We traveled as a family of four - parents + 2 teenaged boys.

Embarkation was shockingly quick, easy, and painless. It took us less than 20 minutes from dropping off our luggage to opening our cabin door. And we do not have any special status - just regular plebes on our first cruise with Princess.

Now about the ship. I read about the Royal Princess and saw both good and bad reviews. Our experience was very good. The layout of the boat was definitely confusing. I never did quite figure out how to navigate through the boat and always got myself turned around. Though the ship houses a huge number of people and Princess has carved out prime real estate for "private" areas for adults (or for a fee) only, there is still ample space for us commoners. Even with the early morning chair hoarders, we always found 4 chairs together somewhere on the pool deck. They also did a great job creating differently themed spaces – there was always a spot for you regardless of whether you wanted to have a party, read a book, play a sport, and just hang out. Read more