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My visit to Royal Princess - a LONG review and some of your questions answered


PrincessPete

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Hi folks

 

Further to my earlier threads asking for any questions I could answer on my visit to the Royal Princess here is my review of the day and answers to some of the points raised.

 

Please let me state at the outset that the review is naturally just my own views based on what my wife and I have grown to like in our 30 years of cruising including many on Princess.

 

Having planned to write a very long review (it probably still will be) I have seen others including the excellent review from Black Velvet who was on the 2 night preview cruise and was in a better position to write a detailed report than me. My views also happen to concur with most of his anyway!

 

My visit was yesterday with a friend who, with his wife, is also an experienced cruiser. It was very well organised and started early, well before the scheduled time as we were onboard by 1020 after a very easy parking of the car and shuttle bus to the Terminal. Full marks to Princess for their organisation.

 

We left the ship some four hours later and decided against having the Dining Room lunch to allow more time for touring the ship – the Horizon Court was open so we had a light lunch there.

 

OK, here goes with my comments and I will then focus on some of the questions I was able to answer for you. Walking onboard into the magnificent piazza atrium really does have the WOW factor. I challenge anyone to deny that it is a spectacular location and visually stunning – more on that later.

 

To balance my many critical comments later I would like to add some other positive feedback here. The theatre is magnificent with great views from every seat. The Vista Lounge is a very typical Princess second entertainment venue and a nice room. Although we could only peep into Sabatini’s it looked a delightful alternative dining venue. Crooners and Bellini’s lovely rooms. Alfredo’s looked tempting!

 

Unfortunately I now have to focus on the areas in which I was hugely disappointed and can only agree with many of the points Black Velvet made.

 

The Promenade deck is a disaster with limited access and, as we all know, no full wrap round. In all honesty it is fairly useless and while it clearly will not be a big issue to everyone it would be to us and a MAJOR disappointment.

 

The cabins…….I was really surprised to find them, like for like, a touch smaller than most on the other Princess other ships. Without exception all of the many people we spoke to on our tour were disappointed with the size and particularly the very disappointingly small size of the balconies. And this is 2013 – there is still the shower curtains in most bathrooms – there are far superior alternatives available than the “bum” curtains as another poster so eloquently described them!!

 

It is hard to fathom why there should be a new build with all the razzmatazz when the reality is that guests will be getting less than usual in respect of their cabins. Even in the mini suites, the balconies are amazingly small. Having cruised on so many Princess ships with lovely balconies I am certainly disappointed at such a backward step on this much lauded new ship.

 

We only saw a limited number of cabins but they included an owner’s suite M723 (changed from M721 on earlier deck plans). That was the only cabin we saw with a large balcony and it wraps round but apart from a tiny few square feet is totally uncovered. A nice cabin but without giving the impression of too much space as it is almost divided into two separate rooms plus the bathroom. Obviously very nice though!

 

The Seawalk – a novel attraction BUT, like many others, I was absolutely amazed at how close and intrusive it is to many of the balcony cabins. As Black Velvet said in his review the balconies facing it are the most overlooked I have ever seen, many being just a few feet away.

I accept what others have said that generally speaking people will not deliberately stare into the balconies but trust me they are so INCREDIBLY close I would find it totally unacceptable. Balconies should be private (ish) space – these are most definitely not. It was interesting that although most of the cabins we saw were on Marina deck we were not allowed into the mini suites that look into the Seawalk from that deck or any others below it.

 

We all know that on the Grand class ships balconies are overlooked to varying degrees but this is a different form of overlooking “from the outside” and I find it bizarre such a feature can have been created that is so intrusive. I also again accept that, like the hopeless Promenade Deck, this will not be an issue to everyone but you will be paying a lot of money for those balconies (about the 5th and 6th highest priced cabins) and I just cannot understand the mindset in their design.

 

Back to the magnificent atrium – there are, of course, several revenue earning food venues there but all are delightfully created and blend in well. Princess boasts that the Piazza is 50% bigger than other ships but there are a lot more passengers. I still think it is inevitably going to be very busy due to the number of people onboard and difficult to get seats.

