My husband and I just got off the royal princess for a 10 day carribean cruise. we enjoyed it very much, but were not terribly impressed by this new class of ships as we miss the promenade deck and cant understand the reasoning of the fountain instead of another pool, especially on a ship that spends much of it time in warm climates. Never the less we were on a cruise and the weather was good so how can I complain? we had a balcony room on the lido deck. the balcony although smaller than many of the princess ships we have been on was fine for the two of us. the location was quite and convenient to the pools and horizon court, but quite a haul from the dining rooms and theatres. we had no issues with the food. There are many options so I cant imagine you couldnt find something to eat if you were unhappy with something. we ate part of the time in the main dining room at a traditional seating, other times at alfredos or the horizon court. The Horizon bistro is just before the horizon court and tends to have lighter fare and is open only at breakfast and lunch, then the pastry shop (yummy cookies) and then the traditional horizon court. we were happy with most of the entertainment. loved the singers such as teacake and the flyboys, not so impressed by the production shows or the comedian, but again the options are many and you are bound to find something you like. I will be happy to use princess again but would prefer one of the older ships with the promenade deck and more pool options. Read Less

We had cruised the Caribbean 5 times (including Cozumel) and preciously visited Puerto Vallarta (1982) and Cancun twice to all inclusives with the grown up kids. But this was a different way to see Mexico that appealed to us, it being Valentine's Day and everything (my 60th birthday on the 13th). We found our aft cabin, B256 cramped and noisy. Our steward was fine, he needed some time off. I love the food but my wife just gets by with it. Sometimes she liked it but she liked less of it than I do. We had one of the best excursions ever in Puerto Vallarta with Valarta Adventures through Princess. We got WAY more than we paid for with snorkeling, kayaking, a hike, a waterfall, a beach, a close whale encounter, great food, drinks, and entertainment. Highly recommended. The entertainment was OK. The first comedian was really funny and the "Magic To Do" production number tried very hard. The fitness equipment was good but the jogging track was the worst ever. The weather was great, though it seemed it would be too cool (the last day really was) and the experience on the whole was lovely. I prefer going to the Caribbean (and it is easier from here) but this was a nice time too. Read Less

This was our 22nd cruise, the 3rd on Princess. We did the western Caribbean itinerary. My husband and I are both in our 50s. We live in Tampa, so we drove down the morning of the cruise. By the time we got there, we just walked right on - no line around 1:30. We had a balcony cabin on deck 9, and I agree with others, they are rather small. There is also a lack of innovative storage. They could take some ideas from other cruise lines in that department. We were warmly greeted by our cabin steward (JeeZee??) who was excellent throughout the cruise. It was a nice change since on our last cruise we never ever saw our cabin steward. Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise. Here's a quick summary: Ship: Really nice in an understated way. The layout doesn't flow though. Staircases that lead to nowhere....... Decks that stop mid-ship....... We thought the casino was a bit small for the size of the ship. They really need to have a 2nd craps table. We didn't win, but we heard that someone hit the jackpot, and our companions met someone who had just won $3500 on slots. We didn't discover the margarita bar at the back of deck 16 until mid way through the cruise. They have some very interesting drinks. We also didn't see the pool in the back on deck 17 until the very end, although there is no shade back there where the lounge chairs are. We loved the Retreat adults-only section, and would have liked to have used the Sanctuary more, but they allow reservations on the first day on a 1st come, 1st served basis. They really should do a lottery instead so it's fair for everyone to have a chance to use it. Shows/Entertainment: Very good, especially the last production show. We also really liked the Voice of the Ocean finale. There was always music somewhere in the evening. And we have never seen so many (older) people dancing on a cruise - the ballroom dance craze is in full swing on Princess. They even had some lessons on sea days. Food: OK to good. Buffet for lunch was excellent with lots of variety. Don't miss the seafood display on the last sea day. At $29 for an upcharge, I am at the point where I don't think these specialty restaurants are worth it. The food was really nothing special, we have had better on other ships for less $$. We went to both the Crown Grill and Sabatinis, with 8 pm reservations, and had to leave both times before getting dessert because service was kind of slow and we wanted to catch the 10:00 show. The sushi/raw bar was very good, and we really enjoyed Alfredo's. We were disappointed that they did not have the fondue nights that they advertise on their web site for the Regal. It is supposed to be in the buffet area at night a few times during the cruise, but when I called to inquire, they said they don't do it on this ship (so take it off the web site then). However, we don't let the quality of the food dictate whether we like or dislike our vacation, it's really secondary to us and a nice surprise if it is very good. I also think it would be better if they allowed reservations prior to the cruise so people know what to plan for. Service: Overall we thought the staff was very friendly and attentive, with a couple of exceptions where we felt the server would rather be anywhere else than where they were. We loved Valiriya (spelling??) and her co-bartender at Vines. Even with the drink package, we did not feel that we were ignored at the bars at all. I already mentioned our cabin steward. The one big snafu was my husband had ordered flowers from the ship for Valentine's Day. We did not get them until after 8 pm that night, even after he inquired about them twice. He was very disappointed they didn't come sooner. If they can't accommodate the requests in reasonable timeframes, they shouldn't take so many orders. Excursions: We rented a clam shell on Princess Cay, which was worth it if you really need to have some shade, although there were quite a few places where the shade was free :-). In Cozumel we did the Salsa & Salsa excursion, which we would highly recommend, it was a lot of fun. In both Jamaica and Grand Cayman we did tours through Viator, who we have used in many different countries. In Jamaica we went to the Aah Ras Natango Gallery and Garden. Sounds weird, but definitely a different, relaxing experience. In Grand Cayman we did a bike tour with West Bay Loop, also a lot of fun, and you get some exercise too. I don't know if it was the time of year or what, but there were very few children on the ship. That's a big plus for us, and it doesn't seem like Princess caters to kids like some other lines do, there aren't slides, rock climbing walls, etc. The majority of the passengers are 50+. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we thought it would be a value and we wanted to do a Western Caribbean cruise. Summary: Pros: Buffet was Above Average very good food selection Room square footage was good value compared to others Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth Casino is sizeable and nice for a ship casino Self Serve Laundromats are very convenient for washing some clothes Cons: Restaurant food was very average (go on Celebrity Cruises if you want better food) This includes the specialty restaurants - very average Food selection was poor in main dining area (not good) Gym was small and unimpressive Main Theater was the smallest I've seen (even though this is a huge ship) and is generic **Entertainment was the WORST I've seen on a cruise before, hardly any big shows and not enough quality small shows to make up for it ***Don't go on this cruise if you are looking for good entertainment **Be aware there is flaw in the design of the ship. The stairway in the center of the ship does not go up past the 10th floor so if you are staying above that even if you need to go up 1 level you need to wait for an elevator. This mainly applies to mid-ship and I believe forward ship. This caused quite a ruckus after the mandatory drill when it took us 30 min to get back to our room due to poor crowd management and the elevator/stairs situation. Staff is not really that friendly some of them are a little cold. Service was better on every other ship I have been on. Room Service basically did not exist due to the fact that no one would answer the phone. My wife waited on line 30 minutes once and could not get through. The buffets close at 10pm and no snacks are available there...that is way too early in my opinion. Ports summary: Montego Bay Jamaica - 15-20 min cab ride to a safe beach. Everything far away here Grand Cayman - seems ok, once again beaches very far did not get to go due to fact ship was leaving too early Cozumel - 10 min cab to beach, beaches are rocky here sand is not fine, affordable resort areas with pool $3 per person Paradise Beach is recommended due to value and the pool is beautiful tile. The drink packages were $400 per person by the time they add 15% gratuity The photo packages were also more expensive than other ships I've been on Overall this is not a cruise I can Recommend. I believe the consumer can find greater value elsewhere (check out celebrity cruises. You will pay more up front but less on the back end if you get a good deal. They frequently include free drink packages and prepaid gratuities) The room will be more but the food and service will be steps above what you will get on Princess.) Read Less

