Princess Cruises’ biggest Australian Summer Season has officially started with Royal Princess‘ homeporting into Sydney for its inaugural season down under.
Royal Princess has just concluded its 27-night transpacific voyage from Vancouver and is set to have 14 roundtrip cruises from Sydney until April 2024.
This lady is a Royal-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. It was considered as the line’s largest ship at the time of its delivery in 2013.
Catherine, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge served as the ship’s godmother during the naming ceremony in Southampton, United Kingdom on June 13, 2013.
With a gross tonnage of 141,000 tons, a length of 330 meters, and a width of 36 meters, this princess can accommodate 3,600 passengers.
Royal Princess will be sailing the Australian waters together with its three other sisters in the Princess fleet- Coral Princess, Majestic Princess and Grand Princess.
Suites and staterooms
Royal Princess has 1744 staterooms of which, 1438 are with balconies. The ship also has a total of 36 wheelchair-accessible cabins (29 Balcony, 7 Inside).
The 36-stateroom Balcony Suite has three categories namely: S2-Owner’s Suite, S3-S4-Penthouse, and the S5-Premium. Cabin sizes of Balcony Suites range from 31 square metres to 34 square metres. The suites’ balconies range from 7 square metres to 20 square metres in size.
The ship also has a 314- stateroom Mini Suite that can accomodate up to four guests. The cabin size ranges from 22-31 square metres with a uniform balcony size of 4 square metres.
Deluxe Balcony Cabin on the other hand, has 364 staterooms. Cabin sizes range from 19 to 24 square metres with a uniform balcony size of 4 square metres.
Meanwhile, Royal Princess’ 17-square metre Balcony Cabin has a total of 724 staterooms with a standard balcony size of 4 square metres.
Lastly, the ship’s Interior Cabin measures 15 to 16 square metres and has a total of 342 staterooms.
All the ship’s staterooms are quads with all of its balcony cabins having floor-ceiling sliding glass doors that open to a private step-out veranda. Balconies are furnished with footstools, two patio chairs, and a table.
Balcony staterooms have bigger closet space, bathroom (WC-shower), double sofabed, desk-chair, and chest of drawers.
All cabins have 2 twin beds (convertible to Queen-size) and other usual amenities like deluxe bedding sets, wardrobe, desk, smart HDTV, direct-dial phone, electronic safe box and lifejackets (in the closet). There are also hairdryers, bath products, minibar/fridge, and a complimentary 24-hour room service.
Dining and culinary experience
Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess has an extensive list of dining options for guests onboard. Its three main dining rooms- Allegro, Symphony, and Concerto offer the same menu, with most of its special menu items being served on formal nights.
Symphony has open seating while Allegro offers only set-seating options. Concerto on the other hand offers a combination of both. All the three dining rooms also offers menu items for guests with dietary restrictions.
Complimentary dining
Royal Princess’ Horizon Court offers a casual buffet with multiple food stations serving an array of international cuisines. This dining hub is a large area that covers much of the aft of deck 16 so guests need not worry about long lines.
Additionally, the Horizon Court turns into Horizon Bistro at night time where it showcases themed events and specialty serve-yourself dinners.
Common to all princess fleets is the 24/7 International Cafe where guests are treated to a selection of pastries, hot sandwiches, quiche, paninis, salads, and mouth-watering desserts. At Royal Princess, the International Cafe is housed at the Piazza on deck 5.
Guests may also opt to enjoy pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches by the poolside with Prego Pizzeria and Trident Grill.
And of course, there’s always the famous Alfredo’s Pizzeria which offers traditional, hand-stretched pizza, calzone, delicious baked pasta, along with antipasti and desserts.
Specialty dining
First on the list is the popular steakhouse found on all Princess ships called The Crown Grill. This restaurant serves aged and hand cut, cooked-to-order steaks and premium seafood, including grilled shrimp and lobster. On the Royal Princess, this famed dining hub is located just off the Wheelhouse Bar.
Another one is the Sabatini’s which is also found on all Princess fleet. This restaurant serves traditional Italian cuisine that starts with a selection of antipasti, pasta, main courses, and desserts.
For guests who crave for sushi, sashimi, ceviche and caviar, they may try fee dining at Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar at deck 7 and enjoy the view overlooking the entire Piazza.
Royal Princess’ Vines on deck 5 offers Spanish tapas, Greek mezes, Cicchetti, pinchos, and cutters to go with the wine. Guests cannot purchase food separately from the wine. Also, they cannot get food if they go for something non-alcoholic.
Onboard activities
The Atrium
Royal Princess’ the atrium in the Piazza hosts all types of entertainment from Cirque du Soleil-inspired acrobatics to trivia games.
Entertainment
The 925- seater Princess Theater provides grand musical productions with HD screens that complete guests’ total entertainment experience. Guests may also opt to visit Princess Live! which is considered as the first television studio at sea. Located at the Piazza, Princess Live! also serves as the venue for game shows, cooking demos, and trivia games.
The ship’s Lido Deck is also an activity venue during fine weather. It houses concerts, movies. and live music. The stage is located between the pools.
The OceanMedallion
Princess’ multi-use technology, OceanMedallion, is a revolutionary ‘wearable’ device that speeds up guests’ embarkation. It is also used in unlocking cabin doors, and even used for payment of onboard purchases. It also features games that allow guests to play casino and trivia games on their phones.
Recreation
There’s also the Princess Sports Complex which is a roofed outdoor sports hub that houses a full basketball court and a shooting range. There’s also the Lawn Court on the higher deck for guests to play croquet and bocce.
