Royal Princess Caribbean Calypso 4/10-4/24/2010 Review

[davidnsteph]

Here is a review of our recent 14-day Caribbean Calypso cruise on the Royal Princess. The itinerary included St. Thomas, Virgin Gorda, Antigua, St. Barths, Dominica, Barbados, Tobago and Aruba. We are a married couple in our early 40's from South Carolina. We drove to Ft. Lauderdale, and parked at the Midport parking garage in Port Everglades. We chose this cruise for its interesting itinerary, visiting several unique ports that aren't often visited by cruise ships. We also chose this cruise for the intimate 700-passenger ship. This was our 2nd cruise on Princess' small ships, having previously cruised on the Tahitian Princess (now Ocean Princess) on a Tahiti-Hawaii itinerary.

 

The Ship

 

We much preferred the layout of the Royal Lounge on deck 10 forward, compared to the layout of the same lounge on the Tahitian (Ocean). The stage was set away from the front windows on the Royal, providing a seating area all around the perimeter of the lounge with excellent forward views of the sea. The Cabaret Lounge was the show lounge. The sight-lines to the stage were not very good. There was no gradual rise from front to back, but instead a seating level even with the stage, and another one about 1 step up around the sides and back. Behind the 2nd row from the stage, and behind the front of the upper seating area, it was difficult to see the performers. Deck 5 (Promenade) was ornately furnished with dark wood paneling, artwork and comfortable couches and chairs in the lounges. There was a well-stocked, large library on deck 10 aft from the pool area. There were often partly-finished puzzles layed out on tables. We often took the time to add pieces to help complete them. This was a quiet ship in the morning and evening. There were no children on board. The average age of the passengers was roughly 65, so we were the “kids” on this ship. There was no wrap-around walking track on the promenade deck, which we missed from the bigger ships. We like to walk on such a track during the day, because it's mostly shady. We often walked around the top-deck walking track in the late evenings. There were no crowds and short lines on this ship. There was no grand atrium, just an upper and lower lobby area with an ornate staircase. There was no central Piazza area, but the Casino Lounge was a nice substitute. People would pass through between the Club Restaurant and the Cabaret Lounge. We often liked to sit there and listen to the piano entertainer. There was a small salt-water pool, which was often crowded. We had a pleasant Cruise Critic Meet & Greet on the 1st sea day, where we met many people from the large roll call for this cruise. We had many other opportunities to talk with fellow CC members.

 

Cabin

 

We booked an L-category inside cabin, and were upgraded 1 week prior to the cruise to a category D outside unobstructed window cabin. The cabin had a loveseat, queen bed, plenty of drawer space, and an adequate closet. The bathroom was small, as expected. There was a flat-screen TV with plenty of channels, and European and American electrical outlets. Since we are Elite Captain's Circle members, we had a complimentary mini-bar and upgraded stateroom amenities, which included a small sewing kit, Lotus Spa Eucalyptus bath gel, cotton balls and swabs, nail file and room spray. We ordered light canapes before dinner on the 3 formal nights (always very good), and afternoon tea once. The afternoon tea came with 6 small pieces of cake and cookies. There were no small sandwiches or scones. We had afternoon tea in the dining room on other days, where there were better choices. The complimentary laundry worked well for us, with next-day service. Also, the internet worked well most of the time, and we appreciated the 10% discount in the boutiques.

 

Dining

 

We chose 1st seating dining, and had a table for 4 next to a window in the Club Restaurant. The food choices and service at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner were all excellent. We also enjoyed the English Pub Lunch in the Sterling Steakhouse on the 1st sea day. There was a 2nd Pub Lunch on the last sea day. We really liked the service, drinks and light refreshments served at the pre-dinner Elite lounge, which was held from 5-7 pm in the Sterling Steakhouse or Sabatini's each evening.