 

I therefore found it most surprising that one whole side of one level in the atrium was taken up by the vast photo gallery – surely that could have been located elsewhere to leave another bar/seating area in the atrium?

 

Midships stairs – as is well documented the stairs do not go above deck 7 but you actually walk up one flight to find the stairs end and there are no signs before you start the climb. Odd! The safety aspect will, of course, have been fully checked but even on this short stay I found it most annoying having to walk forward or aft to get down one or two flights of stairs (the lifts were very busy amidships and they clearly will be massively overworked).

 

The restaurants – as I said we did not eat in the main dining rooms but did tour the Concerto and Symphony rooms. I was very disappointed to see the large amount of banquette/bench seating which I find very uncomfortable. 5 star dining? Not really when you have not got an individual seat. Again, this may not bother anyone else.

 

Dancing – or not! Very few places to dance and, as per other threads, this seems to be disappearing as an option. Even the Wheelhouse Bar is just an extension to the Crown Grill rather than a room in its own right so, other than on the ground floor of the atrium (and the disco), there are not many options.

 

Outside decks – a lot of nooks and crannies but the two pools plus the plunge pool are not really enough for the number of people – shame the Terrace pool is not on this ship. The “island feature” in between the Lido deck swimming pool and plunge pool has an attractive water feature and, I understand, is lit up at night. Very attractive but it does take up a lot of space.

 

Before I move on to the answers to questions here is a brief summary – atrium magnificent……the Theatre, Vista Lounge, Sabatini’s, Crooners, Bellini’s and several other public rooms excellent. (Sanctuary/Spa/Children’s areas not our scene so not able to pass a relevant comment.)

 

Bad points – Seawalk and the views of the balconies…………..promenade deck………….no mid ship stairs above deck 7…………cabins reduced in size and VERY poor balcony size……………the amount of bench seating in the restaurant………………photo gallery taking valuable space in the atrium – sorry, just very disappointing.

 

I know that people who design such massive moving objects as 141,000 tonne ships are far cleverer than me. How they can come up with some of the designs here does defeat me though!

 

And finally, just to stress we are huge Princess fans and are on a Far East cruise on Diamond Princess in a few months time. It is not that the Royal Princess is a horrible ship – far from it as there are lots of lovely features and it is gleaming and new. It is just that there are so many design features which I believe a very significant number on people will be hugely disappointed with.

 

I know when people post rather critical reviews like this some responses are often along the lines of “you don’t have to book on the ship” – point taken! I am just doing what I said I would, give my honest assessment and answer some questions. We love Princess and will stick to their many other lovely ships. Others will have a great cruise while making their own minds up! So please don’t shoot the messenger!!!

 

Your questions (many of which have already been answered on the site by other posters).

 

Electric sockets – I did not see any UK sockets in the cabins unless anyone can correct me. As others have said there is a disappointing lack of sockets in the cabins. There are pictures posted on another thread which was very helpful.

 

Seawalk and looking over the balconies – covered above

 

Promenade deck – covered above

 

Midships stairs – covered above.

 

Seafood bar and Gelato’s. Yes, they are chargeable. Here are some sample prices that people asked for: Caviar $70 per oz, crab cocktail $6, smoked salmon and gravadlax from $4.50 to $15. There are a few items such as various salads that are complimentary with a beverage purchase……….and in Gelato, any 3 scoops $2.75 or 1 punch of a coffee card, same price for ice cream sundaes, alcoholic sundaes are $6.50 or 2 punches on the coffee card.

 

Drinks in Bellini’s (a lovely bar overlooking the atrium but only a very few seats) – most Bellini’s $7.95 with the Royal Bellini being $15.

 

Draught beer – not available in many bars, those that have only bottles/cans are generally $4.95. All drinks obviously plus the 15%.

 

Smoking in the casino – not sure about this one so can anyone help?? In the Patter for those staying onboard yesterday it said, “…..indoor areas aboard Royal Princess are non-smoking”. However a member of staff did say they will have smoking nights in the casino – so the answer is I am not sure!! (Churchill’s Lounge is there for inside smoking of course).

 

Outside smoking – Promenade Deck starboard aft, and Horizon Terrace starboard aft. Will the Emerald deck cabins above notice the smoke – I guess so but am not an expert.

