Regal Princess Review
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This was our first ever cruise, so I write this with the upfront disclaimer that we have nothing to compare it to other than non-cruise vacations. We can, however, tell you some things our research didn't uncover that we'd have liked to know in advance and other first-timers might appreciate.
We chose this specific cruise because: (a) the itinerary covered all of the ports we wanted to visit; (b) it's a family-friendly cruise line; and (c) the dates suited availability around our daughter's school terms. The itinerary only includes a few hours in Stockholm so we visited there for two days at the start of our holiday. We also went to Legoland, and had three days in Copenhagen prior to embarkation and one more after. We stayed at the affiliated Scandic Copenhagen (great location) so that we could do Princess transfers to and from the ship, which worked very well because we boarded an hour before other passengers and had a chance to explore before it got crazy. Everything about the transfer, embarkation and disembarkation processes - including luggage - seemed to go very smoothly.
The Regal Princess is enormous, with a lot of little bars and seating areas tucked away all over the place. In eleven nights we still probably didn't find everything and certainly didn't try everything. Signage around the ship was handy and easy to reference. We had dinner at the Crown Grill one night and Alfredo's another, and both were good. The rest we split between the variety and happy chaos of the Horizon Court buffet, and anytime dining at the main dining rooms where we never waited more than a few minutes for a table even on the formal nights. Getting drinks was our biggest headache; it seemed like we always had to ask for a drinks list rather than being offered one, even when it was clear we didn't know what was available. There was also often a significant delay between ordering a drink and it arriving, which isn't great when you choose a particular wine to go with a certain dish and it finally arrives just before you finish eating. Otherwise the service everywhere was friendly and professional (except for the waiter who wrote down his own name and that of his assistant so that I could give them a positive review in our post-cruise survey; that was a bit too much, and I 'lost' the paper immediately). We also marked points down for the first 48 hours during which no fewer than seven different waiters tried to sell us the wine tasting event.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
Fantastic mini-suite location. We had the angled balcony, which was huge compared to others. It's under the Skywalk but far enough down that people up there can't even see the door let alone anything inside. No privacy issues at all. Deck 10 is half way between the Plaza venues and the Lido Deck, so either is reachable by stairs if need be. C429 is conveniently close to the elevators and stairs, but we heard no noise from there at all.
The mini-suite layout generally is very good. Plenty of storage, full bath, and the sofa is the length of a single bed because the mattress lifts straight up when converted. It's not a fold out with a bar in the middle and becomes a proper single bed, which was fantastic for our daughter and especially when we could close the curtains between her 'bedroom' and ours. It's a long, narrow space and a few times I nearly whacked my shoulder on the TV when moving around the foot of the bed, but overall there was probably more usable space than our hotel room before the cruise. The wardrobe was big enough to hang wet washing from the laundromat, and since it's opposite the aircon return vent there was enough circulation for things to dry pretty well.
Port Reviews
Copenhagen
The Copenhagen Card is great value, and includes public transport and entry at some sites outside Copenhagen (e.g. Kronborg Castle, a.k.a. Hamlet's Elsinor). Consider buying a two day pass for the Tivoli Gardens because it's open until 11pm and is a great place to go after the museums close.
Oslo
Oslo is beautiful. We used the public transport included in the Oslo Pass (available at the Cruise Port terminal) rather than HOHO to get around and it was fairly easy. The Museum of Cultural History and Viking Ship museums are walking distance apart and both very worthwhile. Then it's only a short bus ride to the excellent Fram museum and the Kon-Tiki museum (which we ran out of time for); they share a car park and are right next to the ferry port. Norway Designs is a great place for shopping for Scandinavian design.
Rostock (Warnemunde)
We made our own way by train to Rostock, and then on to Bad Doberan to ride the Molli steam train to Kühlungsborn Ost and visit the seaside. It was fairly easy to do by public transport, and lovely to see some countryside instead of just cities. At the station at Warnemunde go into the ticket office to buy tickets for the return trip to Bad Doberan, then the Molli shares the same train station so.
Tallinn
The old town is beautiful to just wander around. Wear sturdy shoes for the cobblestones (our daughters there so many because it's Es-STONE-ia). The walk to the top is easier if you go up the slope to Kiek in de Kok from Müürivahe street, cut over to the Patkuli Viewing Platform and then head down the stairs. From there you can walk west to Balti Jaama Turg and Telliskivi Creative City to learn more about Tallinn's food and arts, which is a nice forward looking contrast to the Old Town. From the latter it's only about 5 euros by taxi back to the port.