This cruise is billed as the Panama Canal cruise. If you accept that then the abbreviated shore excursions in other places become acceptable. If not, then the extremely short layovers will not be satisfactory. That being said, this is an excellent cruise. It is very relaxing and the ports are excellent. CONS 1. This is an older ship, and showing its age. You can see lots of rusted areas, damaged tiles and carpets, lighting in the dining rooms that doesn’t work, broken lounge chairs, and technical glitches on stage. You can see the difference on the exterior in the ports when you compare it to other ships, which seem to show no rust at all. 2. Total mess up by Princess regarding pre-order of water and beverage service. I was constantly told water pre-ordered would be delivered, but it wasn’t. When I asked Guest Services about it, I was told that the order was lost, and could not be filled while at sea (water pre-order is before it leaves the port). Yet they were willing to sell me individual bottles at an inflated price. Disappointed on how they handled this since it was their error. 3. Very short port stays except for Panama. After 2-1/2 days of sailing, the first port was Aruba where everyone wanted to get out and stretch their legs. Unfortunately the layover is only 4 hours, leaving very limited time to do anything. On top of that, our arrival was on a Sunday and many shops where closed (at least until noon when we were leaving). It would have been better to have a longer stay here and skip Columbia. 4. Port loading and loading is a joke and extremely slow. The boarding at Colon was a total mess. No announcements that could be heard, no explanations for the considerable delay. Everyone just standing around (limited seating) for 2+ hours to re-board. (Holland was next to us and boarded in 30 minutes). Total disorganization. 5. Ship announcements from the Captain or crew during the day can’t be heard unless you are in your room with the TV on. On the 13th and 14th floors they are impossible to hear, even in quiet areas. However, the movie the play in the pool area can be heard all the way to the next port it is so loud. Need to up the volume and the ship announcements. 6. Poor excursion communication. While waiting to disembark at Grand Cayman alternate port, no staff member explained any limitations on any shore excursion. Only when you got on shore did you find out that swimming was not allowed, or other restrictions. Many people refused to go and returned to the ship to get a refund. It would have been much better to explain any limitations in the theater while everyone was waiting. Also, because of the alternate docking location, the on TV display continually showed the next port as “Grand Cayman” even when docked in Fort Lauderdale. Staff was told but no one made an effort to update the information. PROS 1. Extremely friendly staff, some of the best I’ve encountered on cruises. 2. Food was excellent. Buffet themes were not publicized anywhere, so you had to visit the buffet to see what they were serving that day. Sit down dining was excellent, and a good variety during the entire cruise. Beef was properly cooked to the individuals specification every single time. 3. Entertainment is very good. Unfortunately, the majority of the entertainment is the singers and dancers on the ship. Only the first couple of days had outside entertainment (comedian, singer). The dancers are very good, and the shows excellent, but it got old. It would have been nice to have some other entertainment towards the end. 4. The beds are the new Princess beds (soon to be on all ships) and are wonderful! 5. The WiFi access on the ship is good (very slow for outside internet). Their web page gives you the events for the day. It continually requires you to re-log on, which is annoying, but easy to do. The app does NOT have any maps or layouts for the port, which is needed. It also does NOT let you see events for the next day, even late at night, so you can’t plan the next day until it arrives! But the web page gives you the summary of your events you have planned, which is nice. No alerts for messages from your ship mates. You have to have the web page opened to see any messages. It would be nice if the phone buzzed when a message was received. Overall a great cruise with lots of wonderful people we met. As an older ship, it still was very nice, especially for the older crowd aboard. No need of cosmic slides or fancy features. Plenty of lounge chair access and not overly crowed, even on sea days. A wonderful 10-day cruise. Read Less