 

Swimming pools – no sign of wheelchair access to the pools but it was raining so did not study in detail – can anyone else advise??

 

Other cabins – I was asked questions about various cabins but we only had a limited number to look at so can only comment in general terms as above – to summarise, they are all visually like the standard Princess cabins but a little smaller. There were specific questions about deluxe balconies (quite compact as described by many others) and the mini suites (those we saw had very disappointing balconies)

 

Aft cabin balconies – it was difficult to get a clear view but I got the impression most of them are uncovered (like the owner’s suite referred to above). Can anyone assist?

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I know that quite a few people criticized Royal for being too Solistized. However, after reading your comments one can at least say that Celebrity has large staterooms, large balconies, no shower curtains, few bench seats in the dining rooms. I am sure when the dust settles Royal will be accepted by even the old diehard Princess fans.

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We were also on yesterday's tour and concur with most of your comments. I didn't think the photo gallery was so big however. We actually liked the bench seating in the Symphony restaurant and enjoyed a super meal on a table for two by a window.

 

The open deck areas looked excellent to us and the absence of a terrace pool at the rear was no big deal. I was however disappointed with the Outrigger bar and particularly the fact it was so much under cover.

 

The Horizon court is a huge improvement on those found on the Grand class ships.

 

Comparing it to the Solstice ships I would say that they represent "Luxury modern" whereas Royal Princess is "contemporary/traditional".

 

Regardless of the promenade deck, tiny cabins/balconies and fewer dancing opportunities we're looking forward to a cruise on Royal Princess

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Excellent review. I have to say that I'm so disappointed in the overall assessment of this ship. Smaller cabins & smaller balconies are totally absurd. And I personally am not a fan of their not being any aft minis (not aft-facing...just aft). Had booked the Regal for Feb 2015, but called yesterday to put a deposit down on the Ruby.

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Hi Esprit

Thank you for your reply and glad that you had a super lunch – the food certainly looked good when we glanced in to the restaurants. Fully appreciate that not everyone will be bothered by the bench seats.

In my earlier posting I had omitted to mention a couple of the other areas you commented on and agree entirely with you. The Horizon Court certainly did look excellent and we were also disappointed with the Outrigger bar.

I did not tour the photo gallery but videoed it from the deck below and I think it does cover a reasonably large part of that level. Does seem a strange location to me!

I am also sure you will have a lovely cruise on Royal Princess, now safely named today by HRH!

Kind regards.

Peter

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Hi Esprit

 

Thank you for your reply and glad that you had a super lunch – the food certainly looked good when we glanced in to the restaurants. Fully appreciate that not everyone will be bothered by the bench seats.

 

In my earlier posting I had omitted to mention a couple of the other areas you commented on and agree entirely with you. The Horizon Court certainly did look excellent and we were also disappointed with the Outrigger bar.

 

I did not tour the photo gallery but videoed it from the deck below and I think it does cover a reasonably large part of that level. Does seem a strange location to me!

 

I am also sure you will have a lovely cruise on Royal Princess, now safely named today by HRH!

 

Kind regards.

 

Peter

 

Hi Peter

 

It was an eye opening tour but such a shame the weather was so awful.

 

Princess seem to be damned if they do and damned if they don't with Royal Princess, but a new ship in their fleet was long overdue. I'm sure in time it will attract a loyal fan base. I just hope the atrium will realise its full potential with dancing in the evenings.

 

Cheers

Peter (also)

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Thank you both for your detailed reviews. Is the seating in the Horizon Terrace (behind the buffet) as it appear to be; that is, conversation areas with loveseats and chairs in lieu of loungers? It's hard to tell from photos, since so much of it is covered, but I'm hoping that's the case.

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Does anyone know what replaces Skywalkers? A quiet place to read during the day with an awesome view?

 

 

Nothing replaces skywalkers, the night club is just of the casino. Don't think you will get the viewa on the royal anywhere like you did from skywalkers. Sea days up there are so peaceful.

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Nothing replaces skywalkers, the night club is just of the casino. Don't think you will get the viewa on the royal anywhere like you did from skywalkers. Sea days up there are so peaceful.

