Royal Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,777 reviews

Average may be generous

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Royal Princess
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ggenner
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Nov 2013

We take 3 or 4 cruises a year, this was our 2nd on Princess and we booked a full suite for the Thanksgiving cruise. Preferred check-in was fast and painless but despite arriving 45 minutes before scheduled boarding no priority boarding was offered for suite guests despite two inquiries and by the time we boarded one hour after the first passengers the weekly booking slots for the Sanctuary were gone and we were told we could book only one day in advance of each of the 3 sea days. Our first attempt at 9am the day before sea day 1 was too late as was the 40 minutes standing in the rain from 7:40am on the day before sea day 2. Apparently the line formed at 6:30am. We did not try for sea day 3. On many other lines, a facility like the Sanctuary is standard for concierge passengers but we could not even pay for access on this cruise and the Concierge was unable to assist. Sanctuary policies vary between ships and are changeable so do not assume that you know how it will work.

The ship is aesthetically pleasant, poorly designed from a practical perspective and has very little "wow" impact. Elevators are too few and may be out of service. Public bathrooms are too few and too small.

Food preparation was poor to average. Even the Chefs' Table, while beautifully presented, comprised badly cooked dishes. Sabatini's was a disappointmen compared to Ruby Princess. There were many complaints about the Horizon buffet but we were impressed by the range of choices. The Crown Grill was a high point and deserts tended to be better than savoury dishes.

Cabin Review

Pleasant. Not large but comfortable and well located for elevators and concierge lounge. Balcony not deep and had no room for sunbeds but wide.

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