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Rostock (Warnemunde)

The Royal Princess was a fairly new ship on its first transatlantic crossing in October, 2013. So, why did we have towels and wash cloths that were frayed? Why is there rust everywhere you look? Ours was an obstructed-view balcony with up close views of the life boats and their hoists which had lots of rust showing – already, even the stainless steel posts on the balcony were spotted with rust! Plus, the wood railings were pitted with white flaky stuff in its surface. And, they'd used duct tape to secure some of the thick metal winch cables?!?! The nicest thing I can say about the cabin is there was a nice long, open-closet with plenty of hangers provided; however, the bathroom and balcony were very tiny. Then, and it wasn't too long into the cruise, we started noticing the coughing and hacking by fellow passengers – then it hit us. We had to get antibiotics and had several days of unrest and sickness.
Overall our first impressions weren't so good, yet, our room stewardess, as it turned out, was very attentive and always referred to us by name when we saw her. The entertainment, including the lecturers, were top notch - certainly a highlight of our onboard activities. The Piazza is beautiful and a great place to hang out and people-watch and it seemed that they always had something going on in that area.
Of the ports, Messina and Naples were the let downs – no need to re-visit either of those two cities, whereas Madeira island is, and has been, one of our favorite places – we definitely recommend touring the western side of the island – just fantastic – and beautiful – well worth the 6 ½ hours we spent with 10 others in a Mercedes van with guide/driver at only 22 euros per person!!! The food on this cruise was OK – nothing to rave about and the wait-staff service was mediocre, often very slow in bringing meals to the table, but not when trying to sell you bottled water! I think they finally got the message that most of us were not falling for that expensive ploy early into the cruise. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give a solid rating of a 5 – it just wasn't that special – even with it being a new ship on its less than stellar inaugural transatlantic cruise. Sorry, Princess.

A lower standard than what we expected...

First let me say that I have been on five other transatlantic cruises, two of which were on the Ruby and Emerald Princess (nice ships). This ship just does not measure up to the hype and is not designed for the passenger. The bean counters got hold of what could have been a really great ship and really messed it up. Complaints on this ship were the primary source of conversation during my recent voyage. I was able to break the ice with anyone just by mentioning our mutual disdain for this ship. Things like:
(1) Mid-ship stairwell does not go up to the Lido deck and is not useable by passengers.
(2) Cannot walk around the outside of the ship on the Promenade Deck.
(3) The gym is not where it belongs, forward on the bow of the ship. As an after-thought they stuck it mid-ship with a passageway running through it.
(4) The ships theater somehow seems claustrophobic and the chairs do not have a place to put your drink.
(5) The balcony's are very small.
(6) The indoor electronic shooting range is usually closed. On the odd occasion , that it was open there is a large crowd wanting to use it.
(7) The sauna and steam room are not located with the gym and are extra charge items.
(8) The Princess Live Theater was cramped and uses fold-out chairs that have been known to collapse with people in them.
(9) I had a cabin below the Lido deck and the noise of the deck chairs being slid around was really annoying.
To be fair, on the plus side:
(1) The Piazza was very large and well laid out.
(2) The food was very good and of excellent quality.
(3) The entertainment was OK and wasn't in bad taste.
(4) I'm sure there are other good things about this ship, but considering all the negatives, it is hard to remember them.

Badly Designed Ship; will not sail this class of ship again.

Was looking forward to this cruise, all the aft rooms had soot all over the balconies. Food was not good in the dining room we only ate there 3 to 4 times. Had turkey one night is was tough white meat, corn bread was bad also. They put a slice of sweet potato on the my plate. Desert was almost the same every night. Food was good in the Crown grill but there was a charge for that $50 a couple. Bathrooms were so small toilet paper you had to twist your body up to reach it. Had to ask for soap to wash your hands. The whole ship was boring mostly a geriatric cruise ship. Laser light show wasn't working at all. TV was constantly not working. Shows limited to 30 min. only. Princess theater has no tables in it to hold drinks or even cup holders built into chairs.
Coming from Deck 12 you take the elevator to Decl 7 then walk down the hall a ways to center of the ship then take another elevator to deck 5 were the dining rooms are. Not enough people working on the ship and for sure they do not smile much at all.
Would not use this cruise lines again. Ship had a lot of hipe but thats it.
Just not an upbeat experience. Seems most of there passengers play scrabble and play cards thats it. Even at times the music is boring.

