Royal Princess
Royal Princess set the design template for Princess's modern fleet — the piazza atrium and SeaWalk changed the ship
Royal Princess (2013) launched as Princess Cruises'' flagship and introduced two features that became defining for the line: the piazza-style atrium (borrowed from Italian village squares) that puts cafés and bars at the heart of the ship rather than in a casino corridor, and the SeaWalk — a glass-bottomed walkway that extends 28 feet over the ocean from the side of the ship. MedallionClass technology was retrofitted later, making Royal Princess fully wearable-wristband-enabled. The ship runs ~3,600 guests across Alaska, Caribbean, and Europe itineraries.
Royal Princess was designed to be a statement ship, and it largely succeeded. The piazza atrium runs three decks tall and opens into the International Café (24-hour café with sandwiches, pastries, and specialty coffee, no extra charge), Alfredo''s Pizzeria (Princess''s beloved no-surcharge Italian restaurant), and a cluster of bars that give the atrium energy from morning through late night. This layout replaced the older Princess model — a main atrium used mostly as a throughway — with a space guests actually want to spend time in.
The SeaWalk is the attention-getter: a glass-enclosed walkway that cantilevers 28 feet beyond the ship''s hull, looking straight down to the ocean. It is primarily an experience rather than a transportation route, and passengers treat it accordingly — lingering, photographing, and testing their nerve over open water. The same design appears on Regal Princess and was later refined on Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess.
MedallionClass technology arrived via retrofit. The OceanMedallion wristband-and-app ecosystem allows contactless cabin access, location-aware service ordering (drinks and food delivered anywhere on ship), and personalized wayfinding. Princess was the first major line to invest seriously in wearable cruise-ship technology, and the implementation on Royal Princess is mature enough to be genuinely useful rather than a gimmick.
Dining on Royal Princess is the standard Princess configuration: main dining room (three seatings or anytime dining), Alfredo''s Pizzeria (included), Crown Grill steakhouse, Sabatini''s Italian (specialty surcharge), and the Horizon Buffet. The quality is consistent and the portions are generous. For guests who have sailed Princess before, the experience will feel familiar; the ship is well-maintained and the crew-to-guest ratios remain one of Princess''s competitive advantages.