Full disclosure, we are avid cruisers with 20 trips on different lines. Royal Caribbean always ranks the highest on our list. Our 7 day cruise started with a mis-placed suitcase that was not delivered until 7 p.m. after several calls and visits with Princess supervisors. Disappointed that after many promises of return calls none we received, including no apologies for the major delay. I should mention that we did receive our other 2 bags soon after boarding at 2 p.m. Our travel partners that checked bags at the same time and location as ours received their bags on time. Princess boarding process is lengthy and cumbersome. A lot of waiting to board the ship. The new medallion system needs improvement. This controls your door locks, however it opens the door at least six feet as you approach your stateroom and leaves it open for 10 seconds after you leave. We also do not like the fact that your names are displayed outside your door on a screen 24/7. Cabin, a mini suite, was fine, however the bath area shelving was very dusty. No greeting from cabin steward or other interaction throughout the week. Dining on Princess was a disappointment. Late seating first night had us on the worst location for a party of four even with advance reservation prior to sailing. We were moved to a much nicer location after speaking to a supervisor. In general staff not real friendly, with the only exception being our dinner waiter and his assistant. Breakfast staff in the dining room not gracious or accomodating. The front hostess was boarder line rude. Lunch in the dining room also fell below service expectations. Note we never ate off buffets since food quality tends to be poor. We were very surprised that dining room and specialty dining room food quantity was also just average, nothing to be excited about. With all the hype for the Executive Chef, he was more “show” then delivery of quality food products. Granted the ship serves thousands of meals, there are other cruise lines that do a much better job. On board entertainment was fine with the same production shows typically booked on other lines. Shore excursions were also average. Recommend booking early as many popular tours were sold out by the time we got on the ship. Disembarkation for us was difficult, we had to carry off early due to an airline flight change. Very long lines and what seemed like miles of dragging bags. We will not do that again. Bottom line, unless you want the ports that only Princess goes to we recommend you pick another line. Our experience with Royal Caribbean with 12 past cruises has always been very good to excellent. Last comment, we saw very little management presence and almost no management interaction with passengers. Dealings with “Supervisors” was frustrating. Follow up promises never fulfilled. , Read Less

Went to islands we had not been to before. The ship was clean and well managed. There is obviously a lot of Elite members now cruising. Laundry warning about extra time for turn around of returned clean clothes was the first clue. Dining room food choices are getting smaller with lots of unknown dishes being presented. Sabatini's and Crown Grill were better food in general and service in both was very good. Kind of confused by them having different wine lists. The wine we chose in Sabitini's, and all enjoyed was not available in Crown Grill. Strange since both are on the same ship. Regular dining room food seemed lackluster. A sign of the times in almost all cruise lines. Bottom lines are taking effect. Princess still ranks high for me but declining. Cruise staff was excellent as always and the hosted cruise critic event visit by a staff member was a great positive. Biggest complaint is still seat savers and deck chair hogs. All cruise lines need to enforce some more stringent rules! Overall meeting fellow passengers were a positive experience. I will still look at Princess first but continue to cruse by destination and itinerary. Read Less

Everything was incredible!! They make you feel like family and you never want to leave the ship! The food was world class and the service on the ship was otherworldly, the drinks on board were incredible and allowed you to venture into a whole other culture and a whole other world of excitement! It is a wonderful mix of people and every passenger on board was so fun and excited and so sweet to everyone else. The stage shows that they put on our like a broadway musical and the performers can sing with the best of them! They have a full range of things for you to do whether it’s hanging by the 5 pools and jacuzzi’s they have, learning about the many secrets of pirate treasure, world class shopping with incredible deals, or anything else you can think of, there is never ever a dull moment. Everything was so smooth especially with their new medallion you use for everything!! It is the best thing out there!! 100% recommend!!! Read Less

