Royal Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Looking for a way to see parts of Canada we had not seen and perhaps to get a glimpse of color, we chose the last cruise of the season from Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale. Given the dates, we were not surprised that the weather caused us to miss two ports of call. We made up for it by relaxing on board...the second reason we chose the cruise.
The Royal Princess is the largest calss in the fleet, and it WAS big and carried a lot of people. Still, we had quiet in our cabin and the luxury to mingle with people if we wanted. Our balcony cabin was small but fine for two of us. Our steward went out of his way to clean it around our schedule, not his.
The food was excellent, and we enjoyed anytime dining with its opportunity to meet other people at dinner. The wait staff there and in the buffet areas were ESPECIALLY good and very helpful. My wife was in a wheelchair for the cruise, and the staff watched out for her and was there to help when we needed it.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Small despite the ship being the largest in the fleet...but very good for two of us. Given the weather, we did not spend a lot of time on the balcony, but I used it mainly to take photos and to relax the farther south we went.
Our steward worked around our schedule to keep the cabin clean.
Port Reviews
Halifax
The options were great here, but I chose to walk to the Maritime Museum. For anyone with an interest in martiime history of the area, this museum is a must-see.
I also had the benefit of finding a small gallery run by a Arts/crafts society of Halifax...very small but with exceptional pieces. Also got a close up view of some of the architecture in the port area and a very moving tribute to the immigrants who arrived in Halifax. The ship docked at the building that was once the "ellis isalnd" of Halifax and is now an important immigration resouce museum and archive.
New York (Brooklyn, Red Hook)
Because we docked in Brooklyn for a short day, we did not have enough time in port. Too far from must-sees to go on one's own. Secondly, an excursion that had initially been listed to MOMA (and one I put off) had mysteriously disappeared from the list by the time I got to the ship in Quebec....and there was not enough time ashore to go by public transportation from Brooklyn to Manhattan and still have much time at the museum.
This was my only disappointment of the trip. I did get off the ship just to say that I had walked around the Red Hook section of Brooklyn...and this is a steady, cold rain. enjoyed the walk anyway.
Norfolk
Although I did not take an excusion, I did walk around downtown Norfolk...and visited the small but well done Navy Museum in the Nautacus building next to the ship. Intereswtingly...and importantly...the museum's Civil War section spotlighted both the USA and CSA actions in the area, inclduign the the Monitor and Virginia clash. From our starboard balconly I had a great view of the USS Wisconsin; I had recently toured the USS IOWA so did not go on board. I was fascinated by the view of the port from the stern as we backed in.