Princess Cruises Royal Princess

1 Star Review for Royal Princess – Disgraceful Behavior by Executive Chef, No Accountability from Princess Cruises I took the Royal Princess (Sydney to Eden, March 13–16, 2025) to celebrate my 29th wedding anniversary. The trip was enjoyable — until it was completely ruined by the unprofessional, arrogant behavior of Executive Chef [Name Removed]… Read more

On the final morning, while waiting for my poached eggs, I had one hash brown on my plate. Lost in thought, I took a small bite — a simple mistake. Suddenly, this chef, who seemed more interested in barking orders than showing hospitality, confronted me loudly and aggressively in front of other guests. His tone was rude, overbearing, and frankly, unfit for someone in a leadership position on a luxury cruise line.

I calmly approached him later to ask about his tone, only to be met with even more disrespect, including unnecessary comments about my age. His attitude suggested he forgot he was speaking to a paying guest — not someone working in his kitchen.

I’ve attached a photo I took at the time, strictly to identify the staff member involved. It was taken in a public area during the incident.

I filed a formal complaint with Princess Cruises. It has been completely ignored. No response. No apology. No ownership.

If this is how Princess Cruises empowers its senior staff to treat guests, I suggest spending your money elsewhere. There’s nothing “royal” about being talked down to by a chef on an ego trip.

THE GOOD The best thing about the cruise to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji was the staff. They were friendly, helpful and always ready to assist and we appreciated there service. THE BAD Princess seem to have decided that Australia is not an important market for them as they no longer have any of the more modern ships servicing our area as they… Read more

all seem to be in USA. The Royal us comfortable but is dated and small things like blown lights in the pool area, ceiling panels not replaced properly after working in the area, large cinema screen in pool area so bad you can hardly see what is going on in the movie

THE UGLY It appears that the main dinning room food is not as good as it was 18 months ago when I did the same cruise on the Majestic but we missed ports in Fiji due to an approaching cyclone No seafood night of consequence this time round other than some pan frued prawns and in fact the menu was so boring we ate in the buffet to just have a change of food on 3 occasions. The excursion prices have doubled led in 18 months and this may be beyond Princesses control but there is nothing stopping them from negotiating different excursions with different groups as they are becoming out of normal people's reach. Last trip on the Majestic we did the Amedee Island tour for $240 pp, this year is $480pp.....that's inflation or just a plain rip off The shows this year were not the previous standard and with a huge contingent of dancers on the ship there were maybe 4 evening shows with and dancing and the best show was a one man juggling act! This ship left from Austraia........ there is not a single usb or Australian plug in the cabin. Our cabin attendant lent me an adaptor so now I had 1 plug to charge phones, ipads, cameras, headphones.......common, this is not good enough

Disappointing & very underwhelming holiday – We recently cruised for 14 nights on Royal Princess and it has left such a negative impact on our holiday that we will never ever cruise with Princess or the Carnival Cruise Line ever again. After raising numerous issues we experienced with guest services, both verbally and in writing, for all issues to be ignored is absolutely woeful and… Read more

unacceptable. In comparison to other cruises we have experienced, the cleanliness, facilities, monitoring of pools and alike, activity options and entertainment are severely lacking and are in need of immense improvement! I would NOT recommend Princess Cruises, especially to family, friends or colleagues. Our family will continue to enjoy cruising for our first choice of holiday options, although not with Princess / Carnival Cruise Lines.

Lack of Accountability of Princess Cruises – We have just completed a fantastic 43 day cruise on Royal Princess from Sydney to Alaska via Japan. The issue I have with Princess is their accounting. The folio as they call it covers all incidentals incurred during the cruise including excursions, spa activities, drinks, shop purchases, etc. when the cruise starts the charges are in AUD then mid… Read more

Japan the charges become USD. The issue with this is that nowhere in the folio are the actual currencies shown although Princess apparently do making it impossible to check your account. I have asked Princess on many occasions how they can justify change of currency without any notation relating to this but Guest Services do not really care and basically told us to put up with this. Also when paying for excursions the receipt issued by Princess only show the last four digits of your credit card and booking number. There is no detail as to what the payment is for - this must be the only company in Australia that can do this and get away with it. Then on the folio each excursion is individually charged whereas all payments for excursions are lumped together as one making it impossible to match payments with the relevant excursion. Princess also decide to use ‘On board credits’ to pay for off board excursions without reference to the customer! As a result I consider I have overpaid for excursions but have no way to show or prove this. Also with the change of currency charges for some spa treatments charges have remained the same meaning a 40% or so increase in the cost of the same treatment. The spa manager just told us that was the decision of Princess and just accept it.

