Just back from Royal good time on the Royal

[Cruz4Sun]

Disney World & Royal Princess - Nov 14-24, 2014 Southern Caribbean

 

Our wonderful daughters got together and planned a family trip to Disney World to celebrate granddaughter Ella’s 5th birthday. Our sweet Ella is a 2-1/2 year brain tumor survivor, so we wanted her to have a very special day. Our whirlwind 5 day trip included two grandmothers, one grandfather, two sets of parents and four children aged 2 ½, 5, 7 and 11. We had non-stop activity and fun staying at Fort Wilderness and using our 5 day park hopper. Everyone took turns pushing grandpa (my DH) around in his wheelchair as he can walk but not for long periods. The week culminated in Ella getting a complete makeover as her favorite character Ariel and having a birthday party with many Disney Princesses in Cinderella’s Castle. It was a magical end to the trip and the next morning my DH and I drove to Port Everglades to board the Royal Princess for 10 days of rest and relaxation. We usually only cruise on smaller ships, but this was the only 10 day Ft. Lauderdale trip that had the perfect timing we were looking for.

 

Before our vacation I had researched the Royal using Cruisecritic, you-tube and the Princess web site. I was concerned because the Royal had a lot of negative comments and we had thought the Emerald Princess was way too crowded when we sailed her a few years ago. I can say although not perfect, we would not hesitate to book another cruise on the Royal.

 

We arrived at the Port at 12:15 and boarding went fairly quickly. After embarking we dropped off our carry on's in room C532 and went to the dining room for a delicious beef tenderloin lunch. There were only a few tables filled as most passengers went to the Horizon Court.

 

That afternoon we met Marife our room steward who explained due to the number of elite passengers we may not get our mini-bar right away. Our request for wine glasses and a top sheet on the bed were completed that afternoon. During unpacking we found our safe was not working. A call to passenger services resulted in a battery replacement within the hour. The next day we found our stateroom door wouldn't open. Marife tried her key and then called her supervisor and the door battery was replaced. That same day I bought a watch in the boutique and discovered later it wasn't working. You guessed it, dead battery. What is it with me and batteries? A quick trip to the boutique and the watch was swapped for a working one.

 

At noon the next day the mini-bar arrived and I called room service and requested that the sodas be swapped out for diet cokes and the mini liquors be switched from a variety to just vodka and gin. This request was promptly handled.

 

Each night of the cruise I left a bag of dirty laundry on the bed which was returned to me about 1 ½ days later. In the price area of the form I simply wrote “elite”.

 

From the sail away on we were focused on a relaxing and casual cruise. Here are my comments on our experience on the Royal Princess:

 

Ship: I was aware of the lack of mid-ship stairs, so most of the time I simply used the aft or forward stairs or elevators. On the few occasions I did use the mid-ship elevators the wait was not too long. The ship is more confusing than the smaller ships, but not enough to bother me. I thought both the SeaWalk and the Watercolor Fantasy fountain were interesting for the first 10 minutes you saw them. They were certainly not features that would draw me to booking a ship twice. I was pleasantly surprised by the many activities at the piazza throughout the day and evening and the large number of other evening entertainment options. My DH enjoyed reading in the morning at Vines or outdoors near the Vista lounge. I missed having a true promenade deck to walk totally around the ship, but the walking track with the training circuit was quite nice when it wasn't too windy to use.

 

Food: We started each morning having our breakfast delivered so we could enjoy the ocean breeze on our balcony. For lunch and dinner each day we would go to the Horizon Court, International Café or Terrace Grille. We could always find something to suit our taste whether soup, salad, carved meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. When using the buffet, we always took our plates and headed out to the Horizon terrace for a quiet outdoors setting. One day we went to the Wheelhouse for the complimentary British-Style Pub Lunch and enjoyed the fish and chips and ploughman’s plate. Another day we tried Alfredo’s for delicious pizza.

 

We also did two specialty dining options. One was “Crab Shack” which was held during dinner in a section of the Horizon Court. We loved the steamer pot, shrimp appetizer and clam chowder. The cost was $20 per person and although we enjoyed the meal, we thought it would have been more appealing if it was in a nicer setting. Our other experience was at the Crown Grille. The setting was like a fine dining restaurant. We both ordered the filet minion which was incredible. The side dishes and desert were quite special too. The cost was $25 per person and it seemed well worth the price.

 

Daytime: Most mornings I attended Zumba class held in the Center Court. The class was a real workout and was heavily attended. My DH and I also went to the fitness center a number of times in the afternoon when the crowds had died down.

 

Each day we found time to go for a brief swim in the retreat pool or to soak in a hot tub on the Sun Deck. There were always plenty of pool chairs available in both of these areas. The coffee card we purchased on day one gave us many hours of pleasure sipping special hot and iced coffees at the International café. Reading and doing puzzles found in the Princess library were our other favorite pastimes.

 

Evening Entertainment: Several nights we made new friends by joining in at trivia type game shows at Princess Live. We went to a Motown and Soul show one night at the Princess theatre. Another really nice show was the International Music event held in the piazza. We love football and were thrilled when NFL games were shown at Movies Under the Stars on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights. The stateroom television now has movies on demand with a nice variety. We watched Jersey Boys, The Book Thief, Lance Armstrong Lies and Begin Again.

 

Ports:

Aruba: We took a five minute walk to the Crystal Casio which you enter from an escalator inside the mall. We lost a total of $8, had a free drink and had 45 minutes of fun. Then we purchased an Aruba sweatshirt and headed back to the ship.