Not a happy passenger.

The Royal was launched 6-12 months before it was ready for passengers.
It was understaffed with a large number of new hires who did not have the customer service skills that I have experienced on my 19 cruises with Princess. An example would be a clerk in the wrist watch boutiques, who when asked by a customer about a particular watch in the window, the clerk told her it cost $2,000 followed by, "can you afford it"!!!
The free laundry service for Elite passengers took 4-6 or more days to be returned to passengers instead of next service which is what is an advertised perk for their top cruises. In many cases clothing items were lost and never found. Some laundry was not finished and returned to passengers the day of disembarkation.
There are design flaws such as no staircase for the center of the ship. The elevators could not handle the numbers of passengers needing to use them because of lack of stairs to ease the load on the elevators. The frustration of the center of the ship cabin passengers was palpable and expressed with anger at the crowding as people stuffed and pushed into the elevator having missed full elevators for an extended period.
There are other design flaws. Electronics in every area from daily non-working computers in the Internet area room, to cabin TV's, to the Princess Theater during presentation, and behind the scenes electronic issues that made the job of the Customer Service almost impossible for them to help passengers in a timely and effective way.
My service in the dining room was so not up to my experience of first waiter and junior waiter that the frustration drove me to the Horizon Court and other venues. I must say, I have always enjoyed the food on Princess Cruise, but it was so bad in the dining room along with the bad service, that I never returned to the dining room once I left.
I wish I could say something nice about this sailing for me, but chasing laundry, to find out where it was, the bad service in the areas that I functioned just made an unpleasant ordeal for me. I could never find my cabin stewardess when I needed her, needed my cabin make up, or trusting her to search out where my laundry when it went missing for 5-6 days. She liked to chit chat with her fellow stewards and stewardess on the floor near her. She just wasn't focused in the way the others in her area. They were working and she was no where to be found.
The Royal was a big disappointment with the under-staffing in important areas, the design issues, the poor quality of items that passengers use daily, the automatic door to one of the small cutout decks on Deck 7 which fell off at the top where its swings open and fell on the door across from it. It was framed in wood with glass in the rest of the door. Fortunately, the glass didn't shatter. I came upon it just after it happened and before the proper engineers arrived.
The Regal, the sister ship of Royal, is due to be launched in 2014. Think twice before signing up for a cruise early on and see if some of the Royal's problems have been ironed out.
 

