremely pleased. We have cruised on other lines 7 times. Although we would still cruise the other lines (as I am in April because 25 family/friends are going and I'm tagging along), we definitely are interested in cruising with Princess again. Quality and service of every aspect was a step above. Definitely not as much as party hard and all night ship, but that fits with our style. No shortage of things to to see in the ports, so just needed to focus on a few things and go with it. Didn't try to do everything, too much. Weather was +90F. Heard it was the hottest it has been in 150+ years. So that slowed us a down a bit. Only took once organized tour (in St. Petersburg due to VISA issues) and that was with SPB tours, not Princess. As with all cruise lines, the cruise shore excursions are very pricey, big groups and see less. I've traveled extensively (with US) and am very comfortable doing self-guided walking tours,, hop on/hop off buses, etc., so we did that in every other port. We stayed the night before the cruise in Copenhagen (hotel booked through Princess) so we could see a bit there. We used Princess EZ Air to book the air (after I did my own research) and booked their ground transportation from the airport to the hotel, to the ship and back to airport upon conclusion of cruise. First time for using those type of services as I'm usually a DIY traveler. But this was a big trip, first time to Europe and had other people with me. Wanted it to go as smooth as possible and it did. Absolutely no issues with an of the transportation, hotel was good, breakfast was incredible the morning of the cruise. Never have a seen such a spread, similar to the cruise offerings. It was nice to be in a hotel that catered to the cruise passengers as Princess had a desk in the hotel and any questions could be easily answered. Absolutely fantastic vacation. Fortunate to have the means and health to be able to do this type of travel. Read Less

Overall, we had a very enjoyable cruise. Our cabin was a balcony deluxe on D deck. We are a couple, recently retired, and have cruised a number of times before, so our expectation level was already pretty high. Regal is a relatively large ship with 3000 passengers so it is inevitable that, on occasion, you will feel like you are part of the herd, simply because of the logistics of moving that many people. Princess did a good job of trying to minimise the impact of this. They had very good organisation and sufficient manpower for things like embarkation and port visits. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary and we were not disappointed. Though not related to Princess, the weather was very good. Temperatures in some ports were 30 degrees C, (86F). A lot of people from colder climates found this very hot. As Australians, we found it warmish but far preferable to cold and damp. Photos always look better with a clear blue sky in the background. We found the cabin, staff, food and entertainment on the ship up to the high standard we have come to expect from previous cruises. We had a negative experience with one rude waiter, but that was one in hundreds of interactions. Everything on the Regal was priced in $US so, as Australians, we add 35% for our local currency. Generally, apart from occasional drinks or specialty coffee, you are not obliged to purchase anything else. We believed the options offered were very expensive and I will use Aussie dollars as that’s how we had to consider them. Internet access: $27 per day or $20 per day if you commit to more than 1 consecutive day. Shore Excursions: Example St Petersburg, Regal was $670pp for 2days. (We used local provider for $285pp) Ship behind the scenes tour: I would have really have liked to do this but, at $200pp, I passed. Transfers: Ship to Copenhagen Airport, $52 pp. We did a previous cruise on Princess Diamond ending in Sydney. Ship to Airport was $20 pp. though Princess. Apart from the pricing, Princess discourage you from using other options. (a) You are advised that, without a visa, you can only go ashore on an organised Princess tour. A ticket with any recognised tour operator is acceptable. (b) You are advised that, on disembarkation, taxi delays can be 1 to 2 hours so using Princess transfers is highly recommended. When we disembarked, there was a line of available taxis, as well as public and independent transport options. This did not spoil our experience as we were prepared and used alternative options. It is provided as advice to anyone who may not have anticipated this. Tipping is automatically added to the stateroom account each day ($18pp/pd, $US13.50). This is fine and is stated clearly in the up-front documentation. We were happy to pay it on the basis everyone gets a share. The only drawback is there is no differentiation between poor service and outstanding service. I may have used more space talking about pricing issues than the overall positive experience, but hopefully that information will useful to upcoming cruisers, and the issues raised can be avoided with a bit of preparation. It is a great cruise and we enjoyed it. PS: Check out the TJ Travel website for a St Petersburg tour – highly recommend them. Read Less