 

Curacao: Taking the Princess excursion National Park, Museum and Scenic Country Drive was a good choice for our first visit to this island. The guide did a great job of making each stop interesting.

 

Grenada: We took the Princess excursion Harbor Cruise, Grand Anse & Morne Rouge Beach. This is on the double deck Rum Runner and having arrived at the check in location at the stated time resulted in us being stuck on the uncovered top deck. Enroute to the beach the skies opened up and we were absolutely drenched. The stairs were much too slippery for my DH to safely make his way to the lower deck to escape the rain. Once we got to the beach we did enjoy the warm sea water and rum punch.

 

Dominca: The ship sponsored excursion Trolley Train Scenic Ride-Roseau sounded like a good idea for our first trip to this island. Roseau and the trip were underwhelming.

 

St. Thomas: I've always wanted to go to an ice bar, so we signed up for the Caribbean Magic Ice Bar excursion. The ice bar was really cool (literally) and after about 45 minutes we left and wandered a little through Charlotte Amalie. We stopped at an outdoor restaurant and bought a Blackbeard Ale which hit the spot. After 1 ½ hours we returned to Magic Ice and took their shuttle back to the ship.

 

Disembarkation: We signed up for the self-help disembarkation option and exited the ship at 6:30. We flew through customs and got a taxi to Ft. Lauderdale airport. We were at the airport gate by 7:30. We used the time waiting for our 11:30 flight to make some phone calls, catch up on emails and read a USA Today.

 

All in all, we loved this trip on the Royal and are considering doing it at the same time in 2015.

[canadarocks]

Thanks so much for the great review of the Royal and congratulations to your granddaughter!! How wonderful that she has recovered! :cool:

[paul929207]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to post

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[pusywillow]

Thanks for the review. I will be sailing her in a few months.

 

Any reason you skipped the MDR?

 

Sue

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for posting your review.

[Mom33]

Thank you for your review and God Bless your grandaughter! Glad everyone had a good time.:D

[cheezenip]

Thank you for the review. A few quick questions:

 

(1) Do you remember which dining room was open during embarkation day?

 

(2) Any other movies do you remember playing besides what you watched i the stateroom?

 

(3) Were the chocolate anniversary promo present on your cruise?

 

(4) Do you recall which fresh fruits were on the ship besides pineapple, honeydew melon, and cantelope? Any berries?

[JimAOk1945]

Thanks for taking the time to post so much information in your review.

 

Do you plan on posting pictures as well?

Edited November 30, 2014 by JimAOk1945

[OCruisers]

Thanks so much for this! Especially appreciated the info your port stops.

Did you go the SeaView Bar?

LuLu

[Cruz4Sun]

Thanks for the review. I will be sailing her in a few months.

 

Any reason you skipped the MDR?

 

Sue

 

My husband is happier skipping long dinners at the MDR. I am flexible, as long as I get to cruise from time to time.

[Cruz4Sun]

Thank you for the review. A few quick questions:

 

(1) Do you remember which dining room was open during embarkation day?

 

(2) Any other movies do you remember playing besides what you watched i the stateroom?

 

(3) Were the chocolate anniversary promo present on your cruise?

 

(4) Do you recall which fresh fruits were on the ship besides pineapple, honeydew melon, and cantelope? Any berries?

 

Lunch was at the Concerto dining room.

Way too many movies to list. There were at least 6-10 each in the categories of comedy, family, drama and documentary I believe.

I didn't notice anything about a chocolate anniversary promo.

I saw fresh pears, watermelon and apples. I don't recall seeing any berries.

 

I hope this helps.

[Cruz4Sun]

Thank you for your review and God Bless your grandaughter! Glad everyone had a good time.:D

 

Thanks for thinking of my granddaughter. She is our own little miracle and a blessing to us each day.

[Cruz4Sun]

Thanks so much for this! Especially appreciated the info your port stops.

Did you go the SeaView Bar?

LuLu

 

Thanks. I hope my port reviews will come in handy to someone.

 

I walked by the SeaView Bar a number of times in the evening and there was always lots of seats available. I did stop and applaud once when the bartenders were practicing their bottle tossing skills.

[OCruisers]

Thanks. I hope my port reviews will come in handy to someone.

 

I walked by the SeaView Bar a number of times in the evening and there was always lots of seats available. I did stop and applaud once when the bartenders were practicing their bottle tossing skills.

 

Thanks for replying! :)

Sort of thinking the SeaView Bar might be nice on AtSea days for those of us who want to enjoy a good view and adult beverages without being outside.

LuLu

[Laurie7]

Thank you for the awesome "positive" review. It is so great to hear the good things that happened on your trip. We sail on Royal on February 27, but have many different ports than you did. I would like to try the ice bar/St. Thomas if time allows after our excursion. Thanks again and glad to hear about your special time with the grandkids, they are the best!

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thank you for the review. A few quick questions:

 

(1) Do you remember which dining room was open during embarkation day?

 

(2) Any other movies do you remember playing besides what you watched i the stateroom?

 

(3) Were the chocolate anniversary promo present on your cruise?

 

(4) Do you recall which fresh fruits were on the ship besides pineapple, honeydew melon, and cantelope? Any berries?

 

The chocolate desserts are primarily offered in the MDR... Since OP skipped the MDR... I know, one is offered in the Crown Grill, but it's easily missed.

 

Crus4sun, thank you for your review!