Complete disappointment

The Royal is a beautiful ship, and we had a marvelous time on her Maiden TA voyage from Venice to Fort Lauderdale. It was our first cruise in the Mediterranean and first TA, so we really didn't know what to expect, but The Royal met and surpassed our expectations. First, despite the many negative reviews, we thoroughly enjoyed the ship. The service was exceptional and the food was wonderful. The entertainment was very enjoyable with lots of variety from the production shows to comedians to bands/musicians to local entertainment in certain ports.
The highlight of the ship is the large and beautiful piazza where something was always going on--it was entertainment central for the ship with plenty of seating, bars and food options. We particularly enjoyed Alfredo's where the food, pasta and desserts were delicious and free as well as the 24 hour International Café--again variety and quality of the food were wonderful. We had a mid-ship minisuite under the Seaview Bar and loved the extra space of the stateroom and balcony. Our balcony was one of the larger angled balconies, and we enjoyed breakfast each morning and a special balcony dinner one evening. Privacy is not an issue on the port side under the Seaview Bar, especially if you are booked on a lower deck as we were (Baja). There were curtains that allowed the stateroom to be separated into bedroom and seating area, which we very much enjoyed. Storage space was more than adequate, and we loved the well equipped bathroom with tub/shower combo. The on demand television system was wonderful with a large selection of movies, TV shows and the usual lectures and daily wake show. We enjoyed the opportunity to watch first run movies in our cabin especially on port days when we returned exhausted from a long day of touring. The spa is large and luxurious, and I like the new location on Deck 5. I had very good treatments, and there was no pressure to buy additional products and services. The gym was on Deck 16 and had plenty of equipment and great views. I also enjoyed the walking track on Deck 17--again great views and outside exercise stations. There is a large court space where Zumba was held most mornings and also used for basketball, pickleball and other court games. Cruise staff had many activities planned for the sea days, and we enjoyed trivia, Pop Choir, lectures and lounging by the pools. There are three pools with lots of loungers in both sun and shade--we enjoyed the adult only retreat pool. We did not take advantage of the Sanctuary (fee based) or the Retreat Pool cabanas (fee based). The Movies Under the Stars was in operation day and night, and we enjoyed the fountain shows on special nights. There were very few children on our cruise so space in the pools and hot tubs was not an issue. The newly designed Horizon Court/Bistro buffet area was a huge improvement with good flow and a great variety of food. We usually ate in the dining room but we had lunch and snacks in Horizon Court. We also ate at the Crab Shack, which is a special area in Horizon Court offered on certain nights. The food was delicious although the hush puppies need some work. Princess continues to have the best pizza at sea which we enjoyed several days for lunch, and also the Trident grill offers freshly made burgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. At night the grill also offers chili, barbecue beef and pork as part of the Smokehouse. The food was very good. The soft serve ice cream (free), Pastry Shop (free) and Gelato Shop (fee based) meant that snacks and desserts were always available. Afternoon Tea in the dining room was also excellent with delicious scones and other treats. Cruise staff were competent, friendly and professional, and we had some of the best service on the Royal that we've had on any of our cruises.
Ports were interesting and varied, and we took mostly private excursions arranged through our roll call--all were excellent. The one Princess tour that I took in Barcelona was well organized and convenient-don't miss seeing La Sagrada Familia, which was the main reason I chose this particular tour. We were blessed with beautiful weather and calm seas on the Atlantic crossing and would definitely recommend this itinerary and the beautiful Royal.
