Between us my cruising friend and I have sailed on five Princess ships on itineraries including the Caribbean, Asia, Hawaii and now the Mediterranean and were looking forward to joining the newest ship of the line, Royal Princess, to see what improvements have been incorporated into the new design.

Embarkation in Venice was relatively smooth and quick as Platinum cruisers, preceded by the novelty of crossing the lagoon on very choppy waters by water taxi. We correctly didn't expect our mini-suite to be ready immediately and had planned for this by carrying aboard clothes suitable for lounging around the pool and swimming as the weather was very warm. Deck 16 has two smallish pools separated by a raised area containing fountains used for a water and light show in the evenings (somewhat lame and something of a waste of space.

Horizon Court/Bistro has been re-designed it seems with the express purpose of ensuring passengers have to walk around two completely separate buffet areas to see the full range of food available for any meal. Many items were in both buffets but equally many were not We were never able to identify any logical reason for the different food-range, names/decor of the two sections or why they were separated. On the plus side, available seating seems to be an improvement, but the new high bar-style tables with stools in one section were inappropriate for eating and the last to fill. The food choices seemed more limited than on previous cruises with breakfast particularly disappointing with an increased emphasis on stodgy choices. The fruit selection was limited and repetitive and breakfast favourites like grapefruit absent. Vegetables such as grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach appeared rarely on the breakfast buffet,being available only at the omelet station, but a greasy sweet corn dish and several variations on fried potatoes and baked beans were available daily. Some breakfast cereals were only available in one or other of the two separate buffets. The 'new' pastry shop simply seems to have replaced the usual dessert section of the buffet and, on the one occasion we dined at the buffet, this section was the only part of an otherwise closed area still open. This meant passengers wishing to dine and have dessert that evening had to eat their appetiser and main course in one restaurant and then move to the other for dessert. Despite this a much larger proportion of passengers seemed to opt for the buffet at night with the main dining rooms quiet on most nights of the cruise - perhaps reflecting the large numbers of families with children opting for more casual dining? Food labelling at both the buffets and on menus was less informative than in the past, with no indication of healthier choices (Spa items on menus of previous cruises), or ingredients in dishes although there was some indication of vegetarian and gluten free on written menus only. Main dining room food also seemed plainer and stodgier than in the past with few choices for those of us who enjoy lighter, spicier food. We ordered an extra side dish of steamed vegetables most nights to overcome the small portions of vegetables served with meals. Read more