I have sailed Princess from the early 90's and believed they were one of the best cruise lines until this last voyage on board the Royal Princess. The dining room food was no where near the quality or presentation that they have been known for. There was a lack of any activity planned on the upper decks so I would give the cruise director a D- for planning. We were looking forward to a fantastic vacation as we have had on all of our other cruises and was totally dissatisfied. I called and emailed Princess to voice my opinion of the terrible time we had with them and to get some kind of idea on why the awful change in the way they are now doing business but I have not heard back from them. Looks like this is the new future of Princess and it will be the last cruise we will be taking with Princess. Inquiries at Princess seem to go unanswered! Read Less

This was a family & friends cruise...first time for friends. We were disappointed in the Princess experience on this ship. We are Platinum level and have enjoyed Princess ships in past. However, as another reviewer pointed out, the number of elevators vs. passengers was poor planning. The elderly did not always have the option to walk the stairs, and elevator waits were approximately 5-10min and then jammed pack with people getting aggressive to squeeze in just to get a lift. Food quality was disappointing on this ship. Dining room dinners were bland and meals unworthy of praise. Servers appeared not to be able to spend time with their table, due to the high numbers of passengers vs. servers & room. Horizon court was bland or average food. Desserts were presented well, just not flavorful. And the design of the Horizon court was not planned well. Again, the number of passengers versus the narrow spaces in between the food selections was crowded. People pushing and getting aggressive as the space was too tight. Round service areas in the buffets for larger numbers is more conducive to high density traffic...not "line" food service. Traffic circles! However, Sabatini's wine dinner was outstanding. Those chefs need to be directing the dining room food courses on the ship. All of their food was wonderful! Excursions for the most part were enjoyable. The segway tour was a lot of fun, but the return to the ship promised a stop at the beach for a swim and eats. Our driver gave us 20min total. We ordered a snack at the restaurant on the beach and the driver told us we had to leave or he would be late. He added, NO wet clothes in my van or on my seats. Don't know where the "swim" time was suppose to come into play. We had to get our food to go which was cold when we reached the ship. Horseback ride was fun with the horses, but again, the excursion stated snacks. We thought for the price a snack would be provided or choices. We reached the beach to find a shack and a woman cooking chicken....for a price. Disappointing! This should have been noted in the description of the excursion as "chicken for small fee on excursion". Overall, we were disappointed. Passenger to space ratio poorly designed. This experience has us questioning whether to continue our trips with Princess or branch out. We had always had great experiences with Princess in the past and hope reviews are taken into consideration for future ships and trips. Read Less

The service was super, the crew was wonderful and very attentive, and the ship was great! Our embarkation was the fastest and smoothest we have ever had and the disembarkation went very quickly and with zero problems. We were in Club class for the first time and really loved it. The extra attention and perks were well worth the (minimum) additional cost. We had a mini suite with a balcony which was very nice and gave us some extra room to spread out, put our feet up and really relax. The Club class dining has a separate entrance and wait staff which meant that meals went quickly and smoothly. We had any time dining but ended up with the same waiter and assistant waiter most nights. The food was super as shown by my bathroom scales when we got home. Onboard activities were fun; we especially enjoyed the daily trivia matches (we won Champagne one afternoon!) and my Wife especially enjoyed the book club discussions. I was able to relax and finished reading four books in ten days. I recommend this cruise and the Princess cruise line for a great cruising experience. Read Less

We left Sunday afternoon and headed to Roatan (after a day at sea), but there was a medical emergency and we had to head back to Miami after sailing for about 5 hours. The captain told us a fellow passenger had become critically ill and that we would need to go back towards Miami and meet the coast guard to transfer the patient. He told us he would let us know if this would change our itinerary. Unfortunately, it did. He told us the next day that we wouldn't be able to go to Roatan and instead we would go to Costa Maya, Mexico. We were all very disappointed since it seemed like, had he kept going the speed he was going when we were on our way back to Miami, we should have been able to make it to Roatan. I really wish someone had explained to us precisely why it wouldn't work, because we all felt that it was probably a money thing. They just didn't want to use up more gas to get us to the port we were expecting. Of course the life of the critically ill passenger was much more important than missing a cruise port, but they could have explained things much better than they did (they actually didn't explain anything). We also felt that it would have been nice if they had given us free internet usage for the day, so we could look up things to do in Costa Maya. The excursions offered were lame. Costa Maya is not a great cruise port unless you like to shop with hoards of people or go to the overcrowded resort that sits in the port. Not my idea of fun. Getting off the boat that day was very difficult and I have no idea why, since it's a walk off port - the line was massive and we left around 11am (so we weren't trying to be the first off!). We went to a small hotel/resort down a bumpy, crumbly road (about 20 mins). Maya Luna (hotel and restaurant) was a nice relaxing spot with good drinks, great food and wonderful owners and management. We stayed in a balcony room on the 10th deck (Caribe) which had larger balconies, which was nice. The bathroom is probably the smallest I have ever encountered (the shower especially!), but the dressing area/closet was nice. The beds were good and our room steward was wonderful (no towel animals - first world problem!). The bed was comfortable and the pillows were similar to down, so for most they were great. We had a scheduled dining time (8pm) with our friends and the food and the service were wonderful! We loved all 3 of our servers - they really help make dinner fun! The people who complain about the food must be real foodies, because everyone at our table loved everything we were served. I loved the appetizers the best and usually ordered 2! There were many pools to choose from (2 main ones) and a lot of chairs, but our cruise was full, so there were rarely any empty chairs. The pools were very refreshing and nice. We always ended our evening in the Skywalker Club. We loved the buy one and get a second for a dollar, but most of the drinks were very sugary - one was plenty! The DJ was pretty good, but he always seemed to start the night with 70's music and seemed to hang out in this decade a bit too long for our liking. I think it would have been fun if some of the ship's dancers had been there to show us some moves and to get the party started, but we all had fun anyway. We only went to 2 shows (the comedians) and they were ok. I'm pretty picky when it comes to comedians, so it's pretty rare for me to be highly impressed. At least they weren't vulgar and gross. We skipped the other shows, because they seemed to be geared towards an older crowd (we are in our 40's and I'd say the majority of people on this cruise were a bit older - there were some younger couples and some families, but older seemed to be the norm). Fine by me, since I would not want to be on a ship with a lot of younger "kids" who party hard. Overall, we had a very nice time and I wish I could have stayed on for the remainder of the ship's journey (they were heading back out for 8 days to Aruba and surrounding islands). Can't wait to plan our next cruise!! Read Less