She is very spacious and it rarely felt crowded. We enjoyed the new feature of free intranet service accessed via cell phones and tablets to keep up with activities, locations and stateroom accounts conveniently and on-demand. I did miss the promenade deck for that "close to the sea" viewing and walking, but most of the other "negatives" were not an issue for us. The elevators were crowded during port days when people are coming and going at the same time, but most of the time they worked fine even without the central staircase. I didn't find it a problem to walk forward or aft when I wanted to take the stairs. The self-service laundry rooms on most passenger decks were very convenient and worked well with the new token machines--much easier to swipe your cruise card than carry quarters. The Library is very small and there is no card room. The aft dining room was the meeting place for cards and games--we didn't participate in those so I don't know how well that venue worked.

Fabulous Cruise on the Royal Princess

Royal Princess Review – Maiden Trans Atlantic Voyage, October 2013. Since this is a new ship I will review the ship first, then the cruise.
The Royal Princess – Princess has done a lot of things RIGHT with this ship. The first impression is one of quality construction and fixtures with a lot of attention to detail – lots of marble and granite, decorative grating, nice lighting etc. The ship is beautiful overall and is as nice as any ship I have ever sailed on. Princess seems to have taken a lot of the criticisms from previous cruiser evaluations of the Grand Class ships and attempted to fix them; Examples of this are as follows: 1. The Horizon Court – Much better Traffic Pattern and much less crowded. It also has a lovely covered outdoor deck eating and lounge area 2. Shade and quiet – On the Crown, Emerald, Ruby etc finding a shady area to sit is a real problem and finding a quiet area is almost as difficult, especially on a Caribbean Cruise. That’s why the Sanctuary sells out so quickly on those ships – I’m usually first in line and buy it for the whole cruise. The Royal has solved that problem with an ADULTS ONLY AREA with it’s own shade and pool and cushions on the lounges. They have also extended shade coverings on the sides of the stacks aft of the main Pool area. While the promenade deck does not go all around the ship there are a number of very nice sitting areas on that deck as well as throughout the ship. The Sanctuary is also very nice and they have put restrooms in the sanctuary area – a great idea. 3. The Royal has much larger tenders which speed tendering operations significantly. 4. The new In Room entertainment system features a large screen TV with a nice choice of programming including Live TV – BBC, Fox News etc., A selection of movies including those shown on deck and in the ships theatres, a selection of TV series such as Homeland, Game of Thrones etc. In addition, you can get your up to date statement of charges and credits, the onboard lectures and shore excursion information on the system. The system in my room worked fine. 5. Theatres – The Royal has Two Theatre venues, The Princess Theatre and the Vista Lounge. The Princess theatre has a very high tech stage and lighting systems and the Vista Lounge is larger and has a couch like seating area. They have done moved the Game shows and Karaoke to a new venue called Princess Live. My only criticism of the Vista Lounge is that they have tried to make it a theatre venue as well a conversation area which really doesn’t work too well in the couch section as the chairs they have placed between the couches make it difficult to get in and out. The ship internet technology worked well. The shower and sink in a regular balcony room were bigger than on the Grand Class which is an improvement. The Balcony area was a bit smaller but was fine for two people. My only real complaint with the ship is the elevator system , the programming of which made no sense at all. Empty elevators passed the floor and full elevators stopped with no logic whatsoever. The passenger elevators are too small and one scooter and 4 people fill the car. Overall we really liked the ship and will be back on it in 2015.
The cruise – The service overall was excellent. The food selection and quality at the Horizon Court was the BEST I have ever seen on a cruise ship – a large selection of meats, cheeses, nuts, shrimp (cold and fried) and almost anything else you might want was available at all meals – Princess can do buffets right when it wants to. Even on a transatlantic with 3600 passengers aboard we were always able to find a seat in the Horizon Court without a problem. Great News -- here are new coffee and hot chocolate machines in the Horizon Court with FRESH GROUND COFFEE. The entertainment was pretty standard with two excellent guest entertainers. They tried to make a headliner out of one of the Princess cast singers which didn’t work out so well and quite a few people walked out. There were no long lines to get into the dining rooms, even at the 6 – 7 PM Dinner hours. We were very happy with the whole experience and will do it again when the new Regal arrives next year.
 

