Just returned from the Royal Princess cruise

[esper10]

It was our first time with the Royal Princess also first time in one of Princess big ship. What a treat it was. The cruise was just amazing from every witch way. The ship is beautiful. There was something going on all the time. We love activities in the Piazza area and previous Princess ship we took did not have very much going on. The Royal never lacked an activity. We had shows every single night. Even the first night had 2 shows. Most ships has only one the first night. The buffet was nice and big with different verities of food items. MDR was just OK. We only went 3 times. All and all amazing cruise. We signed up for 2 more and hope and pray this ship will stay in the west coast for long, long time. It is doing Alaska now but it will be back. Time for California people like us to have a nice ship. Thank you princess.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. Our last cruise was on the Royal and we had a great time as well. When it came out, I wondered if I'd ever enjoy such a large ship.

[4cats4me]

We had the best time onboard a month ago.  Glad you enjoyed it as much as we do. We have another booked, also.  Agree with you, so much entertainment.  Really enjoyed the array of music onboard.  

[teese]

Glad to hear you had a wonderful time. We were on her in Oct and also had a blast with all the activities, never a dull moment, but plenty of opportunity for quiet time too. 

 

We board again August 3 in Vancouver for a b2b, can’t wait. 

[Sam.Seattle]

54 minutes ago, teese said:

Glad to hear you had a wonderful time. We were on her in Oct and also had a blast with all the activities, never a dull moment, but plenty of opportunity for quiet time too. 

 

We board again August 3 in Vancouver for a b2b, can’t wait. 

Same here!  Are you following the Roll Call?  Very Quiet there...

[Lucky TGO]

Very glad you had a great cruise. 👍

Tony

[leck57]

6 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

Same here!  Are you following the Roll Call?  Very Quiet there...

 

We are on the Royal from 10 August which I assume is the second part of your b2b? Yes the Roll Call is quiet but that may be because there doesn't seem the usual opportunity to arrange private tours. I know from my point I am not familiar with Alaska and have booked mainly ships tours.

[Sam.Seattle]

4 hours ago, leck57 said:

 

We are on the Royal from 10 August which I assume is the second part of your b2b? Yes the Roll Call is quiet but that may be because there doesn't seem the usual opportunity to arrange private tours. I know from my point I am not familiar with Alaska and have booked mainly ships tours.

Yes, the 10th is our 2nd leg.  Let's see if we can get the roll call moving...

[Kenosha Cruiser]

Have been on the Royal and Regal ships a couple times each, our favorite ships in the Princess fleet. Looking forward to boarding the Royal for our Halloween cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Thanks for your up beat report on the Royal.

 

Cheers - Ken & Darlene

 

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, esper10 said:

The ship is beautiful. There was something going on all the time. We love activities in the Piazza area. The Royal never lacked an activity. We had shows every single night. Even the first night had 2 shows.  The buffet was nice and big with different verities of food items. MDR was just OK. We only went 3 times. 

 

Thank you for your review; parts of which I have quoted.  I agree with your comments about the MDR and the Piazza's entertainment and the entertainment/music in general.  Horizon Court/Bistro:  my opinion:  big and chaotic at prime meal times.  Lots of food available, but the layout was confusing for this first time Royal Princess cruiser.  If I sail on this Class of ships again, I will be better prepared to "deal" with this dining venue more successfully than I did.

[jangor]

I also love the royal class ships.  We did a trip on the Royal in 2013, have done several on the Regal and will be back on the Regal in December!

[Loucat]

We will sail on Regal for the first time this December. From what you all post, it sounds like a great ship!

Glad to read all of the positives.

[rkacruiser]

But, is Royal Princess best suited for an Alaskan itinerary?  Having sailed on her in the Caribbean, the outdoor decks for guests to view the glaciers and scenery seemed limited.

[rma2001]

I just got back from a Royal SB and had no problem getting a spot for Glacier Bay. Hubbard got fogged out. 

We started on deck 18 aft (activity court) and were Abe to go back and forth as the ship turned. Then went down to 7 where the rangers were and was able to go back and forth there as well. 

I’ll be doing a trip report tomorrow, just need to sit down and do it

[donswife]

We are doing the 3 day in September, to test out the ship. I am not sure how I will do with no walking deck. I usually spend a lot of time outside on the promenade deck. DH is looking forward to the bigger choice of dining options.

[dockman]

The "walking deck" on Royal is all the way at the top of the ship and is very much open to the elements making it unusable/closed a lot.  If i recall it's something like 8 or more laps to a mile which is a lot of round and round for a decent walk.  You are also so high up and far from the water plus looking through often dirty plexiglass that it is not the same cruise experience as being on a promenade deck near the water without plexiglass and usually covered enough to protect from some of the weather elements.

 

Unfortunately the bean counters seem to have won by eliminating the traditional wrap around prom deck that was the favorite place on ships for many passengers....all of that deck space has been used to squeeze more shop space in the never ending attempt to increase revenues....some call it progress, i call it sad.

 

 

[nusail]

On 5/6/2019 at 2:30 PM, rkacruiser said:

Horizon Court/Bistro:  my opinion:  big and chaotic at prime meal times.  Lots of food available, but the layout was confusing for this first time Royal Princess cruiser.  If I sail on this Class of ships again, I will be better prepared to "deal" with this dining venue more successfully than I did.