We love to try the Royal Princess and a few of the countries it was first time visiting Loved everything and enjoyed every moment on the beautiful Royal Princess. Loved everything from sports activity to excursions dancing shows participation playing games,Zumba walking on the track on the back of the ship. Loved to sun tanning on deck beside the pool, occasionally enjoy the hot tub on the sea days. Enjoyed very much the ceremony of the crossing the Equator it was so fun. The dining service was amazing enjoyed delicious dishes,beautiful displays of delicious desserts . We had three formal evenings I love to dress up and have champagne enjoyed that very much also enjoyed some of the art shows. Most enjoyable experience was when we arrived in Peru it was first time it seemed like a different world seeing the Candelabra from the excursion boat was amazing experience, and also Nicaragua was our first time amazing place beautiful people (we also loved La Serena Chile.) Loved all the cruise members of the Royal Princess. Thank you we had a wonderful trip. Read Less

they clean your room everyday, Varieties of food, Dining experience is really awesome. service is great, Ice cream bar was great, international cafe, Karaoke bar, fitness room, Art auction, love the idea of formal night and going to a fine dining after having pictures from the photographers and you will your pictures that same day...you can watch live shows everyday with their funny Cruise director & his staff, lots of entertainment and things to do, love all this fun games with the staff especially with the cruise director Matt, foods is great, enough restaurants to choose, great service, smooth sailing and they are organized, i will plan a next cruise this year again and i will convince some of my relatives and friends to join me and my wife for the next cruise before end of 2019, and hoping they will come out a promotion to back up my plan Read Less

My family needed a cruise suitable for our range of ages and tastes and this family friendly, low stress cruise absolutely matched our needs. Very clean ship inside and out with friendly staff and fun entertainers. We travelled from Sydney, Australia to Melbourne and Hobart and then went to New Zealand getting stops at Port Chalmers, Akaroa, Tauranga and Auckland. There was a large variety of activities that suited the seniors in our group as well as the younger cousins, too. From Zumba to Bingo to jaw-dropping production shows, we were thoroughly entertained onboard. Food was easy to acquire and change to our tastes as necessary for those with food allergies. I am pleased to note that there were accessible shore excursions and the entire ship was accessible for people with mobility issues. The outside and inside of the ship were truly majestic, with details everywhere to enhance the experience for guests of any culture. Read Less

badgered by relatives and friends to go.....would not have done it otherwise...no regrets. This was my first Ocean Cruise.....have done two other river cruises. By far a much bigger ship with much more available. Getting on and off the ship was a hassle but not unexpected for the number of people. The people on the ship were all polite and helpful. Our facilities were all clean however I did wash my Hands 2372 times....smile....We did appreciate the care of our cabin by the young lady. Very helpful person as well. The food was good, a great variety with healthy choices (only gained three pounds) and the waiters were helpful, polite and knowledgable about the menu. Liked the balcony, used it quite a bit. Having the info available on the TV about the position of the ship enroute , the weather and the bridge cam was interesting for me. I did note that the two main news channels available were only the extreme left and right politically. CNBC was good to have. BBC was good for world news. I would certainly give your cruise line a positive review and tell others it was a good experience. May go again , age and health permitting. Thank you for the experience. Read Less

We chose this ship for ports or call and length of trip. We loved all the tucked away areas on the ship. The Sanctuary was quiet and enjoyable, we booked it for three half days. The restaurants were fantastic and the service provided by Antonio and Anthony was five star. We never visited any specialty restaurant because the food in the main dinning room was so delicious. Behind the fitness center is a free unisex sauna and steam room that can be used free of charge. The TRX classes lead by Dan were outstanding. We enjoyed the outside jogging track on 18 as long as people walking didn't get in the way. The shows were very good and we enjoyed all of them. The ports of call were our favorite. We went to Pirates Cove in Barbados, The Marriott in St. Kitts and in St. Lucia we did the "Joy Tour Excursion". They took us to the mud baths, waterfalls and finished up with a delicious local meal. Our tour guys Captain Phil, Nano and Jonathan were polite, informative and fun. Our least favorite excursion was in Antigua. We visited Church Valley Beach which was disappointing because the bar service and food were horrible and way overpriced. The steep slope to enter and exit the water was challenging for the ederly. Read Less