Princess Cruise lines are not the same – I wanted to send the following to Princess BUT there are no emails details for anyone that will accept complaints. So now I am reduced to a product review. To the cruise director, I am writing to express my deep disappointment and dissatisfaction with the recent cruise experience my party and I had aboard Princess Cruises. As avid travellers who… Read more

have chosen Princess for three separate occasions, we have always held your cruise line in high regard. Regrettably, our most recent experience has compelled me to bring some significant concerns to your attention.

Firstly, let me emphasize that my companions and I are seasoned food and wine enthusiasts, dining out at least three times a week. In the past, we have praised Princess Cruises for its exceptional dining experiences. However, on this particular voyage, we found the quality of food in the dining rooms to be subpar and a entirely different from our previous experiences. It was disappointing to witness such a decline in the culinary standards we have come to associate with Princess Cruises.

Furthermore, our disappointment extended to the exorbitant costs associated with dining in the main restaurants. Astonishingly, the prices were more than double what we paid on our Princess cruise four years ago. This unexpected increase was not only a costly addition to our fare but also significantly detracted from our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

Equally disheartening was the boring entertainment offerings during our journey. Unlike previous Princess Cruises and comparable experiences with other cruise lines, there was no adult piano bar with a dedicated dancing area. The only available entertainment was situated in the atrium, a setting spoiled by blaring lights and disruptive children running everywhere. The music sets, lasting a mere 45 minutes, were punctuated by breaks of at least 20 minutes, leaving adults with minimal opportunities for romantic moments and dancing.

A particularly disappointing aspect was the rushed nature of the Captain's table experience. The exorbitant cost, more than double what we have paid on previous cruises, was compounded by a reduction in the number of courses from ten to a mere five. This drastic change diminished the once-regal allure of the Captain's table and left us questioning the value of the experience.

I could delve into numerous other disappointments and deviations from the high standards we have come to expect from Princess Cruises. It pains me to convey that this recent voyage was not reflective of the exceptional service and experiences we have enjoyed in the past.

To worsen matters, we extended invitations to our best friends, a couple experiencing their inaugural cruise with Princess. Like us, they are devoted food and wine enthusiasts, and their disappointment mirrored our own. I believe it is imperative for Princess Cruises' management to gain firsthand insight into the expectations of active couples above 50yrs of age, as our recent experience has demonstrated a stark misalignment with those expectations.

In conclusion, I sincerely hope that this letter prompts a thorough investigation into the concerns raised. While my intention is not to sever ties with Princess Cruises, I do believe it is essential for these issues to be rectified to maintain the reputation of your esteemed cruise line. I look forward to your prompt response and resolution to these matters.

Would never go again – Definitely do not recommend. We purchased the premier packages and upgraded our mini suite to the reserve collection. We were told we would get all of the benefits of a suite, and we did not. The website advertises many things such as priority embarkation and disembarkation, wine and fruit on embarkation day etc. We got none of these things. When… Read more

we tried to go to guest services and ask why we do not have these things and showed them proof online that it says we are entitled to these things, they shrugged their shoulders and said oh well we can’t do anything about it… The premier packages came with 2 specialty dining experiences which we were charged for again when we dined, we had to go through a tedious process to get this corrected. We purchased and were charged for medallion accessories such as watch bands, which we never received, but they refused to refund us for. It was such a stuff around and things were continuously going wrong, anything good there was, was completely trumped by the outrageous amount of things that went wrong. I wouldn’t recommend this cruise line. What was meant to be a holiday, was entirely stressful and a complete and utter waste of money. The drink packages, dessert packages, casual dining and all of the other things they advertise are also entirely not worth it. They offer about 2 mocktails as well, so for non-alcohol drinkers, do not buy the drink package…. Also, we paid only $1000 less than a Suite, for a Mini Suite and it was extremely expensive and yet we got 2 single beds and a couch bed which was stiff as a plank of wood. The single beds were way too soft and if you lay too close to the edge you sink off, definitely NOT the best beds at Sea.