 

 

That's what I feared since nobody has mentioned such a place. Bummer!:mad: Skywalkers is such a great spot, especially on those long sea days!

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Hi folks

 

Further to my earlier threads asking for any questions I could answer on my visit to the Royal Princess here is my review of the day and answers to some of the points raised.

 

Please let me state at the outset that the review is naturally just my own views based on what my wife and I have grown to like in our 30 years of cruising including many on Princess.

 

Having planned to write a very long review (it probably still will be) I have seen others including the excellent review from Black Velvet who was on the 2 night preview cruise and was in a better position to write a detailed report than me. My views also happen to concur with most of his anyway!

 

My visit was yesterday with a friend who, with his wife, is also an experienced cruiser. It was very well organised and started early, well before the scheduled time as we were onboard by 1020 after a very easy parking of the car and shuttle bus to the Terminal. Full marks to Princess for their organisation.

 

We left the ship some four hours later and decided against having the Dining Room lunch to allow more time for touring the ship – the Horizon Court was open so we had a light lunch there.

 

OK, here goes with my comments and I will then focus on some of the questions I was able to answer for you. Walking onboard into the magnificent piazza atrium really does have the WOW factor. I challenge anyone to deny that it is a spectacular location and visually stunning – more on that later.

 

To balance my many critical comments later I would like to add some other positive feedback here. The theatre is magnificent with great views from every seat. The Vista Lounge is a very typical Princess second entertainment venue and a nice room. Although we could only peep into Sabatini’s it looked a delightful alternative dining venue. Crooners and Bellini’s lovely rooms. Alfredo’s looked tempting!

 

Unfortunately I now have to focus on the areas in which I was hugely disappointed and can only agree with many of the points Black Velvet made.

 

The Promenade deck is a disaster with limited access and, as we all know, no full wrap round. In all honesty it is fairly useless and while it clearly will not be a big issue to everyone it would be to us and a MAJOR disappointment.

 

The cabins…….I was really surprised to find them, like for like, a touch smaller than most on the other Princess other ships. Without exception all of the many people we spoke to on our tour were disappointed with the size and particularly the very disappointingly small size of the balconies. And this is 2013 – there is still the shower curtains in most bathrooms – there are far superior alternatives available than the “bum” curtains as another poster so eloquently described them!!

 

It is hard to fathom why there should be a new build with all the razzmatazz when the reality is that guests will be getting less than usual in respect of their cabins. Even in the mini suites, the balconies are amazingly small. Having cruised on so many Princess ships with lovely balconies I am certainly disappointed at such a backward step on this much lauded new ship.

 

We only saw a limited number of cabins but they included an owner’s suite M723 (changed from M721 on earlier deck plans). That was the only cabin we saw with a large balcony and it wraps round but apart from a tiny few square feet is totally uncovered. A nice cabin but without giving the impression of too much space as it is almost divided into two separate rooms plus the bathroom. Obviously very nice though!

 

The Seawalk – a novel attraction BUT, like many others, I was absolutely amazed at how close and intrusive it is to many of the balcony cabins. As Black Velvet said in his review the balconies facing it are the most overlooked I have ever seen, many being just a few feet away.

I accept what others have said that generally speaking people will not deliberately stare into the balconies but trust me they are so INCREDIBLY close I would find it totally unacceptable. Balconies should be private (ish) space – these are most definitely not. It was interesting that although most of the cabins we saw were on Marina deck we were not allowed into the mini suites that look into the Seawalk from that deck or any others below it.

 

We all know that on the Grand class ships balconies are overlooked to varying degrees but this is a different form of overlooking “from the outside” and I find it bizarre such a feature can have been created that is so intrusive. I also again accept that, like the hopeless Promenade Deck, this will not be an issue to everyone but you will be paying a lot of money for those balconies (about the 5th and 6th highest priced cabins) and I just cannot understand the mindset in their design.

 

Back to the magnificent atrium – there are, of course, several revenue earning food venues there but all are delightfully created and blend in well. Princess boasts that the Piazza is 50% bigger than other ships but there are a lot more passengers. I still think it is inevitably going to be very busy due to the number of people onboard and difficult to get seats.

