Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
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For John & I, the seven night January 12, 2019 sailing aboard Royal Princess was our first ever experience with Princess Cruises. It was my 13th cruise and John's 16th. We delayed our first cruise with Princess for many years due to their previous environmental pollution scandals, including the latest one on the Caribbean Princess, but cautiously decided to give them a try on account of their supposedly overhauled environmental protection initiatives. This is what we experienced.
Boarding:
Check-in and embarkation were swift and efficient at Port Everglades.
Cabin Review
Balcony
We reserved a standard balcony stateroom in the aft part of the ship on Aloha Deck (12). The stateroom layout was among my favorites at sea, and the room was pleasantly spacious and calming.
Finishes were light and airy, the beds were comfortable, and the lighting was pleasant. It felt more like a hotel room rather than a ship cabin.
The entertainment system was also top-notch.
Cons:
We were located aft and depending on the direction of the wind, exhaust from the ship’s funnel would find its way to our balcony. This occasionally occurred while underway but was especially evident on days in port, where we often chose not to enjoy sitting on our balcony due to the emissions.
More disappointingly, while underway, we could see thick, intense emissions—even at night—coming from the funnel and consider emissions management something that Princess needs to address as an environmental concern. I have traveled on cleaner-burning vessels of the same size (140k ton range) and will consider a more environmentally responsible cruise line when planning my next cruise.