Royal Princess July/August Mixed Feelings

We had a lovely holiday about this great ship but here are a few pointers. We are a family of four and this is our fifth cruise and the first time with Princess. Positives were certainly the friendliness of the restaurant crew and the standard of the food overall. The soft drinks package is a must, and extremely good value. We bought two (for us all to share) of the higher priced option (‘the ultimate kids package’)which includes milkshakes and non alcoholic cocktails. For the 14 days, we bought one 10 bottle wine package valued for bottles unto $28. Not being big drinkers, this was adequate. The free ice cream was excellent (we all love ice cream) as were the pizzas available on deck. We made regular use of the outdoor cinema which was amazing, but what was especially great? Crew bringing around bags of salted popcorn, milk and cookies!! Blankets were also available for the night viewings. Our last cruise was two years ago and I am pleased that since that time, the television stations available have greatly improved. Our rooms were kept very clean and tidy and the attendant was extremely obliging. Embarkation and dis-embarkation were relatively painless too.
Now for a few of the negatives. In comparison, we thought Royal Caribbean had the edge. Staff were a little less attentive on the whole, and the bars require more staff with a friendlier disposition (with a few exceptions). The swimming pools could get taken over my unsupervised children jumping, kicking and screaming. We witnessed several getting told off by parents of younger children and adults who were obviously tired of getting jumped on and kicked including myself. On the Royal caribbean, the pools were patrolled and this behaviour would not have been tolerated. I spoke to several people who were clearly unhappy at this behaviour.
Now, the real disappointment and I warn others about this – from leaving our bags outside of our room to picking it up inside the terminal at Southampton, both myself and my daughter had jewellery and make-up stolen to an approximate value of of ?œ550.00. This has left us feeling under a cloud about the holiday and this is the first time this has happened to us. So a warning to all travelling through Southampton or on Royal Princess.
Overall a great holiday but with a little disappointment attached.