 

I therefore found it most surprising that one whole side of one level in the atrium was taken up by the vast photo gallery – surely that could have been located elsewhere to leave another bar/seating area in the atrium?

 

Midships stairs – as is well documented the stairs do not go above deck 7 but you actually walk up one flight to find the stairs end and there are no signs before you start the climb. Odd! The safety aspect will, of course, have been fully checked but even on this short stay I found it most annoying having to walk forward or aft to get down one or two flights of stairs (the lifts were very busy amidships and they clearly will be massively overworked).

 

The restaurants – as I said we did not eat in the main dining rooms but did tour the Concerto and Symphony rooms. I was very disappointed to see the large amount of banquette/bench seating which I find very uncomfortable. 5 star dining? Not really when you have not got an individual seat. Again, this may not bother anyone else.

 

Dancing – or not! Very few places to dance and, as per other threads, this seems to be disappearing as an option. Even the Wheelhouse Bar is just an extension to the Crown Grill rather than a room in its own right so, other than on the ground floor of the atrium (and the disco), there are not many options.

 

Outside decks – a lot of nooks and crannies but the two pools plus the plunge pool are not really enough for the number of people – shame the Terrace pool is not on this ship. The “island feature” in between the Lido deck swimming pool and plunge pool has an attractive water feature and, I understand, is lit up at night. Very attractive but it does take up a lot of space.

 

Before I move on to the answers to questions here is a brief summary – atrium magnificent……the Theatre, Vista Lounge, Sabatini’s, Crooners, Bellini’s and several other public rooms excellent. (Sanctuary/Spa/Children’s areas not our scene so not able to pass a relevant comment.)

 

Bad points – Seawalk and the views of the balconies…………..promenade deck………….no mid ship stairs above deck 7…………cabins reduced in size and VERY poor balcony size……………the amount of bench seating in the restaurant………………photo gallery taking valuable space in the atrium – sorry, just very disappointing.

 

I know that people who design such massive moving objects as 141,000 tonne ships are far cleverer than me. How they can come up with some of the designs here does defeat me though!

 

And finally, just to stress we are huge Princess fans and are on a Far East cruise on Diamond Princess in a few months time. It is not that the Royal Princess is a horrible ship – far from it as there are lots of lovely features and it is gleaming and new. It is just that there are so many design features which I believe a very significant number on people will be hugely disappointed with.

 

I know when people post rather critical reviews like this some responses are often along the lines of “you don’t have to book on the ship” – point taken! I am just doing what I said I would, give my honest assessment and answer some questions. We love Princess and will stick to their many other lovely ships. Others will have a great cruise while making their own minds up! So please don’t shoot the messenger!!!

 

Your questions (many of which have already been answered on the site by other posters).

 

Electric sockets – I did not see any UK sockets in the cabins unless anyone can correct me. As others have said there is a disappointing lack of sockets in the cabins. There are pictures posted on another thread which was very helpful.

 

Seawalk and looking over the balconies – covered above

 

Promenade deck – covered above

 

Midships stairs – covered above.

 

Seafood bar and Gelato’s. Yes, they are chargeable. Here are some sample prices that people asked for: Caviar $70 per oz, crab cocktail $6, smoked salmon and gravadlax from $4.50 to $15. There are a few items such as various salads that are complimentary with a beverage purchase……….and in Gelato, any 3 scoops $2.75 or 1 punch of a coffee card, same price for ice cream sundaes, alcoholic sundaes are $6.50 or 2 punches on the coffee card.

 

Drinks in Bellini’s (a lovely bar overlooking the atrium but only a very few seats) – most Bellini’s $7.95 with the Royal Bellini being $15.

 

Draught beer – not available in many bars, those that have only bottles/cans are generally $4.95. All drinks obviously plus the 15%.

 

Smoking in the casino – not sure about this one so can anyone help?? In the Patter for those staying onboard yesterday it said, “…..indoor areas aboard Royal Princess are non-smoking”. However a member of staff did say they will have smoking nights in the casino – so the answer is I am not sure!! (Churchill’s Lounge is there for inside smoking of course).

 

Outside smoking – Promenade Deck starboard aft, and Horizon Terrace starboard aft. Will the Emerald deck cabins above notice the smoke – I guess so but am not an expert.

