This was our tenth cruise, the last 3 on Celebrity Solstice-class ships. Our travel agent arranged a British Isles cruise on the Royal Princess and we thought we would give it a try. We are early 70's. The Royal is a beautiful ship, especially the public decks 5 to 7, including the piazza, a 3 deck atrium. Deficiencies became obvious early on. We had a mini-suite cabin on deck 10 between forward elevators which went to the theater and mid elevators which went close to our dining room. The elevators are too small and at times were almost impossible to get. We have never climbed so many steps on a cruise ship. Rest rooms on the public decks are very small and hard to find. We did the English tea (extra fee). It was held on deck 5 of the piazza. It was very noisy and not handled very well. On Celebrity, the English tea was held in the Murano specialty dining room and was very professional.

Our cabin was adequate but not as large as on Celebrity.. The Royal is known for small balconies, and they are. I thought the bathroom was maybe the best we have seen at sea-very nice. On Celebrity this class entitles you to dine in the Luminae dining room, a 90 seat private dining room for suite guests and up, a real treat. This level of dining on the Royal is an extra cost step up to Club Class mini-suite. We prefer to enjoy the white tablecloth effect of the dining rooms instead of the hustle bustle of the Horizon food court. While we did not go hungry, I counted 4 dinner meals that were substandard. My wife had similar experiences. The few times we tried the Horizon, I thought the food was very good. Wait staff and staff in general were fine. The theater left a lot to be desired. On other ships things seem to be scheduled so that early diners see the late show and late diners the early show. I recall few times when all seats were filled. On the Royal, the first show was at 8 PM and most nights many people could not find seats. Many shows on Celebrity I would rate very good or excellent. On the Royal, of 11 shows I would rate 1 very good and 1 excellent (the only one with a standing ovation). The theater on Celebrity is 3 decks and has enough elevation to permit aerial acts. Not so on Royal. On Celebrity the Solarium, an all-weather, enclosed heated pool with a health food cafe is for adults only. On Royal, the adults only is open air subject to the weather. We spoke with some people who usually sail with Princess, and they seemed happy with the cruise (and there is a lot to be happy about). As for us, we will never cruise Princess again.