Royal Princess Maiden Transatlantic 2013

EMBARKATION: easy, peasy. We arrived about 2pm and walked right on
CABIN: we had a deluxe balcony on Emerald deck with obstructed view - but there was NO obstruction, we had an unimpeded view thru glass. Also the extended angled balcony was bigger than the standard balcony so we could turn our chairs outward to view the ocean. There was a 2 cushion loveseat, and desk, with a nice handy drawer to hoÅ‚d hairdryer, toiletries, etc. Bath was standard except for the larger shower with handheld shower head and wall mounted shampoo/ shower gel dispensers. Bed was very comfy ( no gap in the middle) and the down pillows were big and fluffy. AC worked well. The flat screen TV was great except that it broke 4 times. We called and someone always came within 24 hrs to fix it. The on demand selection of movies, tv shows, HBO, Showtime, and misc ship lectures was fantastic. For news, you had Fox, BBC, and MSNBC, no CNN. Closet space and lighting were adequate. Our room steward was not good, had to ask for towels, ice, water glasses, breakfast cards, etc. Could not get Internet in our room, had to stand in the hallway to connect.
DINING:
We did anytime dining and loved CONCERTO dining room mainly because of the maître d Elena. We always asked for a table for 2 and only had to wait 1 night ( about 5 minutes) out of 18. Food was exceptional, we liked almost everything and only sent 1 entree back. Service was not good IMO. Sometimes we sat down to a table which was not completely set. We had to ask for butter dishes, butter knives, wine glasses, water glasses, etc. Generally, although not always, the servers did not introduce themselves, or suggest special appetizers or entrees as they did on other ships. They immediately asked us what we wanted to order, and then we had to ask for a wine list and explain we weren't ready to order until we had time to peruse the wine menu and food menu. Everything seemed rushed. The waiters were not trained well, and insisted on filling our wine glasses to the top instead of half way, & were bringing food almost before we were ready. Maybe they are used to being rushed because people want to go to shows?
WINE PKG: we bought the silver for wines up to $29. Be careful if u order a more expensive wine - Twice they did not credit us the $29 & charged us for the full amt of the more expensive wine instead of the difference. Got resolved at Passenger Services.
BELLINIS: menu looked good, reasonable, but we did not eat there
Ditto for the CRAB SHACK.
VINES: nice venue for wine w/complimentary sushi appetizers while overlooking the goings on in the Piazza.
ALFREDOS: this was a highlight and very popular for lunch and dinner. Free venue with salads, pizza and several pasta entrees. The veal ravioli in white sauce was to die for!
CROWN GRILL: food was good but it was not private - it was open to EXPLORERS which was a kind of weird venue. Open on both sides it offered no intimacy.
SABATINIS: was a delight! Great service, quiet, intimate, good food.
HORIZON COURT; I was not a fan. There were lots of seats, and the salad bar was great, that's the only good things I can say. Food was spread out all over the place - English muffins waaaaay at the other end of croissants - I never did get the hang of it. People just wandered around till they found something they liked. Food was warm/cold buffet food and not very tasteful to me. (Others loved it). The pastry shop was a huge waste of space and was nothing more than what was offered anywhere else on the ship - ok they did have fondue there one day I saw. HORIZON BISTRO was closed it seemed randomly, I don't know why. Coffee wasn't very good either place
ENTERTAINMENT: I did not go to any shows, but the piano player in Explorers & all the musical combos/acrobats/demonstrations, etc in the Piazza were enjoyable.
INTRANET: this was a great feature! you could check the Patter, browse the Princess website, or check your account balance anytime.
POOL/OUTDOOR AREAS: pool area is noisy because of MUTS. Lots of people r ok w noise, I'm not. There were lots of loungers on 2-3 decks and also rattan sofa groupings people were using a lot. I found some quiet areas aft on deck 7 with real deck chairs/cushions for reading/relaxing to the sound of the ocean. 2 outdoor deck areas on deck 7 midship were also nice and quiet. Deck 16 Aft of HC also had great seating areas for playing cards, talking, relaxing, getting online. 3 hot tubs were never really crowded. The pizza poolside was outstanding, hamburgers not so much - they tasted like cardboard. Brats were good. Ice cream was delicious. I did not use the Retreat or Sanctuary areas. No promenade, but many people on the walking track aft at the top of the ship. There were outdoor stationary exercise stations which were easy and convenient for a quick workout.
SEAWALK & Seawalk Bar: both were a novelty and not well used. You def COULD see fully onto the balconies and partially into the actual cabins on deck 14 under Seawalk. The lower the deck, the more privacy you had.
INDOOR PUBLIC AREAS:
PRINCESS LIVE a TV studio, had several interesting lectures, and trivia and Zumba was there, as well as the morning show.
INTL CAFE: loved this. Paninis, Cubans, mozzarella/tomato, tuna salad, Waldorf salad, desserts, pastries, cappuccino, latte, espresso. I bought a COFFEE CARD -15 punches was just right for an 18 day cruise.
CROONERS: great bar, great bartenders - Raphael & Tatiana, this was the place for the get-togethers, always crowded at night.
VISTA LOUNGE: ok but tables r crowded with no knee room.
PRINCESS THEATER: no tables for drinks, no center aisle
CASINO: large w spiral staircase up to deck 7. Unfortunately this allowed smoke to waft up. Bad design!! CLUB 6 next door was nice at night and didn't smell smoke there.
PIAZZA: is huge, elegant, lots centered here at night and is the place to see and be seen. Nice for evening dancing.
ELEVATORS: midship a total disaster!!! Take the stairs or stay forward or aft & use those elevators.
LOTUS SPA: located on deck 5 forward, much more convenient and more likely to get walk-in business. Had a great massage/facial combo w/Chachi.
PASSENGER SERVICES/FCC/SHORE EXCURSIONS: never seemed to be long lines here. In the FCC area, there were no computers to browse while waiting for a consultant.
INTERNET CAFE: was always crowded, long lines. Don't understand why more people don't use smart phones, laptops, or tablets. Wifi signal was strong in most public parts of the ship.
DEBARKATION: a mess as always
OVERALL IMPRESSION: this is an indoor oriented ship with smaller balconies, no aft pool and no promenade. I think lack of shaded lounges will be a problem in the Caribbean (attention chair hogs). And it has many more indoor pay-for options. My impression is that not many people used the new pay-for options, I don't know how profitable they will be. That being said, the ship never seemed crowded, but it did seem understaffed.
Major flaws r: no midship stairs, no promenade, no aft pool, Internet did not work in many staterooms, and open casino allowing smoke out.
Best things not found on other Princess ships: intranet, larger showers, more outdoor rattan sofa groupings, & large elegant atrium for evening gatherings.
If I didn't write about something, that means I either didn't do it or didn't go there.

