Our first Princess Cruise experience
The Royal Princess Cruise Ship
What does this cruise ship have to offer?
We were invited by Princess Cruises to come to Southampton and spend the day on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship. This was our first Princess cruise experience and we were very keen to see what this cruise company has to offer.
Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Royal Princess Cruise Ship facts
The Princess fleet currently consists of 17 ships and was first featured on the television with the Love Boat series in the 1970/80’s and the Royal Princess is currently part of the UK TV series ‘The Cruise’. One of the stars of the show Timothy was working at the excursion desk when we were on board and we were lucky enough to meet him!
Meeting Timothy from the TV show ‘The Cruise’
The Royal Princess Cruise Ship has two sister ships the Majestic Princess and the Regal Princess, with the Sky Princess joining the fleet in 2019.
This Royal Princess Cruise Ship accommodates 3560 guests, and has a crew of 1346. The Royal Princess Cruise Ship has just celebrated it’s 5th birthday with the first cruise being in June 2013. It was christened by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.
The most stunning Atrium we have seen at Sea
Our first area to visit after embarkation was the atrium and what a welcome to receive, it was spectacular!
The stunning atrium on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
We have cruised extensively and never have we seen an atrium like this. Opulence and luxury at it’s best, the atrium spans three decks and is the beautiful heart of this ship. Here you will find live music, where you can sit with your coffee from the International cafe or an ice cream from Gelatos. If you fancy something stronger then the New York Style Crooners Bar and elegant Bellinis can also be found here too.
Luxurious stairways in the atrium on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Cabins on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
There are 1,780 cabins on board the Royal Princess Cruise Ship consisting of Suites, Balcony and Inside cabins. There are some accessible cabins too. The cabins decor consisted of muted colours but equipped with all that you would need.
Inside Cabin on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Balcony Cabin on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Our video here shows you around the cabins in more detail including the walk in type wardrobes that we have not seen before. So do come and have a look around the variety of cabins available on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship.
More information can be found here about the types of suites and cabins available on the Royal Princess cruise Ship.
As mentioned in the video Princess Cruises are renowned for having the most comfortable beds at sea and this has been confirmed by our fellow cruise blogging friends who have cruised with Princess. You can also buy the Princess beds and bedding, they are certainly not cheap but would be a treat. You can find more information and buy the products here.
The food on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
There are three main waiter-served dining rooms on board the Royal Princess Cruise Ship, the Allegro, the Concerto and the Symphony – all serve the same evening meals although only Concerto is open for breakfast and lunch. We were treated to a three course meal during our visit and the food was superb. The service from Mario was excellent too.
We walked through the Horizons buffet restaurant and it certainly was extensive, it even included a pastry shop. It was a nice, light and airy space which had a relaxed feel to it unlike some of the buffet restaurants and bun fights we have experienced on other ships! There are plenty of speciality restaurants to visit too and more information about these options can be found here.
We love our food and we know that after this experience we would be very happy with the food options on this ship.
Fettuccine Alfredo starter
Smoked salmon, prawns and crayfish starter
Fillet of Beef Main
Chocolate Fodant Dessert
Entertainment on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
The theatre on the Royal Princess is the largest in their fleet. Every seat has an unobstructed view and access on both ends of the rows of seats so your not continually being disturbed.
We were taken on a back stage tour that was so interesting, meeting the entertainment team and hearing the logistics of putting on a show. The changing room where the dancers changed had a rotating mechanical rack with thousands of costumes that were all coded to fit the individuals in the team. There is a team of dressers that help the dancers change with sometimes only 20 seconds for a costume change.
A huge mechanical horse and a fluffy dragon were a few of the pops that we were shown and we enjoyed the stories of when things don’t always go to plan including a dancer who actually fell off the front of the stage!
The variety of shows explained and the attention to detail was very impressive. One of our favourite things about cruising is enjoying the entertainment in the evenings and we hope to experience these shows ourselves one day!
