We did a 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Royal Princess for our 40th anniversary and to get away from the beginning of another cold Michigan winter. This is our third cruise and our second cruise with Princess. This time we cruised with two other couples that we have known for years. The guys worked together for 30 years and everyone is now, semi-retired. We are all baby-boomers in our late 50s to early 60s.

EMBARKATION: The embarkation process was quick and uneventful, probably because our flight from BWI to FLL was late. We arrived at the ship at 3:15, just in time to make it to our stateroom, grab a couple life preservers, and attend the mandatory lifeboat drill. We were the last ones to arrive at our muster station. By 4pm we were back in our cabin and underway. We stood on our balcony and watched the sun set behind Ft. Lauderdale as we headed out to sea for two days prior to arriving in Aruba.

THE SHIP: The two days at sea allowed us to get comfortable with the ship and learn our way around. This is the largest ship that we have sailed on so far. Previous cruises were on Enchantment of the Sea, and the larger Caribbean Princess. The ship was all it was advertised to be. Elegant and impressive. We spent much of our time at sea lounging around the pool area which always seemed to have available chairs despite the ever-present chair-hoggers that are found on every cruise. There always seemed to something available in the area we wanted whether we were looking for sun or shade. The main pool and the quieter pool further forward, seemed to have ample space. The several open decks around the pools may have contributed to the availability of chairs. I didn’t notice an abundance of wait staff around the pool and, usually had to go to the bar to get a drink. Read more