Beautiful ship with some obvious flaws

The Royal Princess is an excellent ship and worth seeing.
My wife & I are both 62 and sailed on the Royal and found her to be different from the other ships yes but.. beautiful, expansive and pure joy to be on. If you are concerned, don't be.
Our biggest complaint is: All these old, Elite (read arrogant) and overweight cruisers complaining all day and night. Average age on board had to be above 70, average weight well above 200. So, let us please put the complaining in perspective (other than older people simply like to complain).
Yes, the stairs amidships re for crew and for emergencies. If you want to walk, the walk fore or aft but... noooo.... most people COULD not or WOULD not walk so they used the elevators... for one floor. This caused the overcrowding of elevators. For us, not an issue.
The technology is amazing... on demand movies (over 60), TV Shows, live TV, GPS, music and.. if you missed a presentation/lecture in Princess Live, the recording was on demand.. thus the reasons for Princess Live. The TVs were not 'out for days'.. user error, trust me.
Laundry taking too long. Oh... there were 3,000+ Elite passengers on board with yes, you go tit, free laundry. These people could not go a day without turning in laundry which overloaded the ship. Unless you are on a cruise where only retired Elite people go, no issue. I got my laundry back in 2 days, normal.
Only 2 pools... is not correct. There are 3, one is for adults only (thank you Princess). If you are going to pick a cruise to go swimming, go to a beach, OK?
Oh.. I cannot put my drink down in the Theater. here is an idea.. don't drink so much. Really? You need to set a drink down for a 45 minute show? Wow, how can someone complain about this? The aisles are plentiful IF you walk around to the side but no one would walk and extra 2 feet to avoid inconveniencing anyone. The theaters is huge, amazing and a joy. Many complained it was too loud. Really, a live theater should be quiet?
Noise complaints.. sheesh. First, we had absolute peace and quiet. We know how to choose a cabin. Everyone we met who complained about noise and vibration.. we asked, "where is your cabin?". You guessed it... bow or stern. Wow, you mean you have a room over the engines and the propellers and you thought it was a design flaw that your room had more motion and vibration? Same with the bow and wind noise or... getting a cabin below the upper deck. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Take a course in cabin selection, OK?
There is no bar in the Vista Lounge.. a complaint? Thank You Princess. Now, you can actually listen to the show/music without someone making noise in the back at the bar. And hey.. elitists... stop talking when the show is on, OK? You want to talk or drink? Go to a bar or up on deck.
Now, the Promenade. Well.. let's start with the Atrium. It is amazing. Long, wide and the acoustics are awesome. One can listen to music on 3 decks.. wonderful. The Atrium is bounded by shops, restaurants, bars, sushi, pastry, coffee.. name it. Now.. where do you think the engineers got all that space? On the Emerald, peple complained that it was too narrow to walk through the Atrium. OK, solved here but where did the space come from? Yes, the Promenade. The life boats are pushed out over the side (vs. being over the Promenade deck) and now, we have all this extra space inside. it is truly amazing. So, personal preference.. if I had to choose.. I would take the larger space inside, more rooms, larger Atrium and simply miss the Promenade. Yes, it is nice to walk on but you know, for every get, there is a give. Ask yourself,, how often do you walk/sit on the Promenade vs. walk/sit/eat inside?
The bathrooms are larger with a shower you fit into.. thank you Princess. And.. there is a step to put your foot on so certain body parts do not hang out of the shower when you are washing your legs. I did not find the staterooms to be smaller... same as Emerald I think or very close.
Yes, the balcony is smaller. Very small, bummer. Interesting how everyone complains though.. for all the times I was on the balcony or looking over the side rarely did I see anyone using them. I didn't mind as I am happy having a larger bathroom/shower and if I have to give up a foot on the balcony, so be it.
The SeaWalk is amazing. Beautiful photos from the walk...
I certainly did not like the fact that the dress code was not enforced. I did complain about this. The again, consider the people on board and their attitudes towards.. well, everything. All retired, mostly from Florida and originally from NY, NJ or Miami. One person was screaming at the MaitreD that he had no right to stop him and he is going to his table. He made a big scene.. something Princess will avoid at all costs. What ever happened to common respect?
We enjoyed the food and found it on par with Princess cruises. The entertainment was awesome.. they brought in some folks from the West End. Wow. If only the audience would be quiet, not talk and.... get this.. not record using their tablet/phone/camera thus putting a bright LED in the faces of fellow passengers. Again.. Elitists can do no wrong I suppose. What ever happened to common courtesy?
So... when you hear all the issues.. forget it. there are pros and cons of building and change is inevitable. The Royal is a beautiful ship, sound, smooth ride, advanced technology... we loved it. If she is sailing a route we want, we would not hesitate to go back.
Now, if we could only get Princess to issue a manual on how retired Floridians should behave.
 