The Theatre on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Props used on the shows on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Back stage on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Pools and sun decks on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
The main pool deck can be found on the Lido deck 16. There are two pools separated by an island that is used as a stage and fountain area that has 85 water jets and can shoot water 33 feet up, it also lights up and puts on a spectacular show at night. The one pool was a small paddling pool and the other side a larger swimming pool as you can see here. This was a really spacious area with also included swirls where you can get your complimentary ice cream, Calypso Cabana for sandwiches, Prego Pizzeria for pizza and the Trident Grill for BBQ food. It did look a real fun family place.
Main pool on deck 16 Royal princess Cruise Ship
The fountain area is a fun spot and would be good fun in the day for the kids. However we did think with 3560 passengers on board having only the one pool here, it would get really busy during cruises to warmer destinations.
Fountain show on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Here you will also find the 300 feet screen where their signature ‘Movies under the Stars ‘ takes place. Popcorn and blankets are supplied for a fun movie night. Movies Under the Stars was first seen on the Caribbean Princess in 2004, and now is one of Princess cruises signature features.
Movies under the Stars
The Retreat on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
There is another pool on deck 17 called the Retreat and is an exclusive adults area. We loved this area and thought this is where we would spend our time. There are also cabanas that can be reserved at an extra cost of $50 per half day. At night this area turns into the Chill lounge with drinks and music on offer.
The Retreat Pool on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
Cabana Rental in the Retreat
The Retreat on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
The Sanctuary on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
This is a private area that can be reserved for an extra cost. Fees are $20 for a half day/$40 for a full day, per person. Spa treatments are also available. Cabanas are also available beginning at $80 for a half day. This was a stunning area with ocean views and plenty of shade, an area definitely for a special occasion or a personal treat.
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary
Near to the funnel are some more sun decks with plenty of sunbeds. This looked a really peaceful area, ideal for sitting and reading a book, and a bonus of having excellent ocean views. you would definitely find us here!
Sun deck with ocean views
SeaWalk on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
A dramatic over-the-ocean glass walkway, the SeaWalk® is the first of its kind at sea. On the Royal Princess Cruise Ship there is a Seawalk. At 128 feet above sea level, 60 feet long and 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship it offers views of the ever changing seascape. It was pretty freaky to walk over but we made it!
The SeaWalk on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
SeaWalk
Come and have a look around the pools and sundecks in our video below.
Our verdict of the Royal Princess Cruise Ship
There is no doubt that the Royal Princess Cruise Ship is beautiful, from it’s livery to internally it has all the sparkle you need. Walking into the stunning atrium really does take your breath away and it is luxury at it’s best.
During our visit we also noticed that Princess appear to cater really well for families, for more information to see this ship from a family perspective do visit Cruising with Kids
We were very impressed with the Royal Princess Cruise Ship and it is now definitely on our to do list. We would love to sail on this ship one day as it offers a luxurious experience that we know we would enjoy.
Have you cruised on the Royal Princess Cruise Ship? What did you think? We would love to hear in the comments below.
Check out all our other cruising experiences here
We were hosted by Princess for our visit and would to thank Rachael and her team for making us feel so welcome. However our opinions remain honest and a true reflection of our experience.
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Royal Princess Cruise Ship
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Great read thanks for sharing. I’d love to give royal a try one day!
Yes she is certainly a beautiful ship!
Great blog! I haven’t sailed with Princess in quite some time. Need to change that! 😉
Thanks very much. Lol yes get yourself on board, I know we would now love to cruise with Princess!
paulandcarole recently posted…Saga Sapphire Cruise Ship
This brings back a lot of memories from a great day. It was my first time on a Princess Ship as you know and I felt exactly the same way! It’s a very special ship!
It was an amazing day. The Royal Princess certainly is a beautiful ship!
The Royal Princess is a beautiful ship, I really want to cruise on her!
She certainly is a stunning cruise ship, the atrium is the best we have ever seen!
paulandcarole recently posted…Everything you need to know about P&O Cruises
It’s been some time since I have sailed on Princess. I do love their closets/wardrobes. Definitely the best on a mainstream cruise line. Looking to see if I can find “The Cruise” show.
Yes loved the wardrobes it is a good use of space. Hope you get to watch the Cruise it is an interesting show about life at sea!
