Elizabeth

Hi! Has anyone been on this cruise? How is the ship-was concerned once i found out the age of the vessel, and would like some input. Thanks!

Tracey

Elizabeth,<BR>Staff on a recent cruise with princess told us that the Panama Canal trip has the oldest age demographic of all of the princess trips. Not sure how this influences you but I thought I'd pass it along.

bill

Was on Royal last oct.for 10 days. It was 10 days too long! This was our 12th cruise overall & first (& last on Princess) The ship was old & worn out, The food was almost as bad as our waiter (table #50) . The cabin was the smallest i have ever seen , had to store suitcases in bathroom (won't fit under beds as on all other ships).life jackets took up all shelf space in the tiny closet, so i jammed them under bed.Bed had a shelf hanging over it at just the right hight to bang your head on if you got up at night.When we looked out our port hole (prominade deck port side) the view is a large RUSTY winch. Shows? Like the rest of the ship are old & worn out. CASINO ,don't go! Purser , a snob! We asked for a cabin change , he refused ,saying ship was full,(a lie) i had counted at least six empty cabins after we sailed,(cabin key cards were still in doors)? we had picked this cruise because we planned a visit with old friends at our stop in Newport RI.Three days into the cruise we heard from a table mate that the Newport stop was dropped?? Cruise line never told US? Then they dropped anouher port SAINT JOHN ! Capt. Bob said storm was coming! So now we won't see high tides at bay of Fundy either. Wen't to Purser to ask for refunds on port charges for the ports they failed to go to.(they were prepaid when we booked the cruise).He Refused??? How did this creep get a job as purser? I could go on & on & on about this ship (Royal Princess) We realy had enjoyed all our other cruises over the years & i can only hope that this isn't an indication of things to come! B.T.W. they finally did refund port charges for ports they skipped! This was also the first cruise we were ever on that NEVER had my favorite , filet mignon,how cheep! Stick with Celebrity or H.A.L. <BR>BILL

Elizabeth

Thanks Tracey and especially you Bill for info on this trip-with one day to book we decided against it and are looking something else. Was just not feeling right about this trip even though we loved the Princess Grand and enjoyed every cruise with the Princess Lines.

jerry

You should check other message boards such as cruisemate.com. Bill may have had bad experience but many others do not share his view. I have sailed on Pacific Princess in 1997, and this ship is older and has small rooms but the charm of older ship and the ability to know the crew is sometimes worth other<BR>inconveniences. Am planning Panama Canal on Royal this Spring. <BR>

Kathie

I was on the same sailing as Bill and found most of what he said as untrue! Food and service was the best! Cabins large and comfortable, plenty of room for suitcases - he must have packed too much! Staff was delightful and attempted to be very helpful - remember this was less than 1 month after 9/11 and the entire industry had to make adjustments in ports, etc. The Royal Princess was built for the Panama Canal in 1984 and I'd cruise her again in a minute!

JP

The Royal Princess is my favorite ship. I'm confused by Bill's comment about what his port hole looked out on, since every cabin has a large window. If he hasn't ever seen a smaller cabin, then there are a LOT of ships he hasn't been on.

steve

My wife and I did the Royal through the Canal about 4 years ago and loved the ship & crew. While she may need to be updated, she still one of my favorite ships after 10 cruises on 4 lines.

bill

I standby my negative comments about the Royal! Cabins are very small & lack storage space ! Even a standard roll on flight bag won't fit under bed & closet is so shallow life jackets take up all shelf space! Have been on 14 cruises & this rust bucket should be rebuilt! Also when i said port hole i was talking about the window , which was blocked by a large rusty winch. This was a "partially obstructed view cabin?? I would hate to see the "obstructed view cabins" Food & service was BAD ! (at least at table #50! That lady who got good food & service must have been at the CAPT. table for the whole 10 days! <BR>BILL

neviboy

We sailed from Buenos Aries to Valparaiso on Royal, Xmas - N.Years 2001.We had a balcony cabin. We could not find fault with any aspect of the 12 day cruise. The excursions were overpriced but we always make our own arrangements, anyway.We sailed Crown from Ft.Laud. to Ft.L. to the canal and return. Again, Princess is tops.<BR>neviboy