Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I haven't written many reviews but I read many before we go on our cruises so I thought it was time I contributed. This was our 8th cruise (2nd on Princess) and I can say that for the most part everything met our expectations. Our anniversary falls in December so we generally cruise at that time of the year. We were also only on the ship for 10 days. We chose this itinerary for the ports of call.
Embarkation - Very nice. This was our first time out of Port Everglades and I was impressed on how quickly we got through the line and on board. We stayed at the Quality Inn in Fort Lauderdale because they had airport AND cruiseport shuttles included with the price of the room. While the hotel was just OK (it met our needs), the breakfast was very nice and we were able to relax before taking the 1145 shuttle to the port. We arrived at the port at 1215 and were on board at 1250! It was very efficient.
Ship - This was by far the nicest and largest ship we have been on. The decor was stunningly beautiful. We were on the 16th floor and never really had any problems getting from place to place or waiting for the elevator. The only time the elevator was an issue was after the muster drill and after excursions off the ship. We did not use the pool, adult area, hot tubs or fitness area because our rooms balcony was the best (more on that later). We did enjoy the football games and a couple of movies under the stars.
Cabin Review
We had the most incredible balcony. L102 is in the front of the ship and while you would think it was too windy to enjoy, if definitely was not, especially when were just travelling from island to island. The balcony itself was almost as big as our room! We had our dinner companions join us on the balcony when we left St. Thomas and we could have had 4 more people with no problem (except seats). The room itself was your basic balcony stateroom with couch, bed, vanity, closet and bathroom. Not sure I'm a fan of the open closet but that seems to be a Princess thing. No problems with space. Tucked the luggage under the bed so that I didn't take up any closet space. The only time it was too windy to enjoy the balcony was when we were returning to Florida and there was a storm. We never had any issues with water temperature or pressure. There was a musty smell at first but once we left port, it went away. I would book this room again in a heartbeat.
Port Reviews
Barbados
Barbados had some beautiful beaches but my husband was not interested. There is not a lot to see on the island so if you don't go to the beach there isn't much to do. If we ever stop again, I will go snorkeling with the turtles.
St. Thomas
Took an open air bus tour of the island. Was disappointed in the shopping since I can't afford $1000 shoes and purses. I was told before the trip that there was a market downtown with local artisans. There is a straw market but it's nothing but cheap stuff from China. Was not impressed enough to want to visit again even though there were some incredibly beautiful scenery.
Princess Cays
Was pleasantly surprised by Princess Cays. Even though it was pretty crowded, we had no problem finding a shady spot with chairs. Took a refreshing dip in the water and was impressed that a lunch was provided. After lunch we returned to the ship just as a storm came up. All in all it was a nice day.
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
This was our first time out of Port Everglades and we were impressed with how efficient the embarkation and disembarkation went for our trip. We would pick this port again in the future.