Royal have gone from the penthouse to the s#@t-house – Our 10th cruise overall, Princess was at the top of our choice, the food was amazing and service second to none. But that has all changed, whislt any cruise is a good cruise and yes I still enjoyed my cruise the quality overall has dropped dramatically. The food has gone from a 9/10 to a 2 maybe a 3/10, the breakfast is bland, stale, over-cooked,… Read more

tasteless and lacking variety. The service has also dropped with dinner taking over 2 hours to be completed. Our suite was ok but the shower broke on the first night and our balcony door broke. The overall feel of service is poor almost feeling like the staff have submitted to defeat. Poor entertainment with boring shows and half-hearted activities planned. Shore excursions was also disappointing with over an hour wait to get off the boat. On a positive the ship is still beautiful inside and the sanctuary pool area was a life saver, with great service comfortable, quiet area we were really looked after during our time here. The drinks packages are also well worth it, if you are on the fence with this I recommend it, the specialty coffee is good and alcohol servings are generous. If asked what cruise line to recommend it would have been Princess but not anymore, now I would definitely say Royal Caribbean.

How did things change now?(14 mths after Covid return cruise) – Update-Feb 2025 3 days to Eden Early bookings can sometimes get a better deal and this was the case but after we returned we tried for a cruise and the price was much increased so it depends on quick action when a special is on. Food: Over time we now see that the variety and choice is still good but presentation is less. No Wow factor like… Read more

before, several years ago. We weren't impressed with the boarding lunch in Horizons bistro and didn't go again. This was due to the huge number of people and also no outdoor seating. A good back up at other times is the mini bar in the Centrum on deck 5 at other times. Serves snacks. Entertainment: We were very impressed with the lift in day music and when one band on say Centrum deck 5 ended a piano on 6 would start up. No more boredom (if you re not around the pool), which works well for seniors too. Likewise, nightly theatre had music afterwards in the Centrum outside. The theatre had the Opera on and the singers were great. Almost enough to turn you to Opera. The second night had 'the Cover Girls' on supported by a 7 piece band. This was quite good although attempts at humour failed and following in the footsteps of major known singers like The Spice girls and The Supremes never gets there, as you tend to compare. Staff All the staff seemed to do well although a shortage of drink waiters was noticed at times. What a pleasure though to re visit the old days when the UK Captain came on at Noon with updates.

Eden Just a very small pretty town with nice bays. Worth the trip.

====================================== Previous cruise Thirty three cruises but Our third cruise since Post Covid return. I expected higher price....but did they give back in some way? But it took the positives of the Bar service and nightly entertainment to swing some negatives. (and our Sept 23 last min. cruise was $2200 for ten days----this was abt $1600 for four days. The nightly entertainment was the best overall ever. We didnt get sick and none was obvious.

Pro's----Personal & humourous bar staff. Our waiter

Night shows ....................Fabulous Country boy with great stage engagement and support from Princess ...................Orchestra ..................(6-9 ...................musicians). Variety of tunes/even video backdrop. Full stage presentation of a group called 'Encore'. A variety of songs but an amazing Italian sung ...................Opera with unbelievable 16 dancers and fabulous quality. ( and I dont like anything Opera !). Five ...................male lead singers. -Stunning and jaw dropping.

Cons----No introductory cabin staff-no contact at all the whole trip. <Cabin serviced though>

Safety: We were on D deck---but muster point on E BUT thats not one down ...its level 7 (2 down ...................from D deck which is deck 9). At Location E <placard>. Imagine in smoke and panic (it is on the back ..................of ...................your door). Found Amidships --a huge area. Deck level mentioned only at the lift. A ..................disaster waiting to happen ...................I found out later that at least ours was indoors from the lifeboat deck ! ...as they all were. Floor Smoke lighting only seen once in one area. Day entertainment is self generating and includes games and line dancing etc Bad or cold weather adds to the above problem but makes Buffet style hopeless to line up both .................. there or in the Dining room in bad weather. A good band on sometimes.

Food- Always a good choice but virtually No vegetables (even James Cook knew that) and therefore ...................no colour. ....................Twice , took the record for a miniscule entree ---1" square crab cake and marinated fish -smaller than ...................a house lizard. Otherwise good No water in the cabin--buy your own....you cheap people. Get to like bathroom water (we didnt) One smartee bar steward asked the water requester if he was trying to avoid drink driving ! Bar water ....................is free you see !

Only Suite and Elite get no lining up etc etc and your old points count for virtually nothing. Even ...................usual drinks with the Officers is chargable.

Overall we'd go again but how cheap it is to charge for everything, reduce service when those small upsetting things could be easily and cheaply fixed. Dont think that the other Cruise line are much or any better though ......just be ready to be annoyed when trying not to be.