ROYAL PRINCESS Reviews

We have cruised Alaska 8 times. Almost all out of Anchorage and exceptional experiences. Flying from Tampa to Seattle on Alaskan Airlines booked through Princess. Cabin attendants miss their ride to the Airport. We have been at the airport for hours already and they waltz in late like they had a great time last night...no apologies. Seattle baggage drop. Again booked by Princess not worth a dime. Had to walk to one end of the Airport to drop off luggage at a rental truck then , with carry ons the entire length back of the airport to get to the gate. Escalator down at cruise terminal and had been for weeks. one elevator. Cruise stops cancelled except Skagway. WE came to SEE Alaska! They extended our mandatory 2 hour stop in Victoria to six hours. There is nothing to see or do in Victoria! Debarkation a nightmare! The buses were there but they had one guy in a daze directing the boarding one at a time. Bus ride back to Airport and baggage handling not worth a dime. Had to drag suitcases the entire length of the airport, again, booked through Princess. Seattle as a launching point? What a waste of Space. Princess is battling their way down to compete with Carnival . The food and dining room staff were excellent. Our room service attendant was awesome and invisible. The bar staff was for the most part friendly and efficient. The shows, other than the first one which was excellent, just makeshift because we weren't stopping in ports where they could switch entertainers. In summary, we spent an awful lot of money for a dream trip to Alaska and got a screaming nightmare with one stop for lunch in Skagway. Princess is promising to return half of our cruise fare. Excuse me, we could have had great meals in our home town! We came to see Alaska!

There are Too many activities that are geared around selling products. The Musical entertainment was not to our liking.Karaoke was fun, we enjoyed the casino and playing blackjack but wish they offered a blackjack tournament., the main theatre temperature was very cold. the comedian spent too much time bragging about his career and not enough jokes, we enjoyed the international cafe and swirls ice cream was good. Unfortunately, the Piazza lacks enough seating for the amount of passengers on the ship. The breakfast buffet was very average, many of the pastries were stale and many of the main dishes were not heated. Alfredo’s pizza restaurant was good, Crown Grill was fine, Sabatinis was below average. Missing two main ports due to engine issues. Many of the venues, such as Princess Live and the Vista Theatre were difficult to find seating and poor service. We have been loyal Princess passengers. However we will select a different cruise line next summer!!

This was a great cruise. The activities were so much fun! The shows could use a little work. There was one (a magician) we would have been interested in but were unable to get seats.

Food was delicious. We did not do specialty restaurants due to hours and hard to get reservations. I felt the buffet was very confusing. It was usually hard to find a seat. People would get a good seat and just stay there reading or on their phone. We did not go there very often.

All the employees were amazing! Everyone was so friendly and helpful.

We did wish there was more seating in open areas. We would have liked to be able to sit and just people watch.

We had 3 people in one mini suite. The pull out sofa really needed updating. It was not comfortable. Other than that the cabin was nice. It was great having a balcony for Glacier Bay.

Embarkation and Disembarkation was smooth and efficient.

I would recommend to anyone.

Had a wonderful time with our three adult kids who had never been to Alaska. Two of the three had never cruised before, so this was a big deal for them.

They were very impressed with the ship itself and with all of the staff that went out of their way to make them feel welcome. They liked the whole “vibe” of the daily and nightly entertainment, especially because there was always music in most of the venues they visited. We all appreciated the many different places we could go on the ship to simply have quiet time, or enjoy family activities together. The International Cafe was their unofficial hangout when we were not on an excursion during the day, mainly because you could sit down and enjoy the entertainment surrounding the Piazza area. Very cool experience for all of us.

We enjoyed all of the excursions (dog sledding was their favorite in Juneau), but not fans on tendering, (but understand sometimes that happens due to the size of the ship). Also, our adult kids are all in their 30s for any parent wondering if their adult kids would enjoy a cruise to Alaska. They absolutely loved the experience.

They were not impressed with the nightly shows, so we only went to one. They did enjoy the layout of the ship, and the fact that they could keep track of where everyone was because the ship was so large.

The only thing we all thought needed improvement was the super small library with one table and maybe fifty books, which seemed way too small for a ship of this size. And the fact that the only table was so close to the shelves, because a small group was playing a game, you couldn’t really look at the books unless you interrupted their game. Not a game changer though. We’ve taken seven cruises on other cruiselines, but we would choose Princess again if we ever went back to Alaska. We had so much fun!

PROs: Medallion is an excellent system. Individual entertainers were excellent. Glacier Bay was amazing.

Cons: Buffet waiters did not ask me if I wanted a beverage. Waiters were frequently huddled. Beverage lemonade and ice tea. Coffee urns ran out of coffee at breakfast. Ice dispenser broken; no container of ice to replace, but waiter stations had ice. Near end of cruise, difficult to find silverware in buffet dining room. Difficult to find seating in buffet dining room because tables were not cleared by wait staff. Buffet chefs arguing in front of guests. Daily newsletter listed promotions in the gift shop, but the shop clerks were completely unaware of the promotions. I had to show the clerks the newsletter to prove there is supposed to be a promotion. Princess Plus package not worth it. Frequently waited for a soda while bartender made cocktails and coffee drinks. They would not give me a can of Coke stating they must pour soda into a class. My Princess Plus package allows for me to have $15 cocktails, but I cannot have a can of soda.