Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Chose the cruise for the itinerary and the price. Good value for 11 nights. Food generally very good, staff exceptionally polite and friendly. The stewards are especially good; the rooms are cleaned meticulously and kept fresh always.
On the other hand, the line could save money and still offer value by reducing waste-- instead of charging for every soda and bottle of water and cramming too many people into the space available. This overcrowding showed up in many ways--long lines, overcrowded fitness room and facilities, etc.
Excursions were interesting and well-organized, but a bit pricey. Would prefer more options for semi-self-guided such as "Florence on Your Own"--perfect. Too many people for some venues--don't add another bus, close the excursion: e.g., Mykonos was overrun--too crowded to enjoy and lunch at 4 was tough on some. Again, the line should value quality over quantity.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Though the cabin was pleasant enough, and the bathroom/shower acceptable, the "obstructed view" was pretty much "NO view". I appreciate the lower price, but it should have been advertised more precisely--the lifeboats are all you see except for about a 2-foot width from Emerald Deck. I would have paid more for an upper deck balcony.
Because of the big push to add revenue, the quiet hours are not enforced. The VIPs are allowed to book the disco until all hours. Our cabin was 2 decks above Club 6, and we had to complain, in person, at 2 am more than once. Still they did not stop the music, find us another room, or offer any compensation. The "consumate host" values VIP money above honest nights' sleep. The sound/feel of the bass was delivered straight to our bed, and even when you couldn't hear the music, the beat pounded our heads from 11 pm to 2:30 am. Needless to say, this made our excursion days very trying, and we ended up with head colds and sinus infections--no doubt because of the lack of sleep. We were repeatedly told that there was no way around the policies, due to the need to keep the revenue-generating casino open. (And we were even told that this bar was the only one in the Casino area, which is not true.) Had we tried to cancel excursions we would get no refund. Because of this greedy and short-sighted set of policies, I will be wary of ever cruising with Princess again.