We are not new to cruising. We have been on 4 Royal Caribbean Cruises and a Disney Magic. We joined friends on this cruise. The Atrium was absolutely stunning no ship compared. Now to our Stateroom, Emerald 202. I personally chose the deluxe balcony un-obstructed view because it was advertised as having 305 sq.ft. I was so disappointed in the cabin size. It felt like the smallest cabin we had every been on with the smallest balcony. Our friends said it had a larger bathroom but I would have rather had a smaller bathroom with a larger stateroom and larger balcony. My suggestions were as follows for future designs in cruise ships. NO coffee pots in the room and is so needed. Had to go to the 16 floor to get morning coffee. 1. The toilet paper holder was on the left side in back of the toilet. You therefore, grabbed the Kleenex box next to your hand. Someone did not think that one out. 2. Washing your hands on deck 16 before dining is a fabulous idea, the bad design of the sink was germy and disgusting. They put in a vessel sink that allowed splashing on the wall and the floors the mat you stood on was always soaking wet. Try removing the vessel sink and installing a farmer type rectangle sink that is high and wide and deep, you would control the splashing from happening. Also instead of reaching for a paper towel, install the new power dryer for your hands above the sink. Please send me a free cruise for that suggestion and I will give you a great review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Anytime dining was great but even though the two main dining rooms were gorgeous and the staff was excellent, the selection was terrible. We chose the dining rooms twice and were very disappointed in the staff entertaining us and the food was very unimpressive and not tasty. We chose one drink package before we left. That was the dumbest thing we ever did. $400. for what??? My husband maybe used $100 out of it. Please offer more drink packages. It was a total bait and switch. I thought the ship was very clean exception of the sinks by Deck 16. Our cabin stewardess was fantastic and even though we paid a gratuity upfront, we opted to enhance her tip. We also took advantage of the oven baked pizza restaurant and enjoyed meeting Maria from the Ukraine. She was so professional and fabulous. We were so impressed with her we opted to choose this restaurant again (the night before we departed), I asked for Maria again and gave her an additional tip. When you are impressed you want to let them know how well they have done. 1. We did not go on our first shore excursion in the Dominican Republic and we were happy we chose that because others told us it was terribly impoverished and we would have not enjoyed it. 2. St. Thomas 5 hour catamaran was fantastic, entertaining, wonderful picnic lunch. Bad beach with rocks and seaweed in the ocean. Not my kind of beach. 3. St. Martin. Excursion stood in direct sun for 45 minutes because the bus was not available yet. Had to walk one mile to the bus. Nice bus, great MC on the bus, great driver on the bus but so pathetically impoverished neighborhood on the way to the French side made us feel so sad for the people on that Island. Got off the bus and the lady said "you have one hour to shop and tour on your own" Right NO WRONG, we did not want to get lost, we did not speak French so we waited around to get on the fairly that took us past the rich and famous yachts. Very sad to see people so poor and so rich. Glad we live in the states. The tour folks were entertaining but we had bad taste seeing too completely different ways of living on one Island. It just is not a fair world. There were people with canes an elderly standing in that sun with 2 trollies total that took folks to the bus. Princess needs to address this with the shore excursion folks. If could mean the matter of life or death to someone in that sun. Read Less

We choose this cruise based on its destination ports and the weather in February. We wanted a break from the Winter snows which as it turned out, never occurred back home! Practically a last minute decision, we got a great deal on a cabin with a balcony. Since we are loyal Princess Cruise members, learning the ship was easy. The dining is always excellent as are the services of the waiters, bartenders and greeters. We especially were delighted with the Concerto Room which was a bonus for us. There are great breakfasts to be had there! Tea Time is a must! The entertainment is great! Magic funnyman, Christopher James was a great addition to the list. We sat in the front row and were amazed at his slight of hand and card tricks. And he is silly!! Musician, Steve Moris is a gem! He kept the audience enthralled and signing for an hour. Wonderful show. The production numbers of the Princess dancers and singers is close to top notch. Phenomenal stage sets. The Carnival story was beautifully performed, worthy of off-Broadway. The night of singing with guest opera singer was truly magic for opera lovers. Oh yes, yes, yes, we would go again! Read Less

First impression of Star Princess, been on better ships, but Everyone onboard were Super, staff couldn"t do enough for you. CaptainTuvo. one of the most approachable and nicest person you could wish to meet. The cabin we had inside,clean and comfortable cabin boy looked after us very well. Dinning anytime dinning was perfect for us and we ended up at the same table nearly every night with (or opinion best table girls onboard) food was of a good standard but we enjoyed. Entertainment apart from one show and the music in Crooners bar was not great. Service from All staff(apart from 1 really ignorant sales person)was exceptional lovely people. Shore excursions only done two Pearl Harbor a Must for everyone great trip very emotional full tour very reasonable. Waikiki Big let down lots of people down on there luck trying to get money for food,Sad. On the whole my wife and i had a great time, as we said Living the Dream. Thank you All at princess cruises. PS. Met a lot of Lovely people. If you take a drink the drinks package is a Must Great value. Read Less

To celebrate my husbands last cancer treatment after three years of doctors and hospital visits. The food was cold not nicely presented asked for prawn cocktail got a meat pastry instead, asked for baked Alaska ant got apple pie,had a mussel meal with garlic bread only 3 mussels were opened so had to leave the others as couldn't risk any tummy trouble. Very much Asian inspired and if you don't like noodles,curry, wanton soup or hot and sour type soups not much choice. We had champagne no ice bucket or flutes supplied. Waiters were surly wanted to give you coffee before you had even chosen a desert. The meal at evening dinner could be rushed through in less than an hour or service so bad it took nearly 3 hours. The ship was tired with ripped carpeting on deck fourteen and only found out it was in for refurbishment in April once we set sail. Will never cruise with Princess again if this is how low their standards have slipped. Read Less