 

Swimming pools – no sign of wheelchair access to the pools but it was raining so did not study in detail – can anyone else advise??

 

Other cabins – I was asked questions about various cabins but we only had a limited number to look at so can only comment in general terms as above – to summarise, they are all visually like the standard Princess cabins but a little smaller. There were specific questions about deluxe balconies (quite compact as described by many others) and the mini suites (those we saw had very disappointing balconies)

 

Aft cabin balconies – it was difficult to get a clear view but I got the impression most of them are uncovered (like the owner’s suite referred to above). Can anyone assist?

 

Thanks for the great reviews, but I am truly worried about our Aft room... We are right below the Horizon and we are sooo worried that it is not a covered deck... That will be a deal breaker for me. Is there any where we can find out? We use our balconies all the time, and can not be in the sun for any length of time...Gosh I hope it's covered. That was the reason for getting an aft facing room. Privacy and some shade.

Any help would be welcome..

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Hello Frostcone

 

This will not be the answer you hoped for but I think the balconies are uncovered. I presume you mean one in the range M722-727 immediately below the Horizon Terrace. I am fairly sure I stood at the railing on the Horizon Terrace and noted that you can look down onto those balconies and they are completely uncovered.

 

I may be mistaken as we saw so much but do not think so. Perhaps someone else can comment and/or you can ask someone on a forthcoming cruise to check from the Horizon Terrace.

 

Kind regards.

 

Peter

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Thanks for this well written and considered review. Yes some of the aft suite balconies have zero shade and this is a warm-weather ship. I have one such booked on Caribe deck (C739) and I see from the brilliant aerial photos that not all the aft deck balconies suffer this design "flaw". Some have a protruding deck above to offer some shade from the sun.

 

I am canceling my E Caribbean booking on the Royal today but doing so based on itinerary as she is going to the same ports that my Ruby cruise visited this past January. I knew the itinerary of course but figured the ship could be my destination. We are planning to take the Caribbean Princess to the W Caribbean instead-new islands and new ship to us. We will save the Royal experience for a Med cruise in 2015.

 

The Promenade deck issue is one that means a lot to us. I can take it on the chin if the deck doesn't go all the way around the ship (ouch!) but when stretches of it are "crew only" that really hurts. I wouldn't care if there was only a foot of clearance between the walls and the lifeboats- I would just coat myself in butter and slide on through- but to have just a small area to view the sea and see the deck stretching into the distance beyond but my feet not worthy to tread it...sigh.

 

Also few possibilities to escape MUTS up on deck as there is no structure to muffle the sound as on the Grand Class ships. Hopefully the retreat area is far enough away to reduce the volume which I imagine though will be turned up to reach the people in the furthest seats (?) It's also telling that the loungers on the retreat area are faced inwards away from the sea. I know you can wrestle them around but that's clumsy and maybe not doable when neighbors are sitting there.

 

The Royal is very photogenic and handsome-the interiors are stunning and maybe Teresa Anderson's best work.

 

A new ship is a chance to make things better based on experience. If the balconies (non-suites) are smaller it is maybe because passengers have been complaining "my balcony is too large!" and maybe there was a lobby to "save the bum-hugging vinyl shower curtains" and a question often raised "who needs more than one power socket in this day and age?"

 

Recently balconies on some ships got new furniture featuring tables that don't hold much-the opposite of what we ask of a table. You're sailing along with the DH/DW with your two drinks, some munchies, binoculars, two Kindles or books, sunglasses or reading glasses etc crowding the table, waiting to be knocked off. Sometimes the decisions from Santa Clara cause head scratching.

 

The room key that turns the lights and power on-something German hotels had in 1999 when I first experienced them-does it turn the power off on the cell/Kindle/iPad/camera/camcorder you are charging while out of the room?

 

Just wondering. All will be revealed as more reviews come in.

 

I still intend to see for myself. The Royal will be around for 20 years or so, so no rush.

 

Norris

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Thanks for the great reviews, but I am truly worried about our Aft room... We are right below the Horizon and we are sooo worried that it is not a covered deck... That will be a deal breaker for me. Is there any where we can find out? We use our balconies all the time, and can not be in the sun for any length of time...Gosh I hope it's covered. That was the reason for getting an aft facing room. Privacy and some shade.

