We always try to travel to a cruise port a day or two before
the ship sails. Too many things can go
wrong when you travel on the same day as you board the ship… This time, we spent two extra days in Ft
Lauderdale at the Embassy Suites on 17th Street.
The hotel was under renovation – and we didn’t know it. I believe the hotel should have advised us of
the construction at the hotel. We may
have stayed there anyway, but we would have made an informed decision. Better the inconvenience happen to us than to
one of our customers. On Friday night, the hotel hosted two wedding receptions. I
suspect both wedding parties were disappointed in the renovation. We couldn’t hear any noise in our room, but many
of the public areas were closed.
If you stay at this Embassy Suites, you will find shopping
and restaurants nearby. In fact, there is a nice book store in the small mall
just east of the hotel. No reason to
carry books on the plane that you plan to read on your cruise, the WELL READ
Bookstore has new and gently used books for sale. In the winter, the book store is even open on
Sundays.
The Embassy Suites is a healthy walk (about 2 miles) to the
Ft Lauderdale beach -- and we wanted the exercise. We enjoyed the walk and had lunch at an
outdoor café across from the beach. The
weather was GREAT -- good time of year to enjoy Ft Lauderdale! After lunch, we started to take a taxi back,
but decided we could use another walk to compensate for the extra calories
consumed during lunch. Still didn’t ride
the water taxi in Ft Lauderdale. Maybe
next time…
On Sunday afternoon, we boarded the Royal Princess and found
our cabin. We were assigned a balcony room on Baja Deck (11th
floor), slightly forward of the first elevator bank. The room was about the same size as most balcony
rooms on other Princess ships, it seemed slightly smaller than a similar
balcony room on Holland America or Royal Caribbean ships. The room safe is too small to hold a laptop
or a large digital camera. However, the cabin had adequate shelves and storage
compartments. The TV was moved to the
wall at the foot of the bed, leaving room on the table for personal items. The balcony was narrow. I would want a larger balcony on a longer
voyage. Princess does offer a larger
balcony cabin on the Royal Princess that is priced lower than a mini-suite.
Princess did a fantastic job with the atrium and other
public areas on the ship. The Piazza on
deck 5 can be used for a dance floor. Many
of the public areas on decks 6 & 7overlook the Piazza.
For a ship that carries 3500+ passenger, I thought the
library and the internet café were too small.
I was told that more passengers are bringing tablets and laptop
computers onboard, reducing the need for dedicated space that can be used for
other purposes.
The Royal Princess has two theaters: the larger Princess
Theater and the Vista Lounge. Most of
the Las Vegas style performances take place in the Princess Theater. Not sure of the capacity, but the Princess
Theater appears to be smaller and the theater is not as ornate as similar theaters
on other Princess ships. There are no isles
down the sides of the Princess Theater so it is difficult to get to the seats at
the end of the row. We didn’t see any tables or table foldouts to hold drinks –
not sure if Princess will serve drinks in the Princess Theater.
On this ship, Princess has upgraded the Horizon Court and
included the Horizon Bistro for lighter fare.
It’s easier to get to and through the buffet lines. The waiters bring
tableware and glasses to your table -- less to carry from the buffet! In addition to the seating in the Horizon
Court and Horizon Bistro, Princess has extra seating outside on the rear deck
and near the main pool.
The food was excellent! The first night, we ate in the
Horizon Court, but the second night, we ate in the main dining room. I had a hamburger the first night and lobster
the second. Both mornings, we ate in the
Horizon Court. The food and the service
was great.