This was my 4th Princess Cruise (also been on Avalon, Azamara, Oceania, HAL, Voyages to Antiquity). My 1st Princess cruise was in June 2012, did a 12-night British Isles aboard the Caribbean Princess in an obstructed OV (felt ship itself was too big for British Isles itinerary but overall a very nice experience); 2nd was in Dec 2012, a 15-night Hawai'i cruise (L.A. round-trip) aboard the Golden Princess (inside cabin). I will never forget this cruise because of the great Hawai'i cultural facilitators who taught us how to play the ukulele and hula dance, and highlight for me was performing in the Farewell evening Passenger Talent Show with 70 other ukulele playing passengers; 3rd time was in Nov 2013 on a 15-night Panama Canal Full Transit cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to L.A aboard the Island Princess, excellent all around experience in an inside cabin. This review is for February 2017, we sailed aboard the Emerald Princess for 12-nights from Auckland to Sydney: The itinerary was impeccable, the food was very good, but over-all it really felt like Princess cut back on the little things that used to make Princess a cut above the rest. For example, this was my 4th "wine-tasting" event ($13 per person), and for the first time, it did not include the "complimentary shot glass" at the end with the dessert wine - This s very minor, but the biggest thing that our cruise was missing on board was a live, full time, port expert lecturer. This time, the only way to get any port information was to watch the tv in the cabin, which re-ran old episodes of a previous port lecturer, which would have been fine, except that the taped lectures were in reverse order of our Auckland to Sydney ports. We relied heavily on the kind locals at each port to give us port information and maps (as the Princess Patter cartoon maps emphasized shopping). Only when we were cruising in Milford Sound did they finally bring on board a "NZ park ranger" to talk over the public address system. Unfortunately, the PA system was very hard to hear and it didn't help that 2 very rude ladies from Spain insisted on screaming in my ear as they talked to each other the whole time, so I could not hear a word of the Park Ranger. When I asked them "por favor, I cannot hear" they spoke even louder to each other, ignoring others around us trying to hear the park ranger. Another disappointment was the Specialty Dining at the Crown Grill. We decided to forego the extra expense when their menu clearly emphasized "only one item per course per person" which was a change from 2012 when we 4 were allowed to try multiple dishes per course, and thus we were able to try almost everything on the menu as we shared our plates. Also, this was the smallest inside room I've every experienced - D123 (Deck 9, Forward). There was only one straight-backed chair that came with the vanity/desk, and no other chair/sofa in the room, so we had to use our lower twin beds for seating. Luckily we are not "room service" people, so we did not need the extra seating, but it did feel very cramped. The room steward parked his cart near our cabin but that did not bother us, especially as he was very attentive and quick in his duties. The closet space and bathroom space was adequate for 3 of us (as we are light packers). The service of all staff we encountered: servers, hosts, maitre-d's, room stewards, passenger service officers, casino staff, International Cafe servers, are all beyond reproach. While Princess corporate management may have cut back on little extra touches and niceties for the passengers, the front line staff is consistently excellent in professionalism, manner, and attention to detail and prompt service. I most highly commend our maitre'd, Carlos from Spain, for his kind attention to my daughter who has a "peanut and all tree-nuts" food allergy. He reassured her food safety for lunch and dinner every day by nightly presenting her with the next day's menus so that she could pre-select her meals, and the cook-staff ensured her food was not contaminated. Regarding the talent on-board, the Princess cast only presented 3 times in 12-nights, and the various talents brought on board for a show or two were average. While there was no crew or passenger talent show, we did enjoy the cooking demonstration presented by Executive Chef Giuseppe Pollara with Matre D'Hotel, Luigi Pascale. All ports in NZ & AU are fabulous and very easy for us to do on our own. In Akaroa, we booked with Princess the "Swim with the Hector Dolphins" excursion for $199 US. The local outfit was beyond reproach and told us before suiting up: "on this morning's excursion, no Hector Dolphins were spotted, and very unlikely you will be able to swim with them this afternoon", and they gave up the option of a lesser non-swimming excursion (with little prospect of seeing the Hector Dolphins) or a FULL REFUND. They were very kind and honest to let us have the option in advance. (ps: you can book direct with BLACK CAT CRUISES in Akaroa Harbour for a little bit of savings versus booking through Princess, the ship docks right in Akaroa Harbour). We are getting ready for our next Princess cruise, 29-nights aboard the Pacific Princess sailing Nov. 23, 2017 from Venice to Ft. Lauderdale. Bon Voyage, and happy and safe sailing to all. ps: the only reason I rated the Embarkation in Auckland as "Terrible" is because they had all non-VIP wait outside the port building in the blistering sun & heat until 1pm embark time (in all my other experiences we were always sheltered indoors). I did not mind as this gave me 2 hours to explore Auckland waterfront while my husband found shelter in a cafe, but there were some elderly people who had to sit hodge-podge anywhere they could find outside the Princesss port building as they were not allowed inside, and there was very little shade to be found outside. Passengers with privileges were allowed to embark at 11am. There was quite a bit of confusion all around, and when 1pm embarkation began for the common-folk, the queue was very disorganized, a bit helter-skelter, until we got up the escalator to the check-in counter. Everyone was very polite through-out, just disorganized. Read Less

