13 Nights Australia & New Zealand Cruise

A great fun weekend getaway

Great family weekend getaway. We took the drink package when we booked in December the over cost was surprisingly good value. Ship has lovely decor, lots of open spaces, plenty of room for the 3,000 plus passengers. Dining room food was probably 3 stars but still enjoyable. I’m a diabetic and did advise this, however was never shown an appropriate menu. Drink package was great, however the ice cream deluxe and fresh juice bar were very disappointing, definitely not worth the $20 plus $$$. We had the $49 spa treatment, its was great, the staff were very professional and friendly- so worth it. Entertainment in theatre was fair, but the bands were all excellent The BEST entertainment was everyone dancing “silent” such a great night. Our cabin steward was great went out of his way to accommodate us. Only complaint really was the time it took to get our drinks up to 30 mins. Overall we all had a great time, can’t wait to do it again - thanks Princess

Pleasantly surprised, but with some quirks.

Room - We loved the aft balcony room - with body lotion provided, unlike carnival. There were no Aussie plugs to charge phones but following a tip from another passenger we had one sent up by guest services. Public areas -The 45 minute long sales show in the atrium was painful to hear from the bar and the staff all looked super uncomfortable- ditch it princess, if we want to shop we will, but heavy handed loud sales tactics turn us off. There were comfy chairs available in the atrium where we played cards and enjoyed well made cocktails. Activities - there were plenty to choose from each day. We were able to attend each of the nightly shows without having to queue super early! We missed Pacific Rory as CD though Duvall was still one of the better ones, he just needs to temper his American volume and enthusiasm for the Aussie market - please don’t make the audience cheer louder for you, just make cheeky jokes, we love dry humour. Spa -The enclave had good amenities provided - sandals and robes in lockers so that you could change there rather than walk in wet swimmers. We missed the swimming costume drying machine and combs provided on the diamond princess a couple of years back. Food - There was a good variety of food and we always got a table in the MDR - but Princess, don’t call a menu ‘Australian’ when it’s clearly American! I’ve never seen ‘cob salad’ on an Aussie restaurant menu. Club sandwiches were served ice cold from the fridge as were the potted garlic prawns - weird and inedible, if you are serving something we expect hot as cold- state that on the menu. The desserts were all great and the seafood and produce very fresh and tasty. Carnival has barramundi on its everyday menu, but Princess didn’t even offer it on the Aussie menu day. On that day, fish and chips were offered at dinner but not lunch which we thought was odd. On the last day, salmon cakes with poached egg were offered at dinner but not breakfast, another very strange choice. Our last 2 domestic cruises were with carnival in a cloud 9 spa balcony room and a suite on P&O adventure. This was definitely a step up from both of those and felt considerably less crowded.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!

Where do I start! This cruise was superb. The ship was spacious with plenty of room for all. From the waiters, to the dining experiences, to the spa, to the bar staff, to the room steward there was not one part of this cruise that was not enjoyable. We met some of the most amazing people we have ever met. The drinks are top notch and the food never failed. The crew on the Royal Princess are out of this world! I would name each and every one of you but there are just too many for this review. The itinerary and the ship alone would have been enough, but the crew on the Royal go above and beyond and made it that much more special. Thank you for such an amazing experience. We would definitely take this ship again in a heartbeat. A massive thank you to you all on board The Royal xxx