 

Service

 

The crew on this ship was the friendliest we have encountered with Princess, at all personnel levels. Our cabin steward, Santi, was efficient and thorough, and greeted us with a smile. Captain Justin Lawes was often out and about speaking with passengers. We struck up a friendship with the Hotel General Manager Arturo Calise. He was very personable and talkative, also having a good, strong singing voice. He did a great rendition of "I've got you under my skin" one evening in the Casino Lounge with the Cruisetones musical group. Roger Carr was a talented pianist and singer, providing entertainment before the show each evening.

 

Condition of the Ship

 

We found the ship to be in excellent overall condition. There was continuous painting of outer surfaces of the ship throughout the cruise. Scratches on the hull were also painted while in port. Wood railings were being sanded and varnished. Brass stairway fixtures and railings were also being polished. We noticed some cracks and chips in the black marble floor tiles at the lower landing of the grand staircase in the lower lobby. However, these were repaired later in the cruise using a black putty-like adhesive. We did notice some rust stains in and around the pool.

 

Ports - All tours through Princess

 

St. Thomas: We docked at Havensight, and took an early taxi to town. We're glad we did this, because we could shop in uncrowded stores before the huge influx of passengers from some very large ships in port.

 

Virgin Gorda: We tendered into the yacht harbor at Spanish Town. There was some shopping at the small shopping center at the pier. We took the shuttle to the Baths. This was an outstanding excursion. We squeezed through the narrow rock passages, went up and down ladders, and walked through some caves. The Devil's Bay beach at the end of the passage was one of the best beaches we have seen anywhere. No coral, refreshing turquoise water.

 

Antigua: We did the Antigua Beach Escape, which shuttled us to Runaway Beach, which had comfortable lounge chairs, good facilities and clear water free of coral. It was a bit crowded, since there were 4 large ships in port with us.

 

St. Barths: We tendered to the pier very close to the shops. We took an island drive. The guide spoke good English, and was born on the island, so he narrated the tour well. On this hilly island, we saw many seculded coves and beaches, and a small airport. We took a walk through the narrow streets of the port of Gustavia around the horse-shoe shaped harbor. Everything was expensive, even T-shirts and souvenirs. Prices were in Euros. The prices of food in the supermarket were eye-opening, and reminded us of how well we have it in the USA.

 

Dominica: We took the Rainforest Aerial Tram. It was rainy, as expected, but very scenic. There were birds and tropical vegetation all around. We also walked through the forest canopy across a suspension bridge.

 

Barbados: We did the Barbados Turtle Encounter. We swam and snorkled with green sea turtles in clear turquoise water. Very nice tour, and good rum punch, too.

 

Scarborough, Tobago: This appeared to be an impoverished port. There were many shanty-like buildings along the waterfront. The highlight was the botanical garden, 1 block from the pier. Many of the local flowers and trees were there, and we saw many of the native birds of Tobago flying between the many ornamental bushes and trees. As we stood and watched, we could pick out many of the local birds as pictured in a Tobago guidebook we had with us.

 

Overall, an outstanding and memorable cruise and itinerary, on a friendly, intimate ship.

[Mercruiser]

Thanks for the review. We will be cruising on Royal Princess in January. It's nice to hear about the wonderful crew.

[davidnsteph]

Thanks for the review. We will be cruising on Royal Princess in January. It's nice to hear about the wonderful crew.

 

Yes, it was a wonderful crew. There were many other great crew members that we didn't mention, like the Captain's Circle hostess, the crew at the purser's desk, bar staff, waiters, and senior officers.

 

David

[Debathome]

David and Steph, Thanks for sharing the review and posting it here as well. :)

 

I agree, the staff on this ship were the happiest group I have ever had on any cruise or cruise line. They were all friendly, courteous, and really seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. I especially loved the bartender Noelia in the Martini bar, she was great entertainment. All of the staff from the morning buffet to the room stewart treated you as though they were so happy to see you each and every encounter. That and the friendly passengers really helped to make this cruise a great experience.

[BridgeMates]

 

Cabin

 

We booked an L-category inside cabin, and were upgraded 1 week prior to the cruise to a category D outside unobstructed window cabin.