Don't Listen to all the Negativity

We sailed on the Royal Princess in October on its first transatlantic cruise from Venice to Ft. Lauderdale.
We are experienced cruisers and our 30th cruise on Princess and probably the worst. First of all, when we walked into our balcony cabin (deluxe) off the back of the ship the carpet was filthy, and the drapes torn and dirty.. Mind you the ship was only not even 6 months old! We asked our cabin steward what was going on here-he shrugged his shoulders and told us that our balcony was virtually unusable because the smokestacks blow ash on our balcony and when you walk out, and then back in you bring the ash on your feet onto the carpet. (this is on all balcony back off the ship cabins) The carpet was shampooed before we got there, but it still was so dirty. So we couldn't use our balcony at all. Next we sent our laundry to be cleaned the minute we got on. After 7 days I was begging our steward to find our underwear and clothes!!! This was due they said to so many elite passengers being onboard. Well, they should know in advance how many elite passengers they have and plan for that!! 19 nights is a long cruise and the cruise line should be prepared. Then for 7 days-I said 7 days we had no HOT WATER!!! They would come and fix it and then it would break etc. Not acceptable!! Can you imagine showering for 7 days in cold water? Then three days the T. V.'s were not working, just another technical problem. Also beware of where your cabin is-We were below the Vista lounge and could hear the music late into the night in our cabin-very disturbing!!! Sometimes they have very late shows and its hard to sleep when you have boom,boom going on in your cabin. Last three days no internet because it was down. Dining room service was disappointing also-ate first seating because we like to have the same waiter, so they get to know your likes and dislikes-but food was sometimes cold. The headwaiter was excellent and did the best he could to please us, but our waiter-not so good.
On the plus side the Atrium was nice although they did away with the center stairs so this makes the elevators a nightmare! The Horizon grill is great-we love the way it is set up and the food and service was terrific. The pool area is too small and the fake trees a joke and a waste of good space. So is the fountain waters-stupid, and again a waste of space. The cruise director Sam is not great either-for a 19 night cruise she never had enough going on, so we spent a lot of time at the pool. Luckily for us the sailing was smooth and warm for a transatlantic sailing. I read a ton of books. Princess has a lot of work to do to catch up with RCCL especially when it comes to entertainment-It was just O.K. some nights we skipped it altogether. The T.V. system is good and is on demand and there are plenty of movies to watch-but that's not what your on a cruise to do. All in all- lets just say it was disappointing, but we still like Princess (believe it or not) and will sail with them again just not on this ship!!!. Princess really spent a lot of money on a less then perfect ship-it has so many flaws-its know wonder the prices are falling for this ship-word of mouth travels fast. Don't waste your money-go on another Princess ship.

The Royal Princess not one of Royals at all-You can do better on anoth

The cruise was fine, so I'll limit my comments specifically to the ship and thoughts that i came away with. I have always thought that a lot of weight is given to feedback from cruisers, particularly in the responses to the surveys and that a lot of the features on new ships would result from what people like or ask for. Therefore, I am a bit mystified by several things I encountered on Royal that I find hard to believe were incorporated due to customer input.
I doubt people asked for more difficult access to seats in the Princess Theatre or Vista Lounge. I doubt survey comments suggested Princess should remove the foldup trays in the Princess Theatre seats. Did people ask for less pool area in favor of a baby Bellagio fountain? How many requests were there for a skywalk?
A Promenade Deck I could stroll, walk, or run on is gone in favor of limited deck areas with a few loungers for the chair hogs. How could a walking/jogging track up high in the sun and wind be a replacement?
I doubt people trying to maintain a level of fitness asked for a gym with the latest equipment, but with a lack of adequate ventilation and AC. Every morning I would come back to my cabin totally drenched in sweat. At least, it made my wife think i had really been working out.
What led to the decisions that brought about a minuscule library, an equally small internet cafe with bigger monitors, a Club Six that served as a passageway for people avoiding the casino, and a Princess Live that is being used for things it is not designed for?
As I said, I had a nice cruise. I just wonder about the thinking behind so many things that I don't think anyone wanted or asked for. The Royal is a beautiful five star floating hotel, but in my opinion lacks the functionality I am looking for in a Princess cruise ship.

Nice Cruise, Disappointing New Ship

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