Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because of the ports it visited. We were excited to cruise Princess for the first time. The Royal Princess is nice, but not exceptional, as I thought it would be. Watch out for the dead zone on the 6th floor by the restaurant. You can't go anywhere, no stairs or walkways. Very frustrating. Our cabin was nice. The ship was clean. We really enjoyed the bar by the pool. We found the service to be spotty. Our cabin steward was wonderful, as were the wait staff and bartenders. We did have some difficulty with the front desk and the hostess at the Symphony restaurant.
The ports were great, with the exception of Toulan. There isn't much there. Also, Princess charged $20 per person for a water taxi to get there. There is a public water taxi a five minute walk away for 2 euros per person. You do need transportation in Valencia Spain and Florence.
Beware of the anytime dining. If you don't make a reservation you will have about a half hour to 40 minute wait. The food wasn't great in the dining room, especially for vegetarians. The specialty restaurants have nothing for vegetarians, except for the Italian one, and their option was what I had in the dining room the night before. The buffets had better food. The entertainment was just ok.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Cabin was fine not very large but enough room. Large TV, decent bathroom, nice balcony.
Port Reviews
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We loved Rome. We stayed there for 3 days before the cruise. We did take an all day tour , Vatican in the morning and the Colosseum in the afternoon. This was too much in one day. You should absolutely see both these attractions, but try to do one a da If you are only there for one day, then this is the way to go.
Florence (Livorno)
We did the self tour through the cruise line. It was good, since Florence is a good hour and a half from the port. The bus took us to each city, a guide gave us background information and a map for each city, then we were on our own until time to go back.
Gibraltar
We took the shared taxi to the top of the rock. He stopped at all the sights and we had time to see the caves, view from the top and the monkeys. It's the way to go! Our driver also gave us information about Gibraltar. We also saw the cemetary and enjoyed walking the street and shopping.
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
A really beautiful city! Just beware that there is one sightseeing bus and everyone wants on it! it is easy to walk to the Casino from the ship, but you do need a ride to the palace. It is very hilly, but worth seeing everything there.