Late review, cruise was may 2016. We chose this cruise because we were impressed with princess cruise. Our first cruise was on ruby, 12 day med, may 2010, thoroughly enjoyed it. We started our vacation in Paris for a week, then Rome for a week. Had not been in Rome since 2010. The hotel we stayed at was misrepresented. Shower was about 2 ft by 2 ft, really. Next time we'll stay on the other side of the Tiber river, other side of forum.

We took the train to civitavecchia the day before our cruise. We stayed at a small hotel at the train station for $50 US. We did not hear the trains, and breakfast included was good. Royal princess is a larger ship, more people, but you would not know it. Not impressed with the layout. To get from one end to the other you would have to change decks, elevators, not enough, took a long time. No problem, stairs were a good form of exercise. Restaurants were good, although not what I remembered from the ruby. Staff was excellent, however the sales pitch from the first two nights were annoying, a straight faced no thanks worked. After five nights the food was repetitive, but we were able to get good food in most restaurants. We chose anytime dining. We chose princess shore excursions, and were not disappointed. The guides were very knowledgeable, courteous, and entertaining. We have always chosen a balcony cabin, as it is nice to relax after a long day, and watch the world go by. We had a deluxe balcony, deck, marina 15 m712. The balconies are smaller compared to other ships, but the two of us fit fine, I'm 6' 4". Embarkation, and disembarkation, went smoothly. Even with small inconveniences princess pulled through. We head to alaska in may for a land sea tour.

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