When it comes to pools and hot tubs, Royal Princess’ main pool features two freshwater pools dotted with loungers. In addition, two hot tubs could also be found in the main pool area.
There’s also the adults-only Retreat Pool on the ship’s Lido Deck. There are also two hot tubs found in this area plus a bar.
Spa
Royal Princess also has The Sanctuary which is a private area for a fee. Aside from the usual amenities like sofas, robes, and slippers, it offers snacks and welcome cocktails.
Princess signature spa and thermal suit are also present in Royal Princess. Spa enthusiasts may enjoy the 10,000-square-foot Lotus Spa which houses 18 rooms and an array of amazing treatment options.
The ship’s thermal suit, The Enclave, is one of the largest in the Princess fleet packaged with a hydrotherapy pool and rain shower. This is also ideal for couples who want to enjoy side-by-side massages.
Nightlife
Nightlife at Royal Princess is also a hit among passengers. There’s a long list of bars and lounges scattered on different decks. It also features the largest version of Princess’ signature Movies Under the Stars poolside theater. It is the largest hi-def screen at sea which is 30% bigger compared to other Princess ships.
Other onboard activities
The Princess signature glass-bottomed walkway called the SeaWalk is also present in Royal Princess. It spans 8.6 metres over the edge of the ship so guests could enjoy the views from 39 metres above sea level.
The line also has an exclusive partnership with Discovery Communications™ to offer guests the Discovery at Sea where guests could have stargazing on the top deck, and enjoy activities that feature Discovery™ hit shows such as Shark Week and Finding Bigfoot.
Royal Princess is also true to Princess’ commitment to providing kid-friendly cruise experience and features a Youth Center, a Camp Discovery, and the Treehouse. There are also entertainment and game hubs for teens like The Lodge where guests could play Skee Ball, foosball, and PlayStations. Finally, there’s also the Beach House which also offers the same arcade-style games but has a cooler outside area.
Royal Princess deck plan
This 2013-built princess is one of the line’s largest ships and the fleet’s first-ever Royal-class ship. Its deck plan showcases a total of 1744 cabins for 3600 passengers. This princess has 18 decks of which, 15 are wheelchair-accessible, 14 bars and lounges, two swimming pools, 8 outdoor Jacuzzis, and 16 elevators.
The self-service laundry areas of the ship are found in decks 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15. Detergent and ironing boards are already provided.
The ship’s deck 5 houses the Piazza, the Symphony Dining Room, Sabatini’s, the 24/7 International Cafe, the Vines, The Enclave, and the Lotus Spa & Salon.
The second main dining area, Concerto, is housed together with Princess Casino, Alfredo’s, and the Photo & Video Gallery on Deck 6.
Meanwhile, the Princess Theater spans two decks (Decks 6 & 7). Also on deck 7 are the Princess Live! studio, the Vista Lounge, the Crown Grill, Wheelhouse Bar, the Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, Crooners, and the Calypso Cove.
Staterooms and cabins span from deck 8 through half of deck 16. The Horizon Court and the Fountain Pool are also housed on deck 16.
The ship’s deck 17 houses The Sanctuary, the Fitness Center, Shockwaves, the Retreat Pool, and the SeaWalk. On the other hand, Movies Under the Stars, and the Sports Central are found on deck 18. The Lawn Court is at the topmost deck of the ship.
Balcony cabins with obstructed or blocked views primarily because of the lifeboats are concentrated on deck 8 of the ship.
Royal Princess’ deck plan can be viewed here.
Why Royal Princes?
Some say that Royal Princess offers a laid-back and traditional cruise experience while some claim that this lady is no ordinary cruise ship.
But one thing is certain- Royal Princess offers nothing but the most memorable and nostalgic experience for cruise enthusiasts around the globe.
From the breathtaking Piazza which is exclusive to Princess fleet, to the sumptuous meals offered by the different dining hubs, and to the modern and high-tech OceanMedallion, Royal Princess definitely has the checks to cruisers’ bucket list.
I am Elite with Princess, and after reading the above, though I must have done the 10 day Whitsunday cruise on another ship.
Our balcony cabin was good, the bed really comfy, but as for the rest, well not up to Princess standard.
Food was repetitive in both the buffet and the dining room and really just average.
Shows was also average, only one outstanding.
Itinerary was very deceptive – Brisbane – well we docked in the commercial port, and had to pay extra to get to Brisbane. Same with Cairns – Yorkeys Knob – just the Yacht Club where we tendered to and again, payment was required if one wanted to go to Cairns. Both should have been included in fare.
Other two ports were also tender.
Back on the Majestic next month, but unfortunately it will be the Royal again in January.
I wonder if they have taken note of all the adverse comments???
Just sailed on Royal princess and would only give it a 5.
Food was awful
We were on the Royal Princess from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef for a 10 day cruise. We are loyal to princess with multiple cruises. I was very disappointed with the ship with shattered and broken windows in the bistro, toilets overflowing in cabins and passengers were moved to another cabin while the carpets and furnishings were removed and industrial fans to help with the drying. Very noisy and people could not sleep.
Water leaking from the ceiling in multiple areas with buckets underneath.
First time Princess traveller so looking forward to ours in December.
We did travel with royal Caribbean which offered 2 free group fitness classes/stretch everyday as well as gym classes packages.
I know princess offers packages but wondering if also offers the free classes?
Thx
Excellent, very informative well written article.
Thank you, we have a December 23 cruise on the Royal coming up.
W
She sounds amazing can’t wait to sail on her