Royal Princess – beige or beautiful?

A week has passed since I spent a night on board, and there has been much talk about Royal Princess in the office and on our forum, even a mention on BBC news, although this was more to do with the other ‘Royal Princess’, Kate.
All this talk has led me to ask myself the questions “are we too critical?” and have we become blase?”. There has been much mention of how ‘beige’ she is, how small the balcony cabins are, the SeaWalk is just a novelty, and lack of wow! factor. My conclusion? We have all been spoiled and when we visit these new ships we become overly critical, always looking for the negatives, and not seeing the positives any more. We seem to have forgotten how lucky we are to be able to spend time on these beautiful vessels, being waited on, hand foot and finger, in the most sumptuous of surroundings. Maybe it would do us all good to spend a week in a tent, in the rain, on a Welsh hillside – might bring us back down to earth a bit! We have illusions of grandeur I’m afraid!

Therefore, I want to highlight some of the lovely features that Royal Princess has to offer.
Let’s start with the Piazza, the atrium that Princess have made much larger than usual so that it has become a ‘usable’ space, one overlooked by three levels where guests can sit and enjoy a drink while watching a performance. It is beautiful by anyone’s standards and I defy anyone to say otherwise! This area is a real asset to the ship.

Next, The Sanctuary. As I mentioned in an earlier post, probably my favourite area on the ship, for adults only. Peaceful, luxurious,and understated elegance – what more could you ask for? A place to unwind and relax, recharge our inner batteries.

On all ships you will find a ‘buffet style’ restaurant, all too often these have a cafeteria feel about them, but not on Royal Princess! Yes, the area is very neutral in its decor – beige and white, but this gives it a more classy feel. A lovely place to enjoy breakfast or lunch, it feels spacious and stylish – and the food on offer is top notch! No corners are cut in the quality of food as it can be in the more casual dining venues on some ships

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How about sports facilities? An enormous Gym, sports courts and jogging track – more than enough to satisfy an sporting needs here. how many running machines? All with a fabulous sea view.

The small balconies? Well, the main body of the cabin is not huge, but Princess have designed these cabins so that you have a really useful hanging and storage area between the bedroom and bathroom, keeping all your clothes, suitcases and footwear separate – a brilliant idea – no clutter in the living/sleeping area.

 The bathrooms, although small are perfectly functional. I will have to agree with Wilba (one of our main forum contributors) that a certain degree of gymnastic ability is required to reach the loo roll holder whilst sitting on the throne!

The main deck area is fabulous – Movies Under the Stars being a real feature, along with a raised dias in between the pools allowing for some fabulous evening entertainment – we were well entertained by Lemar on our launch night – runner up on Fame Academy some years ago. Much more than just a pool area to be used during the day, it doubles up as a fantastic evening entertainment hot spot.

Along with the above mentioned areas, the ship boasts a superb childrens area, a state of the art Spa, many and varied eateries to be enjoyed, along with a range of lounges and an enormous theatre!

The public areas of the ship are seperated into smaller spaces, giving a feeling of being on a smaller more intimate ship which I found quite nice.

 And yes, there are laundrettes on board if you feel the need to do some domestics!

Food and staff were both delightful – both will enhance your cruise experience. I believe that Princess Cruise Lines have taken the ‘cream’ of staff from their other ships to ensure that guests on board their newest ship will be in the best of very experienced hands during their cruise.

All in all, a beautiful vessel, one that will give guests a first class cruise experience over the coming years.

Don’t be swayed by anyone who tells you that she lacks wow! factor, try her for yourself! She really is beautiful and you will have the cruise of your life. Yes, her interiors are understated and neutral but this is ‘on trend’ –  it gives the ship a classy feel, and is relaxing and airy. I loved her! Call me for more info on 0800
408 6084.

Cheers y’all!