Going to New Zealand and Australia was a big "bucket list" thing. The Princess cruise/land tour was awesome. We booked an inside cabin since we had mostly port days and spent the day at the Sanctuary during the Fiordland cruising. It more than met our expectations. We used Princess excursions because we have found that they have already screened their vendors for the most reliable and knowledgable guides. We once used a van off the pier on a stop on a Panama cruise and the tour guide did not provide any admittance to venues and after fact checking some of the information I found he made things up as he went along. My time is to precious for me to waste so I won't short change myself again and waste my precious time to save a few dollars. The excursions from the ship are now memories I cherish. The land tour in Australia, The Ultimate Outback, had us being cared for as VIPs. We came home knowing we had the best experience possible for the time we had there. The representative/tour guide managed everything for us at every stop. Our rooms were high quality and the meals that were included were wonderful. I came home knowing so much about the Ausie and Aborigine cultures. It was also fun staying at The Four Seasons in Sydney, because I never book five stars. We were able to get extra time through Princess at their rate. Since it is a lot of effort to get from the USA to that part of the world this cruise is a way to make the most of your time and experience the unique part of the world down under. If you have time for the land tour it will be icing on the cake. Read Less

Overall the trip was very nice. The ship was somewhat of a disappointment as the rooms are very small and the balcony is a joke. The interior of the plaza is gorgeous but the balance of the ship is not much different from other Princess ships.The food at the buffet was very good and we had no complaints. The dining room menus were very average although the Crown was excellent. Service on the ship was more than adequate in all departments.The ship did not feel crowded even on sea days when chairs are at a premium but this is standard for all cruise ships on sea days. Be careful of this cruise as the ports change This is the third time I scheduled this cruise and they either changed ports or cancelled the cruise altogether. The change cost me an extra $200.00 for my excursion from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios. If going from Montego Bay you will not get to the Secret falls unless you book it independently. I suggest RealTours Jamaica. Getting on and off the ship was the easiest we have ever encountered! Read Less

The entire cruise on the Regal Princess was extraordinary from start to finish. The Regal is the newest ship in the Princess fleet. Embarkation and disembarkation was fast and efficient. Cruise staff on the ship are very friendly and helpful and the entertainment was first class. Food on the ship was incredible. The ship has open wash basins and hand sanitizers at the entrances to the Horizon Court restaurant which is a great idea. The crew are always wiping down hand rails etc, to keep the vessel clean. The ship has a smart phone system where you can leave your phone on airplane mode and use their system to send text messages to a loved one or friend. You can check the daily activities, your excursions and your ship board charges all on your phone. Princess is also implementing a new Medellion program this year to enhance communication. If you want a fantastic cruise experience, book with Princess Cruise Lines. Read Less

Taking a cruise in the winter is a welcome break and the Port of San Francisco is picturesque! The Princess shuttle staff was looking for us at the baggage area and we got on the first shuttle from airport to ship. Embarkation is smooth and being a loyalty passenger we get to board in one of he first groups. The ship took on contractors and the public flooring up on Lido was being stripped and redone during cruise. I could see on day one, the flooring had issues and this probably happened while in drydock, but was being worked on and fixed. This did not interfere with our usage which is minimal on deck 14 as we walk to breakfast and don't sit in the area. New carpet in halls on ship so things are kept up routinely. My husband always uses the workout room and I use the Promenade to walk. I love the atmosphere of walking the Promenade. We enjoy comedians and magicians which were good. We actually went to more movies then previously but saw several good movies. We do no gong to the theaters during the year so this is a treat. The menu seems somewhat smaller in the dining room, but regardless the food is always wonderful! I keep within the complimentary internet usage and the computers on the ship work well. Also utilized the Happy Hour in Wheelhouse for a good buy and enjoyed the Horizon Court. Food is always good there. If you can't find something good to eat, then you are looking for something negative. For the first time, ate at Alfredo's and it is wonderful pizza! This does deserve the best pizza at sea award and now I know why it has it! Leaving is very coordinated and stayed on schedule. Read Less

I have been on many cruises, this was my first and last time with Princess. 6 Days into the cruise I caught the Flu as did many others on the ship. One thing I never saw anyone do is clean, been on many ships and typically you see people cleaning through out the day, this was a big upset to me. The food was good, not great, I have allergies and on other ships, when I chose not to dine in the dining room, and ate elsewhere they would have a sign up stating what everything was and a list of ingredients, they did not have this here, so I had to constantly ask if mushrooms or peanuts where in anything I wanted to eat, thankfully while in the dining room they told me, that a lot of the sauces had a base of mushrooms or peanuts which scared me, because of my allergies, this is something I hope they look into. We cruised with another couple on this trip, one of them is Gluten Free, she was told they had many options for her, which they did not. We had a lot of sea days, with very little entertainment and what they did have was in an area not suitable for people, this was a huge disappointment for me. The cabin was ok, we were on the Baha deck midship, pretty worn interior, they cleaned, but when I looked under the bed it was filthy with lots of dust balls, also the balcony was small and never once did they ever clean the balcony or the door to the balcony. I really wanted to like this cruise, there were to many factors not to like it. Read Less