 

We have cruised many times but never on one of the small ships. We will be on the Royal in late November and are very appreciative of your review. Knowing it is an older ship, we wondered if it would be in first class condition. One question: With your upgrade to Category D I think you were under the Promenade deck. Could you hear people walking (or running) above you? Are there deck chairs outside on that deck?

Thanks.

[davidnsteph]

 

Cabin

 

We booked an L-category inside cabin, and were upgraded 1 week prior to the cruise to a category D outside unobstructed window cabin.

 

 

We have cruised many times but never on one of the small ships. We will be on the Royal in late November and are very appreciative of your review. Knowing it is an older ship, we wondered if it would be in first class condition. One question: With your upgrade to Category D I think you were under the Promenade deck. Could you hear people walking (or running) above you? Are there deck chairs outside on that deck?

Thanks.

 

Each morning at 6:30 sharp, we could hear the deck chairs being moved above us. Since we are usually early-risers on a cruise, it didn't bother us too much. After we spoke to the purser's desk, the sounds seemed to be more muffled. We have read on these boards about similar noises directly below the pool and buffet areas on the small ships, but haven't heard them ourselves.

 

If you encounter this in November, the purser's desk should be able to help.

 

David

[KroozFoolz]

 

 

 

Are there deck chairs outside on that deck?

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

Be sure to check under the cushion! :)

 

[davidnsteph]

 

 

Be sure to check under the cushion! :)

 

 

I wish we were still on board and could take an afternoon nap on one of those deck chairs.:)

 

David

[DougH]

Thanks for the review, I'm sailing on the Royal in Aug and looking for advice and thoughts about the ship. This will be my first small ship cruise since the original Island Princess back in 1998. Was the topside buffet open 24/7 ? I like to snack after the shows/movie before going to bed and want to know if they are still open like on the bigger ships. Did you notice if they have the small appox 6" models of the ship for sale in the gift shop? I love to collect those on all the ships I sail on

[davidnsteph]

Thanks for the review, I'm sailing on the Royal in Aug and looking for advice and thoughts about the ship. This will be my first small ship cruise since the original Island Princess back in 1998. Was the topside buffet open 24/7 ? I like to snack after the shows/movie before going to bed and want to know if they are still open like on the bigger ships. Did you notice if they have the small appox 6" models of the ship for sale in the gift shop? I love to collect those on all the ships I sail on

 

The buffet was not open 24/7. According to the pocket dining guide we took home, breakfast was from 6:30-10:30, lunch 11:30-2:30, light snack/sandwich 2:30-6:00 PM, ice cream bar 3:30-4:30 pm. There was a dinner buffet on selected days from 6:00-10:00 pm. Otherwise, there was a sit-down bistro from 6:00 pm-12:30 am. We mostly ate in the dining room, but were able to get fruit and desserts in the late evening when we dropped by.

 

There were small models of the ship for sale in the gift shop.

 

David

[CZEE]

Overall, an outstanding and memorable cruise and itinerary, on a friendly, intimate ship.

 

My DH and I really liked the itinerary and the ship and the folks we met through Cruise Critic.

 

We did some Princess excursions and some private ones. The private one in Dominica with Levi Bumpiing was the best of the lot. He is a superb tour operator. As part of our tour we snorkeled at Champagne Reef. Although the beach was rocky, snorkeling through the bubbles was fun. We saw a school of small fish that was just amazing--there were thousands of them. One of our snorkeling excursions booked through Princess (Antigua) was cancelled because of rain. LOL The crew didn't allow shoes on the catamaran, even to use the bathroom, so I'm just as glad it was cancelled. The cat was rundown also. Snorkeling in Aruba was kind of a mess because four snorkeling tours were in the same areas at the same time. Inexperienced snorkelers were running into everyone. I finally gave up after fending off the same woman four times. I did see some great fish and a school of squid, although snorkeling over a wreck was kind of creepy.

