Royal Princess British Isles Cruise – A Total Experience.
Joining the Royal Princess cruise ship on the last few days of the twelve day British Isles cruise was my first experience of cruising. I had no idea what to expect but was thrilled to be given the chance to find out!
Apart from the sheer size of the ship (there are nineteen decks accommodating around 3,500 passengers) I was very impressed by the facilities on board the Royal Princess: there’s something for everyone whether you just want to relax and enjoy the experience or enter wholeheartedly into the activities available.
One of my personal highlights was the spa treatment, I do love to feel pampered. The Lotus Spa, situated on deck five, has an extensive list of treatments from haircuts, to pedicures/manicures and facials or massages. What better way to help you relax and unwind than a treatment from one of the many therapists on board. I chose the Elemis hot stone massage which left me relaxed and happy. The cost of any spa treatments is not included in the basic cruise price but it’s certainly worth the price for enhancing your total cruise experience. There are even sample treatments, included in the ship’s schedule, you could have a taster massage before deciding on a full treatment.
For the fitness enthusiast, there are pools on the upper decks, also a running/walking track with circuit training equipment stations and a fully fitted gym with cardio machines and weights. I am a member of a gym and have been disappointed in the past at the facilities offered at luxury hotels. This was a proper gym and I would definitely take my gym kit with me another time. There are various ball games available on Royal Princess at center court or the lawn court too.
Entertainment sessions run throughout the day around the Royal Princess, it’s easy to see what is scheduled by reading the Princess Patter, a newsletter left outside your cabin each day. We attended the “Encore” show in the Princess Theatre during our time on board, it was a well-staged show with popular songs from opera and musicals. On deck sixteen there is an outdoor cinema, movies under the stars, showing films throughout the day and into the evening. As the day draws to a close you can hear the sound of live music in the piazza and various bars. There is also a casino on deck five if you fancy a flutter and of course, a nightclub with a DJ.
There are various options for eating and drinking on board as you would expect. The cost of food in the main restaurants, such as Allegro, Symphony and the Horizon Court is included in the basic price and you can choose Anytime or Traditional dining. Anytime dining gives you the freedom to eat whenever you like between 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., with the Traditional dining option you dine at the same time (seated at the same table), at either 6:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. For those wanting to try something different, there are speciality restaurants; The Crown Grill and Sabatini’s where you can eat for a small supplement. During our stay on board the Royal Princess, we were lucky to be able to experience both Anytime dining and the speciality restaurants. I do like to eat well and the food throughout was excellent, it was perfectly cooked, beautifully presented and very tasty.
The International Café on Deck five is open 24/7 if you feel peckish at night. The main bars are again located on decks five to seven with the Atrium as the centre point. I particularly enjoyed Bellinis where I sampled the signature drink, it was delicious. Whilst the food and standard drinks, such as water tea or coffee are included in the cruise cost, any alcohol or speciality coffee (Latte, Expresso etc.) are charged for using your cruise card as payment. It is possible to buy a drinks package, per person, in advance if you don’t want to worry about incurring additional charges. The costs on board are in US dollars charged to your cabin and payable direct through your ship’s account.
As you’d expect from a premium holiday the ship has shops where you can buy essentials such as toiletries, as well as clothing, souvenirs and gifts. The duty-free shop opens when the ship is sailing in International waters. If you need to do some washing there is a laundromat, with washing and ironing equipment.
This is just a snapshot of what’s available on the ship as there is far too much to go into in detail. You could happily just stay on the ship and have a totally inclusive experience for the duration of the cruise. The other choice would be to sign up and pay for shore excursions in port, giving you the possibility to visit local attractions and experiences. For example, during the British Isles cruise when we were on board there were excursions to Edinburgh, Honfleur, the Normandy beaches and even further afield to Paris or Windsor Castle. It’s the ideal way to get a taste of different places.
I had never been on a cruise before and thoroughly enjoyed my time on board the Royal Princess; the staff were friendly and helpful, the accommodation was comfortable and spacious and the food was far better than I expected it would be. It was a memorable experience and it seems to me that cruising is an easy way to visit countries better accessed by sea, such as Alaska, New Zealand or the Caribbean islands. Finally, everything you could possibly need is available on board the ship giving you the opportunity to just relax and enjoy your holiday.
