Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We are great Princess Cruises fans, and chose this cruise because we are also fans of transatlantic cruises. This was our big cruise this year, and we loved it. The Royal Princess, a ship we had not previously been on (though we've been on the sister ship, the Regal Princess) was fantastic, and we loved the ambiance, the people, the activities, the entertainment, the food! In short, this cruise did not disappoint for us!
We partially chose this cruise for the itinerary. We had been to Barcelona before, but not the other stops in mainland Spain (Valencia, Cartagena, Cadiz), to Gibraltar, or to the Canary Island stops (Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Lanzarote). I have always wanted to go to Gibraltar, and it did not disappoint; it was my favorite part of the cruise. We traveled mostly independently there -- visiting Europa Point and the downtown district -- also took a tour that hit the Great Siege Tunnels and St. Michael's Cave, amongst other things. LOVED it.
Onboard we especially loved the fitness center and the production shows. We also loved having dinner with our tablemates every night at the Concerto Dining Room, and just sitting in the Atrium, having a pot of tea and watching the activities and people. We loved our experiences in the Crown Grill, Crooners, the Outrigger Bar, too.
Cabin Review
Balcony
I don't remember the cabin category; I think I have it right, but it was a standard balcony cabin, much more forward than we usually have. The best part about it was the room steward, Alexandru, who was excellent and made this a great experience. Small balcony, like this series of ships. No complaints.
Port Reviews
Barcelona
Barcelona is beautiful and fun. We enjoyed some downtime on Las Ramblas just having some pizza in a cafe with friends. It was wonderful. This city merits a much longer stay than we were able to give this time. Previously, we had journeyed to Monserrat, which was AMAZING.
Valencia
What made this city great was the free, and unexpected, cultural dancing in a prominent square in Old Town. LOVELY city. The Old Town gate/tower was interesting, and free. Because we visited on Sunday, many shops were closed, which was sad, as they looked interesting ... but the gelato and coffee were excellent!
Cartagena (Spain)
LOVED our shore excursion here where we visited the high spots of the city and got a great workout as well. Very lovely; very interesting. Well worth another look sometime.
Seville
Stayed in Cadiz, where we wanted to walk around and see some sites. It was difficult, as the street signs were not what they should be for independent exploration. I was wishing we'd taken the excursion to Seville.
Lanzarote
We actually only got off the ship for an hour or so, and the most notable thing we did was have coffee at a quay-side shop.