We are Princess Platinum, and although we have our issues with the company, we find their ships and staff still a cut above the other in the "reasonable" cruise line pricing sheet group. Cabin: B524; Steward, Ricky. Outstanding service, room kept spic and span, and he accommodated our special needs after my wife became ill on the trip -- More on this later. Food: Horizon Court (buffet) was great as always. Sit down dinners in the Bordeaux were standard Princess menu, but very high quality food and service. Snack service good as well. Entertainment: This is an area where Princess still FAR outshines the competition. There was NOT ONE bad show or entertainer on the ship. The dancers and singers, costumes, choreography and special effects were simply dazzling! These young people are to be commended for their drive and energy at all times while on stage. Lotus Spa: We always purchase the additional "thermal package" ($349 for two for 15 day cruise), and although the spa area on this ship is smaller than on others, we never felt crowded out using the area. $35 (plus 15% gratuity) for a haircut, which is the going rate here in CA at home, but well done. Excursions: We tend to drift back-and-forth on Princess excursions, because they can be inconsistent. Snorkeling in Aruba: A++; Self walking tour (we used the hop-on-hop-off bus in Cartagena: B, as Cartagena is jam packed with beggars and other street people constantly bothering tourists to purchase their wares, even to the extent of fighting and arguing with other vendors selling the exact same item, so beware! Scarlet Macaw Sanctuary in Puntarenas, Costa Rica; A++, Simply because the young people who work there are so dedicated to what they do; San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, cancelled due to high winds and seas (this is a tender port), but we have done the Mombacho Volcano hike on another cruise, and rated it A++ as well, if you are in good physical condition. Zip lining in Cabo San Lucas, A++ (second time here as well, and consistently excellent). Our biggest ongoing bitches with Princess are their asinine alcohol policy, and constant selling of EVERYTHING. Their alcohol prices are just totally absurd aboard ship, and their "unlimited alcohol" price of $57.80 per day is even worse. My God, this is a cost of $120 per day (or $1,734 for a 15-day cruise), and is more than we spend on alcohol for six months at home! Their premium wines are more than double the price that you can purchase a bottle for at any supermarket in any port we stop in, and they know it, because now they are taking bottles of wine away from passengers returning to the ship each day, to be returned at voyage's end. Most passengers we have talked to have some very creative secret ways to get around this idiocy (as do we), but it is a shame that through their GREED, Princess continues to gouge passengers. If they were to come up with a reasonable daily rate, as well as drop their on board bottle costs to something reasonable, they would A: Make a LOT more money than they are now, B: They would not have to pay three of four staffers to deal with this passenger issue in EVERY port, and C: Your passengers would be a LOT happier with you! SERIOUSLY! Same with people selling all the time aboard ship. People who wish to shop and purchase items will do so, whether staffers are constantly hawking stuff to them or not. For the rest of us, this is a BIG TIME ANNOYANCE! The trip through the Panama Canal makes this trip worth it alone. Such a magnificent work of engineering, and the local expert (Humberto) on-board spent the entire day going the just about everything anyone could ever wish to know about the canal. Finally, a word on shipboard illness. Princess (we are sure as with other lines, but probably even more so) is MANIC about on-board health, hand washing, Purell (they must go through 3,000 gallons of that stuff per cruise!), etc., some people are still just so inconsiderate of their fellow passengers, or maybe, just uneducated. This trip had a pretty aged clientele aboard, and we were astounded at the number of people openly coughing, sneezing, being in congested areas while being ill (theater, restaurants, buffet, etc). Especially on a winter cruise where people are coming from colder climates to Florida, then through Central America, and back into winter along the CA coast going into San Francisco. As such, this ship became a plague ship by the time we docked in SF. We spent the last three days of the trip locked in our cabin, as my wife caught a horrendous cold. People were wearing masks and everything else by the final day of the trip, but, still others continued to obnoxiously spread their germs amongst everyone else. Read Less

We've done this cruise before. We like 10 days vs the more common 7 day cruise. We also really enjoy the islands that the cruise goes to. Embarkation went very fast and smooth. After dropping off our carry on bags in our cabin we went to lunch at Alfredo's. The majority of people embarking head right to the Horizon court buffet which is absolutely fine but generally quite crowded. We prefer a nice gourmet pizza with some traditional sangria at Alfredo's on deck 6 in the Piazza. We really enjoyed the food all over the ship including the buffet, International cafe, tapas, sushi and in the dining room. The international cafe is great for a quick breakfast or a snack during the day. We don't generally go to Sabatini's or Chop's their steak house. We really do enjoy the food in the dining room. Some days if the timing is right we go to the afternoon tea held from 3:30 to 4:15 in the dining room on deck 6 mid-ship. Service in the dining room was mixed this cruise. Some nights it was pretty slow but overall it was very good. My wife and I also especially enjoyed Vines, the ships wine bar. Our cabin was very comfortable. Our balcony was a bit disappointing due to the overhang. The entertainment was very good although I'd like to see more than 1 comedian appearing on a 10 day cruise. The bands performing were all excellent. Towards the end of the cruise a group called the Beatle Maniacs performed over 2 nights. We've seen them on several Caribbean cruises on Princess. It wood be nice to see maybe a Frankie Valle and the 4 Seasons group or maybe a Rat Pack group. I do enjoy the Voice on the Ocean competition. I'd like to see a Lip syncing competition that has become popular on tv now. The service on the ship overall was really great throughout the cruise. We very much enjoyed the ports and shore excursions on this cruise. The beaches were beautiful and the water was so relaxing. Overall this was a wonderful cruise, a definite thumbs up. Read Less

Amazing 10 days onboard the Royal Princess. We arrived at the port around 11am and was walking on 20 min later. This is my 16th cruise with Princess so no long lines to wait in. First impressions of the interior was wonderful. She is a beautiful ship and we loved the layout. All Princess ships have a similar layout and the Royal is no different but there are some enhancements that we loved. With the exception of the horizon court and a bar or two, most of the public areas are located near the Grand Piazza, floor 5,6,and 7 and also 16 will be the main areas used during your cruise. Our stateroom was located on Dolphin floor 9 so this means walking several flights of stairs either up or down depending on or destination many times each day. We use this to burn the additional calories consumed during our cruise. The food on the Royal Princess was very good. We ate in the Main dining room a few times and also Alfredo's and the steak house. Always found the food selection and serves wonderful. Horizon court was the main area we used because of our active cruise style and inability to live by a schedule. The buffet was nice and full of options. A lot of items repeated daily but we had no problem finding something to eat each day. We loved the layout of Horizon court but suggest you walk the whole thing before you make a choice. Seating was easy to find even in peak times and the service was great. Only went to one production and it was awesome. Very talented singers and dancers. The theater seats go fast on early show but we had no problem finding excellent one's for the later show. Like many 10 day cruises the passengers tend to eat early and go to bed early. Piano player and band provided the majority of our evening entertainment and we enjoyed them both. No complaints except for a room Stewart that we hardly saw. He did a good job but we had to leave notes and call guest services a few times. Our room was nice and lots of storage. Balcony is small but plenty of room to sit and have a drink or enjoy your morning coffee. All in all a great vacation and money well spent. We will be back . Read Less