I'll be on Royal in September ... first time on Princess ... and am wondering about the "confusing layout" of the buffet. What makes it confusing and do people have any helpful hints on successfully manoeuvring through this area?

[Colo Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, nusail said:

I'll be on Royal in September ... first time on Princess ... and am wondering about the "confusing layout" of the buffet. What makes it confusing and do people have any helpful hints on successfully manoeuvring through this area?

Have sailed the Royal/Regal a few times.

Never saw anything confusing about the buffet.

We love it!

Maybe the lack of daily food intake caused them to be delirious and could not see the forest for the trees?

[jondfk]

Thank you for the positive feedback, sailing Royal B2B in September / October and was happy to read your review.  

 

Could you comment a bit further on any of the alternate dining you might have tried?  Crown Grill / Sabatini's or Alfredo's.  Would appreciate any insight you may have.  Counting the days now, our fun starts September 29!

[Astro Flyer]

54 minutes ago, nusail said:

I'll be on Royal in September ... first time on Princess ... and am wondering about the "confusing layout" of the buffet. What makes it confusing and do people have any helpful hints on successfully manoeuvring through this area?

 

50 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Have sailed the Royal/Regal a few times.

Never saw anything confusing about the buffet.

We love it!

Maybe the lack of daily food intake caused them to be delirious and could not see the forest for the trees?

 

For me there wasn’t anything confusing about the buffet & with so many choices of food you could do like me & walk around first before grabbing a plate.  

 

I think the types of food are logically grouped together & with so many choices my only confusion was about which ones to get. ☺️

[Astro Flyer]

33 minutes ago, jondfk said:

Thank you for the positive feedback, sailing Royal B2B in September / October and was happy to read your review.  

 

Could you comment a bit further on any of the alternate dining you might have tried?  Crown Grill / Sabatini's or Alfredo's.  Would appreciate any insight you may have.  Counting the days now, our fun starts September 29!

 

I notice that esper10 was on the same cruise as me & I have sailed often on this ship.  

 

Alfredo’s Pizzeria is a great option which has a multi course meal without any fee.

http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/rp-alfredos_pizzeria-23-may-13.pdf

 

Sabatini’s had the original menu ($29) and we enjoyed it.  Our CG steak experiences have varied...sometimes great & other times meh but was great in May.  On the Royal-class ships there’s a Wine Cellar area located in both anytime dining rooms.  That’s where they serve the Winemakers Dinner ($40) for 12 people but like the Chef’s Table participation is limited so call the DINE line as soon as possible if you’re interested in this great food & service.

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by Astro Flyer

[skynight]

1 hour ago, nusail said:

I'll be on Royal in September ... first time on Princess ... and am wondering about the "confusing layout" of the buffet. What makes it confusing and do people have any helpful hints on successfully manoeuvring through this area?

 

40 minutes ago, jondfk said:

Thank you for the positive feedback, sailing Royal B2B in September / October and was happy to read your review.  

 

Could you comment a bit further on any of the alternate dining you might have tried?  Crown Grill / Sabatini's or Alfredo's.  Would appreciate any insight you may have.  Counting the days now, our fun starts September 29!

Confusing? Maybe. The seating areas are port and starboard and the serving areas are in the center with access from both sides. There are 3 sections, Horizon Bistro, The Pastry Shop, Horizon Court. It is difficult to explain what is available in each section as there are some selections in more than one area. During busy times all sections are open. At other times some sections are closed. The evening meal is served in the furthest aft area, Horizon Ct. We did a walk through to make ourselves familiar with what is placed where. It's really the only way you can find items you enjoy, since the selections are numerous.

 

Crown Grill - A steakhouse with some other seafood and lamb selections. $29/pp

Sabatini's - Italian, $29/pp. The Royal has Sabatini's and not Sabatini's Trattoria which has a different menu.

Menus can be found on line.

Alfredo's is a no charge, waiter served, pizza restaurant serving individual pizzas, calzone, antipasto, and some other selections. It is open every day from 11am until mid evening. Walk in anytime. No reservations.

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/products/dining-included/alfredos-pizzeria.html

 

[Lucky TGO]

3 hours ago, jondfk said:

Thank you for the positive feedback, sailing Royal B2B in September / October and was happy to read your review.  

 

Could you comment a bit further on any of the alternate dining you might have tried?  Crown Grill / Sabatini's or Alfredo's.  Would appreciate any insight you may have.  Counting the days now, our fun starts September 29!

 

The Crown Grill is very good. I just like to say try to sit inside near one of the windows it’s a lot quieter. See photo we sat there it’s nice but very noisy.

Tony

[swilli55]

On 5/6/2019 at 3:30 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

 Lots of food available, but the layout was confusing for this first time Royal Princess cruiser.  If I sail on this Class of ships again, I will be better prepared to "deal" with this dining venue more successfully than I did.

Hi.  Just booked on Royal Princess.  Not very experienced with Princess and never on this ship. So please expand on your comment about being prepared to "deal" with the buffet venue.  Thanks!!

[janina]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise.  We loved our time on the Royal.