 

We found the overall condition of the ship to be somewhere between good to excellent. Almost all of the railings needed varnishing. They were rectifying that piecemeal throughout the cruise. Our balcony needed some serious work. The hot tubs and pool were really in sorry shape. One couple we ran into said they'd not cruise on the Royal again unless she was spruced up, especially the pool and hot tub area. We were always able to find loungers in the shade near the pool, although there were some chair hogs who tied up loungers with personal belongings and rarely, if ever returned. There were always loungers on the Promenade deck. We missed the wraparound Promenade deck, too. The library was excellent. Shops were small, but had good selection.

 

The furnishings in our cabin were stained and in need of replacing. The cabin stank of cigarette smoke. Had I known I could have had most of the soft furnishings changed, I would have done so. It didn't help to have serious smokers next to us, either. Our balcony was unusable--they were always out there smoking and not amenable to making any concessions to nonsmokers. I'll be writing a note to Princess about my experiences in this regard. I'm not a militant nonsmoker, but these people were legendary--everyone who walked down our passageway commented on the smoke.

 

The food was good, but not great, except on a few occasions. Sterling's was excellent as was Chef's Table. That's an event not to be missed IMO. It costs extra, but is worth it, The portions were smaller, which I applaud--except in Sterling's. Service in the dining room was excellent. The food in the buffet was sometimes better than in the dining room. The food is incredibly salty. I got teased by the wait staff in Sterlings when I wanted my steak grilled without salt, ditto, the vegetables. In fact, when I ordered a drink, they asked if I wanted it without salt.

 

Embarkation was a snap. Best ever. Disembarkation was something else. We were going to use a taxi to go to FLL, but decided to use transfers. Well, the bus didn't appear on time and the people managing the transfer were cavalier to passengers who expressed their concern about arriving at FLL on time for their flights. We had a late flight, so weren't impacted. But, I was shocked as this is not Princess' normal customer service.

 

Our cabin steward was only so so. Crew was friendly and willing to be helpful.

 

We'll do small ship cruising with Princess again. I'm regretting taking the 7-day Alaska cruise and not taking the small ship cruise last year. If I can talk DH into it, we may do that in a year or so. He's not keen on cruising except in warm locations.

[partybarbie]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. I'm am still working on getting my pictures on the roll call. Hopefully, this weekend.;)

[randolph45]

Each morning at 6:30 sharp, we could hear the deck chairs being moved above us. Since we are usually early-risers on a cruise, it didn't bother us too much. After we spoke to the purser's desk, the sounds seemed to be more muffled. We have read on these boards about similar noises directly below the pool and buffet areas on the small ships, but haven't heard them ourselves.

 

If you encounter this in November, the purser's desk should be able to help.

 

David

 

Deck eight mid-ship (8040) did notice a few deck chair movements early morning 7 or 8am but nothing outrageous. I like to book under the pool deck on larger ships as the overhang covers the balcony more and you dont have passengers looking down from above you ;)

[randolph45]

My DH and I really liked the itinerary and the ship and the folks we met through Cruise Critic.

 

We did some Princess excursions and some private ones. The private one in Dominica with Levi Bumpiing was the best of the lot. He is a superb tour operator. As part of our tour we snorkeled at Champagne Reef. Although the beach was rocky, snorkeling through the bubbles was fun. We saw a school of small fish that was just amazing--there were thousands of them. One of our snorkeling excursions booked through Princess (Antigua) was cancelled because of rain. LOL The crew didn't allow shoes on the catamaran, even to use the bathroom, so I'm just as glad it was cancelled. The cat was rundown also. Snorkeling in Aruba was kind of a mess because four snorkeling tours were in the same areas at the same time. Inexperienced snorkelers were running into everyone. I finally gave up after fending off the same woman four times. I did see some great fish and a school of squid, although snorkeling over a wreck was kind of creepy.

 

We found the overall condition of the ship to be somewhere between good to excellent. Almost all of the railings needed varnishing. They were rectifying that piecemeal throughout the cruise. Our balcony needed some serious work. The hot tubs and pool were really in sorry shape. One couple we ran into said they'd not cruise on the Royal again unless she was spruced up, especially the pool and hot tub area. We were always able to find loungers in the shade near the pool, although there were some chair hogs who tied up loungers with personal belongings and rarely, if ever returned. There were always loungers on the Promenade deck. We missed the wraparound Promenade deck, too. The library was excellent. Shops were small, but had good selection.