We love the Princess Cruise Line and this Ship, the Regal Princess was incredible! A Beautiful decorated ship and very functional and eye appealing. The food was diverse and wonderful and our waiters at our Dinner time were Very knowable, polite and Fun! All the Entertainment was fabulous !!! We even saw the Beatle Maniacs. Super singers and dancers entertained us while cruising the Baltic Sea. We chose a Mini-Suite and I loved the sitting area with a flatscreen TV and the Bed area also had a flatScreen TV. And there was thick curtain that divided the room if you should have children with you. And the Extra Mid room Curtain was great to block out all Sun for sleeping in on those Sea Days! The steward took meticulous care of our room. The Bathroom included a Tub and for the first time I could shower without water getting all over the bathroom !!! The shore Excursions were reasonable and exciting! Read Less

We chose this cruise so we could experience European life and its history. We were not disappointed, as we saw many historic sites and would like to do another cruise to this part of the world. Our overall experience, on and off ship, was incredible. The newer ship was a welcome upgrade from the previous Princess ships we have experienced, and though being relatively new, was familiar with our past Princess ships.. Embarking and disembarking were smooth and trouble free, a far cry from years past. Our cabin steward was unseen, but our cabin was always clean, which means he was doing a fantastic job. The shows on board were good, typical of our past experiences with Princess. We spent some time in the casino, but we are smokers and due to multiple non-smoking nights did not spend as much time (or money) as we normally would have. Unfortunately, the public restrooms were often dirty due to many passengers that were not considerate. If this was their own home, I doubt they would have trouble hitting the urinals. We did explore London on our way to Copenhagen prior to our departure and Copenhagen upon our return from the cruise prior to flying home in the US. In summary, we are looking forward tour next trip with Princess within the next 12 months, as we just received our platinum status. Read Less

We chose this cruise to see these countries. We were traveling with friends with similar interests so it made it fun. This was a very active cruise. Visiting five ports in eight days we were moving quite a bit. This was a round trip from Copenhagen. While we arrived a day early, we should have added an extra day at the beginning or the end as it was a long flight (from California), we were tired so we didn't get to see much. Oslo was a nice little town. We spent time walking around the town close to the port after an early excursion. We wished we had more time in town. Warnemunde, Germany (Berlin) - We did the train ride to Berlin and had a great tour. The organized tour showed a lot more than we ever could have seen on a self guided. Tallinn Estonia - This was a nice little town with lots of old history. The people were very friendly. We took a taxi from the port to the upper part of old town and walked all the way down and back. Lots to see. Lots of places to shop. Lots of restaurants to relax at. St Petersburg - We did the two day Ultimate tour and it was packed with stuff to see. Lots to take in and visit. The tour included multiple meals. The first day was from 7am to midnight with a small break back on the ship in the late afternoon to refresh. The second day was again from 7am to 5pm. Lots of walking, stair climbing and just constantly on the go. We were tired but glad we did it. Helsinki - Cute little town. We did the Hop on Hop off tour, which was sufficient. We walked between some of the stops just to take things in. Nynashamn (Stockholm) - This was a short bus ride to Stockholm. We took the "Best of" tour. Again it was a lot of walking with lots to see. It was a full day that included some free time toward the end of the day to self explore or shop. The last sea day returning to Copenhagen was a good day to sleep in and relax before packing. As for the actual on board experience: Dining: This cabin is a "Club Class" which was a nice added benefit. The Club Class dining was good to avoid reservations. The dining room service was typical Princess. Since we ate in the same part of the dining room each night we had one of two wait teams. One team was just mediocre, the waiter was bad but the junior waiter made up for some of it. The other team was great. prompt service with good personality and humor. Service: Our cabin steward was average. He made up our room just like any hotel staff would. He said hello when we'd see him but not much else. Service throughout the rest of the ship was pretty good. The staff was friendly and attentive. Entertainment/Enrichment: Due to the amount of activity on shore days, we were pretty tired when we were back on the ship. Therefore we did not catch any of the shows, which is unusual for us. On the early sea day I did go to the presentation that talked about our upcoming ports. The information was informative and actually helped me plan our agenda for the two days we didn't have excursions planned. Read Less