We were travelling as guests of Princess Cruises for the last few days of the twelve day British Isles cruise, from Edinburgh to Southampton via Le Havre.
Thinking of taking a British Isles Cruise? Why not pin this post for later
British Isles (with Dublin overnight)
12 nights
August 17, 2018
Royal Princess
Sailing roundtrip Southampton, ports of call are – Guernsey(St. Peter Port), Cork (Cobh), Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow (Greenock), Invergordon, Edinburgh and Le Havre (Paris/Normandy).
Prices from £1114 per person, (based on two guests sharing an inside stateroom)
British Isles (With Dublin overnight)
12 nights
May 1, 2019
Crown Princess
Sailing roundtrip from Southampton, ports of call are – Guernsey(St. Peter Port), Cork (Cobh), Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow (Greenock), Invergordon, Edinburgh and Le Havre (Paris/Normandy).
Prices from £1719 per person, with $100USD onboard credit, a bottle of red or white wine and a complimentary speciality meal per person (based on two guests sharing an inside stateroom) – offer valid until July 2, 2018.
For more information or to book a cruise visit www.princess.com, call 0344 338 8663 or contact your local travel agent.
All prices include accommodation, all main meals and onboard entertainment.
While I’ve taken a number of cruises, I have not sailed on Princess, so it’s great to hear about your experience onboard Royal Princess. Modern cruising is definitely having a floating resort at your beck and call while also having a chance to experience a variety of destinations in one trip, and it sounds like Royal Princess would be a beautiful place to call home. Your hot stone massage sounds just like what I need today!
The Royal Princess is a fulyi equipped and finely appointed ship. I am glad you had a great time. What I like so much is there is no packing or unpacking, just like RV cruising which we did for 8 years.. The only problem is you get such short hours at the destination ports..
The Royal Princess looks like a really beautiful ship, both in terms of comfort and great facilities but also the excellent cuisine on offer.. Lovely place to call home during a cruise.
We also took Princess Cruises when we went from Singapore on a 5-night cruise to Malaysia and although I was slightly apprehensive while booking it, having heard so much about star cruises in Asia, I was very much impressed with their ship! I don’t remember which Princess it was but it look very similar to Royal Princess cruise which you’re talking about in this post. They also had a 24 x 7 International Cafe on Deck 5 and a spa on Deck 5 as well. I absolutely love their cruise liners, would love to do another one, maybe next time in Europe as the British Isles, as you did!
We are yet to have our first experience of cruising and whenever we do we would want it to be magnificent and Royal Princess sounds majestic. The Encore show, outdoor cinema, wide range of restaurants everything sounds fabulous. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
The Royal Princess looks like an incredible ship! I’ve never taken a cruise but I’m always impressed by how big these boats are and all the facilities they offer. The Lotus Spa sounds wonderful and I’d love to try the outdoor cinema as well. It’s great to hear that the food is really good, too!
So luxurious! I’m very tempted by the international cafe being open 24./7 – that’s a great way to beat any issues with swapping timezones. if you’re not originally from the UK. The gym is very well kitted out too – whereas there were just 3 machines on a cruise I went on last year.
Yes it was perfect for my first experience of cruising. The International cafe was a favourite as it was just right for a small snack or a coffee first thing before breakfast. The gym really impressed me and I would definitely take my kit with me another time.
This looks like a beautiful, luxurious and very easy to get around the British Isles + a bit of France. That gym looks like an epic place to work out! This makes trying a cruise look quite tempting!
I can relate to how you felt on this cruise. I had the same feelings on my first cruise too! What a massive ship with 3,500 passengers!
Having being on a Princess cruise before I know how important the Princess Patter is, it is daily mandatory reading! What a great few days you had.
Wow! This really seems like an ultimate cruising experience. I have never been cruising but when I decide to do it for the first time, I’ll definitely opt for Royal Princess cruise ship.
I love the grand staircase and pool area. I took a cruise of the Hawaiian islands and was amazed at how much was on the ship, and it was considered small.