I thought everything on the cruise was great. This was my first cruise, so I have nothing to compare it to. The food at the buffet was acceptable. I only ate at the buffet for breakfast. Nothing really spectacular, but nothing was poor either. The only issue I had with the Horizon buffet is finding a seat in the dining area. There are two sides for the buffet, and both sides are really busy and packed with people. I had to either eat really early to get a seat, or wait for someone to finish eating, then swoop down on the table to get it. Or, the alternate is to take your food outside to the pool area to eat, but it could get pretty cold and windy out there. Dining for dinner in the DaVinci or Michaelanglo dining rooms were wonderful. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. The inside basic cabin that my wife and I were in on the 8th floor was acceptable. It was clean and the bed was super comfortable. The bathroom was very small, but that's to be expected on a cruise ship. It fulfilled its purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed all the activities on the ship. We did dance lessons, trivia games, attended concerts, used the fitness center, walked laps on the ships deck, etc. Our favorite staff on the ship was a guy who claims to be from Serbia, who has a strong accent. He was the host for most of the trivia games, bingo, and was even the announcer for the disembarkation process. Loved that guy. He's so funny! Embarkation and disembarkation was a breeze. The cruise staff got this down to a science! All in all, a wonderful experience. I will be returning to Princess Cruises soon! Read Less

This cruise stopped at some ports we had not visited previously and also went into the Panama Canal and back out again. We also left winter behind for ten days and enjoyed the balmy Caribbean weather. Although Island Princess is fifteen years old now, it has been well maintained. Our Caribe deck balcony cabin was excellent and even a bit larger than we expected. Our needs were met perfectly by our steward. Island Princess does not have an International Cafe, Wines & Vines and the rear quarter of the Promenade deck has been closed off to make an additional twenty balcony cabins. So, when one walks the deck, one must cut through the ship to complete each lap. A little irritation not found on some ships. We were moved from anytime dining to a traditional table by the Matre'D the fourth night of the cruise (since some tables were open there) and that became a great experience. Jaco and Akshay proved to be fabulous waiters and made each meal fun and flavorful. The food was well prepared and presented and on a par with the other three Princess cruises we have taken. Some items were outstanding and Jaco's knowledge of the food and desert items was quite helpful. The show "The Secret Silk" was well performed and magician Gary Carson was very entertaining. Allan at the piano off the atrium and Danny the guitarist provided great listening. The vocalist in the Wheelhouse Bar, the violin & guitar classical duo and the group playing dance & pop tunes were all excellent and enthusiastic performers. The Cartagena Old City tour was fun and informative but a bit too short. The snorkel tour on Grand Cayman was not great due to choppy, windy conditions that day. Meeting the Sloths in Limon, Costa Rica, was an educational experience but a poor photographic one due to the sloths being in cages. Ocho Rios is a pretty little port. We took a walk downtown and purchased some handmade items from the makers at the craft market. It's safe to do this during the day with good police presence. It's only a 10 - 15 minute walk one way. Our time in the Panama Canal was interesting and very informative. The canal expert on board was excellent and had great knowledge of the canal from personal experience. He delivered a wonderful pre-transit presentation and a great running narration over the ship's speaker system during the transit. Service on the ship was good and we have learned the times to avoid the buffet to minimize waiting in lines. Food in the Horizon Court was good with lots of choices. Salad greens were very fresh and tasty. Sushi was put out one day only and the pieces of tuna were very small without a lot of taste. The hand-rolls were good though. Embarcation in Fort Lauderdale was a breeze since we arrived two hours after it had started so all lines were gone. Debarcation was slower but not excessive. Being Global Entry participants allowed us to use the short line through customs and we were whisked through quickly. I try not to look too gleeful every time this happens but it's impossible not to smile. I feel for the hundreds of people we bypass but they need to get with the program too if they want the benefits it offers. Getting onto the transfer bus took longer than it should and Princess could use more employees to properly direct guests to the buses and to keep the lines more orderly. FLL is an outdated airport and shows it. Princess EZ Air saved us lots of money on our flights and has been super to use for several cruises now. We always check to see what they can do for us when booking with Princess. All in all, this was a wonderful cruise with very calm seas the entire ten days. Now I'm looking out my window at a snow-covered landscape with 8 degree temps. We have another cruise booked next month and it can't come too soon. Read Less