Majestic Princess Ship Tour: Is She Right for a British Isles Cruise?

Majestic Princess is a Royal-class ship from Princess Cruises: 19 decks, around 3,500 guests and 1,400 crew. She was our home for a 12-day British Isles round trip from Southampton, and our first time sailing with Princess. This is a full tour of her public decks, dining venues and hidden corners, from the three-storey Piazza to the glass-floored SeaWalk, the Hollywood Pool Club and the outdoor cinema. As complete Princess newcomers, we cover what worked, what didn't, and the practical things worth knowing before you book.

Step aboard and the Piazza makes the first impression. The three-storey atrium spans Decks 5 to 7, all gold trim, polished marble and glass, and it's the beating heart of the ship. Bars, speciality restaurants and boutiques ring a central dance floor, and the energy runs from morning coffee to late-night live music. Corridors lead off to the main dining rooms, the casino and the Princess Theatre. Life on board really revolves around two hubs: this lower atrium, and the open pool decks on Decks 16 to 18. Up top you'll find the main pool and sailaway parties, the World Fresh Market buffet, the Hollywood Pool Club with its indoor pool and hot tubs, and a sports deck with pickleball, basketball, a walking track and a putting green.

There are three main dining rooms, Concerto, Symphony and Allegro, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some can be pre-booked, others are walk-up, and at peak times getting seated can be stressful. Once inside, though, service was consistently good, and formal nights brought escargot and Chateaubriand. The World Fresh Market buffet is a genuine highlight, impressive for flavour as well as choice. Breakfast covers everything from fresh bread and smoothies to congee and waffles, and evenings bring themed spreads that rotate with the itinerary.

The speciality restaurants (Chef's Table, The Catch by Rudi, Crown Grill and Sabatini's) are best booked weeks ahead, a lesson we learned the hard way. Our dinner at Sabatini's was disappointing enough, at $132, that we cancelled Crown Grill the next morning. The casual options were far better value: fresh sashimi at Ocean Terrace, burgers at the Salty Dog Grill, and above all Alfredo's by-the-slice pizza counter on Deck 16, thin, hot and dangerously addictive. For cakes, toasties and coffee at any hour, the International Café on Deck 5 overlooks the Piazza.

The visual signature of the Royal class is the SeaWalk, a glass-floored walkway that juts out from the side of the ship around the pool deck. Take the scenic route and you're suddenly looking straight down through the glass at the ocean below. Even for someone wary of heights, it feels secure and thrilling at the same time, and it's one of the most memorable features on board. Up on Deck 17, the hot tubs are a great spot for a drink while the world drifts by, and there's a small outside area on Deck 7 for fresh air closer to the water.

The Piazza is the ship's entertainment engine: live music, DJs, dance classes, games, photo shoots, a glass lift and, it has to be said, plenty of selling. Just off it are Good Spirits at Sea for cocktails and O'Malley's Irish Pub for live music, though strangely without a pint of Guinness. The casino is huge and well designed, and Princess Live! hosts quizzes and games in a TV-studio-style space. Further aft, the Crown Grill Bar pairs cocktails with piano music, and the Vista Lounge hosts art auctions by day and live music and comedy by night. The Princess Theatre delivers grand production shows and excellent guest lectures; on our voyage, historian Dr Susan Morrison was a delight. The standout is Movies Under the Stars on Deck 16: a crisp outdoor screen, great sound, comfortable loungers, and popcorn, ice cream, pizza and drinks on hand. There's also a fountain show every night, five minutes well spent.

Booking late, we secured one of the last cabins on board: an inside stateroom. We usually prefer a balcony, but it's always worth testing different room types. The Princess Medallion makes a great first impression: your cabin door unlocks automatically as you approach, with no key card to dig out. Inside, generous storage and a separate wardrobe area made the room feel bigger than most inside cabins we've seen. The positives were on-demand TV, a fridge and a spacious vanity desk; the negatives were no kettle and a fabric shower curtain. Our steward was excellent throughout, with a thoughtful turndown service every evening.

With 3,500 guests, a constant soundtrack and frequent attempts to sell you something, Majestic Princess can feel like there's no escape. So we found our own. Walk past the pool at the Hollywood Pool Club to a secluded seating area with endless ocean views, and its private, living-room-style booths, perfect for a drink, a slice of pizza and the football. On the lower decks, the Vista Lounge and the Allegro Dining Room sit almost empty between events, ideal for a quiet hour. Our absolute favourite was the outdoor aft terrace behind the buffet: glorious views, food and drink within reach, and none of the bustle inside. Breakfast, sailaways and scenic cruising there were the best moments of the voyage. Honourable mentions go to the spa, with its hydro pool and saunas, and a small arcade on Deck 6 if you fancy a round of Mario Kart.

Majestic Princess is a ship built to entertain: a place to have fun, dance, laugh and enjoy a drink. Her signature spaces, from the SeaWalk to Movies Under the Stars and the theatre, are genuinely brilliant, and the buffet and casual spots like Alfredo's and the Salty Dog Grill are superb. If you're after peace and quiet, though, you'll need to seek it out, and the Vista Lounge, the living-room booths and the aft terrace are lifesavers. No ship is perfect for everyone. Majestic Princess was about finding what suited us, enjoying it, and skipping the rest. Now, pass us another slice of that pizza.