We had done this same itinerary on the Emerald in 2012 and thought it worth a second look. Plus we wanted to see the new Royal Princess. As we do more cruises,(this is our 7th), the Wow factor is less, but other than a few glitches this trip was very enjoyable. -We dined in the Concerto dining as anytime diners. There was some confusion about reservations the first night, but after that, we settled in and thoroughly enjoyed the food, the wine and the wait staff. Ate our breakfasts at Horizon Court, where my wife had trouble initially getting grapefruit. Seems they hide them. The omelette station and the food were good ,but ordinary. Didn't change much day to day. The food at the International Cafe wasn't as good as I remember from previous Princess cruises, but the desserts were awesome. -We like to spend time at the rear of the ship because it's less crowded,but were disappointed that there was no pool there like on other ships. We understand this problem was corrected on the Regal. -Embarkation was the quickest ever, perhaps aided by our Platinum status.The free WiFi for Platinum also came in handy. -Seems like activities around the pool have been curtailed. Seems like the staff was always cooking up something at the pool on past cruises, but not so much on this one. We always look forward to the Tropical Party on the pool deck. No longer. Most activities are centered around the Piazza area, which is beautiful, much nicer than the older ships. -The entertainment was good and the theater was state of the art, but Princess 's shows are pretty much production shows. Would be nice to see some variety. The illusionist and the Impressionist were good shows if you could get in ,which was problematic. - The redeeming factor was the itinerary, the variety of islands, and the shore excursions were well run.The 3 "at sea" days were just at the right times. Read Less

Loved the ship, food and service were very good. Embarkation went smoothly considering we arrived at the peak time. Our room was ready and our room stewart was great. We asked for a top sheet on the bed and had one that evening. He was always eager to please and always had a smile and a greeting for us. Cabin was tiny, which we expected for an inside, but with surprisingly adequate storage, large closet and more than enough drawers and shelves for all our stuff. Bathroom was what you'd normally expect, but enjoyed having a hand held shower. The full sized hair dryer was a plus, better than the ones I've used on previous cruises. Found the overall experience aboard the ship above our expectations. Food was delicious every night. The one night we tried the Crown Grill it was excellent, I had lobster and my husband had filet mignon, both were delicious. Service was impeccable. The Horizon Court was about the same as other cruises, standard buffet, but lines went smoothly and service was good. Only minor issue was getting a glass of wine seemed to take forever. Usually we were finished lunch by the time it arrived. This happened only in the Horizon Court however. A minor downer was our excursion to Spice Beach Club on Bonaire. Beach was not nice, too much coral for walking into water, not enough chairs available, poor service...but it was a minor issue overall. Description of excursion should've mentioned the condition of beach. Wouldn't recommend that particular excursion. Overall our experience of the cruise was very positive. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on the itinerary and a long history with Princess. This ship really needs to be dry docked for R&R (remove and replace) things like, beds, toilets, carpets, railings and a few modern updates. Our Caribe balcony needed cleaning, new carpets and the balcony table, chairs, rails and windows never were cleaned unless we asked the steward to do it daily. What is it about the rude waiters and assistant waiters in the dining rooms? They think nothing about interrupting conversations to push pastries, alcoholic drink cards, speciality dining, photos and other stuff. Most dining requests get lost in translation? For example, I ask for a large glass of tomato juice and I receive two small glasses. It's not like there aren't large glasses already on the table. I have witnessed people requesting decaf coffee being served from the same pot filling caffeinated coffee cups. A request for a slice of tomato for a delivered sandwich and it arrives with the center missing; so primarily it's just a ring of tomato skin. A request for Cheese, comes back shreaded and not sliced. It's almost like you have to have a picture of the food item you want, prepared like you want, to get it the way you want. Kinda like having the menus dfrom Japan. I've noticed trends that the quality of items in the dining room has declined overall with items you order when received are not what you expected. An example, you order a fillet mignon and get some other cut of beef, hidden under a Béarnaise sauce. I have argued with more section waiters about the false claims on the cuts of meat than I care to remember. Only to be told that, "This is all we have" is insulting when you can get the correct cut of beef in a specialty dining room for 29 dollars more per meal. You might order a fancy dish like bouillabaisse and find that it is missing the saffron or even the fish. When you inquire about the difference, you're told that, "this is chef's interpretation of the dish." I wonder if I pay the onboard stateroom charges with my interpretation of money, would they be as pacified as they expect us to be. After nine days on a 19 day cruise, we continually received over cooked fish on the initial order and pre-orders. Of course we send it back and tell them we do not want dry fish, and the plate is returned much better but seldom perfect. When I asked the section waiter what does it take to have fish prepared so that is not over cooked and moist on the initial request we were told that we needed to sign a waiver for under cooked food. Never in my 14 cruses with Princess have I had to sign any such thing, no would any reasonable cruiser think that moist is raw. The Entertainment was about average for Princess; however we noticed that the entertainment was centered on English speaking patrons, while European and South American patrons were clueless when it came to jokes and stories. Half of the princess theatre was empty during a comedian/juggler or a comedian/magic act. Service was overall O.K.; there are always bright spots at your favorite bar (that is why it's your favorite). We found that Vines, Crooners and most likely your room steward were the highlights. I noticed that if we ordered a drink from anywhere else than your favorite bar, it was watered down. In those times, order beer or wine from splits. Also they stopped giving you receipts, you have to ask for them. Many people find errors on their stateroom accounts, it is good to have records. Princess should just forget about going to Brazil until they clean up their act, it is too crime ridden, dirty and difficult to get in and out of. Would I choose Princess again, yes. The industry has been declining over the years hiding the additional expense with add-on charges for just about everything. They are not different from their competitors in that regard, so when you compare them they are all pretty close to being the same with subtle differences. Read Less