You got to meet Timothy! With my luck he’ll be exploring Scotland with an excursion when I’m onboard… Great tour, btw, I haven’t seen the sanctuary etc but I hope I will!
Yes we did he was lovely! Thanks it is a beautiful ship we would love to cruise on the Royal. You will have a great time!
We did the regal princess last year and didn’t enjoy our experience with princess. Main dining room food was terrible, not seasoned and extremely bland. Entertainment was not very good, quite boring in my opinion. We had a very difficult time getting the bar staff to serve us non alcoholic drinks, they seemed more interested in serving people with the unlimited alcohol drink package. The staff packed up the deck chairs around 6 pm(which is ridiculous) and gave us dirty looks when we had our stuff on a couple of the chairs. The ship was very beautiful, but princess ships have rounded hulls and this made for a really rough ride and kept us in our state room because we felt so sick. Princess is geared towards people 60 and older that like bland food, go to bed super early and enjoy cheesy entertainment. Definitely will not be doing another princess, I’ll stick with royal Caribbean where the entertainment is awesome and they offer fun activities for people of a younger age
Oh that’s a shame. We have thought that putting the beds away early is a pain as we like to stay on deck and watch the sun go down chilling on our sunbeds, but think it is a safety thing when heading out to sea when the wind picks up. It is disappointing when you compare to previous cruises we felt like this with our experience with MSC we were on one of their older ships, and it does put you off when there are so many other options out there. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I live on a boat! But when I look at these photos and the opulence of this cruise… well I really think I want to take cruise! …. Which may seem weird to some people… that I live on a boat and want to holiday on a boat LOL
Lol true but the experiences would be very different!
Aw I would love to meet Timothy! Absolute legend. I worked as Shore Excursions Manager for three years onboard P&O ships so I would love to talk shop with him! The atrium is truly incredible, wow!
He was delightful, and a bit taken a back with all the attention! You would certainly have a lot in common and lots to talk about. I used to work at a nurse on Celebrity Cruises many years ago so can understand wanting to talk shop, would love to visit the hospitals on board to see what has changed. Thanks for reading and commenting! ~ Carole
This looks so fancy! Every area is elegant. My favorite would be the pool, followed by those chaise lounges on the sun deck. Good to know you would recommend this Princess cruise, as many of my friends are sold on cruises!
Sharon recently posted…Greeting Summer at Lake Tahoe
It is a beautiful ship and we would definitely consider Princess now! Thanks for reading.
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I Never realised how amazing the inside of this boats are! Your pictures are amazing. Glad you enjoyed your cruise!
Thanks! They are pretty spectacular!
Oh my, this does look like a fabulous shop to cruise on! I respect the attention to detail, on a luxury trip, it’s the detail that sets companies apart from their competition. Great review. Pinned #feetdotravel
Your right their attention to detail is amazing! Princess certainly do set a high standard.
I have cruised often, but never tried Princess. I can see why I should!
Thanks Jamie we were very impressed and will definitely be cruising with them in the future!
Oh my gosh this cruise ship is stunning. The atrium really is spectacular and my mouth is watering looking at the food! Wow.
It certainly has the wow factor and delicious food, would recommend Princess!
I have never been on a cruise, but having all your needs taken care of in terms of food, activities sounds like a nice option for a family, especially taking my parents with me.
Cruising is a wonderful way to travel, you and your parents would be well looked after by Princess cruises!
I taken cruises with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, but have never tried Princess. The Royal Princess looks lovely! And your write up, particularly for being on the ship for a shorter period, is so comprehensive. Great info!
Thanks Ann appreciate your comment!
Pure luxury! It must have been a fabulous experience. Your pictures show that. 🙂
It was a fantastic experience thank you!
Wow this cruise looks fabulous! And the food seems so delicious! Never trief cruising, but it seems like a fun thing to do and will make sure to check Prjncess when I decide to
Would definitely recommend it, it is a great way to holiday!
It was the best vacation experience. Its a dream for every traveler for spending his vacation in a Cruise ship. It’s a royal experience. All the facility are outstanding. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Its an inspiration for us.
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