 

The furnishings in our cabin were stained and in need of replacing. The cabin stank of cigarette smoke. Had I known I could have had most of the soft furnishings changed, I would have done so. It didn't help to have serious smokers next to us, either. Our balcony was unusable--they were always out there smoking and not amenable to making any concessions to nonsmokers. I'll be writing a note to Princess about my experiences in this regard. I'm not a militant nonsmoker, but these people were legendary--everyone who walked down our passageway commented on the smoke.

 

The food was good, but not great, except on a few occasions. Sterling's was excellent as was Chef's Table. That's an event not to be missed IMO. It costs extra, but is worth it, The portions were smaller, which I applaud--except in Sterling's. Service in the dining room was excellent. The food in the buffet was sometimes better than in the dining room. The food is incredibly salty. I got teased by the wait staff in Sterlings when I wanted my steak grilled without salt, ditto, the vegetables. In fact, when I ordered a drink, they asked if I wanted it without salt.

 

Embarkation was a snap. Best ever. Disembarkation was something else. We were going to use a taxi to go to FLL, but decided to use transfers. Well, the bus didn't appear on time and the people managing the transfer were cavalier to passengers who expressed their concern about arriving at FLL on time for their flights. We had a late flight, so weren't impacted. But, I was shocked as this is not Princess' normal customer service.

 

Our cabin steward was only so so. Crew was friendly and willing to be helpful.

 

We'll do small ship cruising with Princess again. I'm regretting taking the 7-day Alaska cruise and not taking the small ship cruise last year. If I can talk DH into it, we may do that in a year or so. He's not keen on cruising except in warm locations.

 

If you don't mind climbing one flight of stairs,above the royal lounge there were plenty of deck loungers and hardly any occupants to use them.Less then 8 or 10 sunbathers on any given day. We did Alaska last year cruise tour in June ,mostly sunny and in the 70's

[CZEE]

If you don't mind climbing one flight of stairs,above the royal lounge there were plenty of deck loungers and hardly any occupants to use them.Less then 8 or 10 sunbathers on any given day. We did Alaska last year cruise tour in June ,mostly sunny and in the 70's

 

Yes, you're correct. However, my choice was shade. With pink-white skin, I do sun poorly amd get sun poisoning. There were very few people above the Royal Lounge when I went up there. Only problem--no shade. There were always loungers available in the sun around the pool.

[Zouave]

DavidNsteph - how was Sterling after the great flood that happend just before you boarded? Did they manage to dry it out?

 

Zouave

[BridgeMates]

I wish we were still on board and could take an afternoon nap on one of those deck chairs.:)

 

David

 

Thanks for the pictures David. Since I am easily annoyed by scraping chairs over my head, we've booked a cabin where that won't be a problem.

What's the story behind the Queen Elizabeth plate on the chair(s)??

[davidnsteph]

DavidNsteph - how was Sterling after the great flood that happend just before you boarded? Did they manage to dry it out?

 

Zouave

 

Yes they did dry out the deck 10 aft area. Air dryers were still being used on the 1st sea day, and this appeared to take care of the problem.

 

David

[davidnsteph]

...What's the story behind the Queen Elizabeth plate on the chair(s)??

 

I was wondering about that myself. I have no idea.

 

David

[DougH]

Any photos of the forward lifeboat area? I've got an obstructed cabin behind that small raised metal deck at the front end of the promenade. I'm trying to see what sort of view I'll have, or the crew will have into my cabin

[davidnsteph]

Any photos of the forward lifeboat area? I've got an obstructed cabin behind that small raised metal deck at the front end of the promenade. I'm trying to see what sort of view I'll have, or the crew will have into my cabin

 

We had a good look up from the promenade deck to the cabin you're referring to. There was a small deck with equipment on it. I don't think there was a lifeboat. But the small deck extended right in front of the cabin window. The view out to the sea is probably pretty good, but the crew may be able to see into your cabin.

 

David