Any help would be welcome..

 

 

Frostcone

The aft balconies on Baja and Dolphin are half covered, half open.

If one of those is available for your cruise perhaps you could switch.

(Lots of us can't be in the sun anymore and looking at this (beautiful) ship I wonder why Princess didn't take that into consideration.)

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Thanks so much for the thoughtful review.

 

Special thanks for the details about the Promenade Deck.

 

Your review is excellent.

 

I will continue sailing on Princess ships that have Promenade Decks. Future plans include the Golden, the Sapphire, the Star, and the Grand.

 

My worry is: what will I do, in future years, when there are no remaining ships with true Promenade Decks?

 

Thanks again, Princess Pete.

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Thanks for this well written and considered review. Yes some of the aft suite balconies have zero shade and this is a warm-weather ship. I have one such booked on Caribe deck (C739) and I see from the brilliant aerial photos that not all the aft deck balconies suffer this design "flaw". Some have a protruding deck above to offer some shade from the sun.

 

I am canceling my E Caribbean booking on the Royal today but doing so based on itinerary as she is going to the same ports that my Ruby cruise visited this past January. I knew the itinerary of course but figured the ship could be my destination. We are planning to take the Caribbean Princess to the W Caribbean instead-new islands and new ship to us. We will save the Royal experience for a Med cruise in 2015.

 

The Promenade deck issue is one that means a lot to us. I can take it on th

e chin if the deck doesn't go all the way around the ship (ouch!) but when stretches of it are "crew only" that really hurts. I wouldn't care if there was only a foot of clearance between the walls and the lifeboats- I would just coat myself in butter and slide on through- but to have just a small area to view the sea and see the deck stretching into the distance beyond but my feet not worthy to tread it...sigh.

 

Also few possibilities to escape MUTS up on deck as there is no structure to muffle the sound as on the Grand Class ships. Hopefully the retreat area is far enough away to reduce the volume which I imagine though will be turned up to reach the people in the furthest seats (?) It's also telling that the loungers on the retreat area are faced inwards away from the sea. I know you can wrestle them around but that's clumsy and maybe not doable when neighbors are sitting there

The Royal is very photogenic and handsome-the interiors are stunning and maybe Teresa Anderson's best work.

 

A new ship is a chance to make things better based on experience. If the balconies (non-suites) are smaller it is maybe because passengers have been complaining "my balcony is too large!" and maybe there was a lobby to "save the bum-hugging vinyl shower curtains" and a question often raised "who needs more than one power socket in this day and age?"

 

Recently balconies on some ships got new furniture featuring tables that don't hold much-the opposite of what we ask of a table. You're sailing along with the DH/DW with your two drinks, some munchies, binoculars, two Kindles or pbooks, sunglasses or reading glasses etc crowding the table, waiting to be knocked off. Sometimes the decisions from Santa Clara cause head scratching.

 

The room key that turns the lights and power on-something German hotels had in 1999 when I first experienced them-does it turn the power off on the cell/Kindle/iPad/camera/camcorder you are charging while out of the room?

 

Just wondering. All will be revealed as more reviews come in.

 

I still intend to see for myself. The Royal will be around for 20 years or so, so no rush.

 

 

Norris[/quote

 

Thanks so much for your on target and to the point comments about the promenade deck. I agree totally.

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PrincessPete, thanks so much for your fantastic review.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :) I am sure we are going to love this ship as we have loved all the others.

 

And a huge thanks for doing your best to see the aft cabins on Caribe. I will have an uncovered balcony, I guess. But, somehow we will persevere.

Our cruise is the Maiden starting Oct. 9th and would, more than likely, be using the balcony most starting on Oct. 20th with all sea days to Fort Lauderdale. At some point everyday, there will be shade.:D

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I am disappointed that we will not be able to take our daily 3 mile walk on the promenade deck. The sport track is too short, too high, and will probably be too crowded. I love the large balconies on Caribe deck of the Grand class ships, spend a lot of time out there reading on sea days and don't have to fight the crowds for a chair in the shade around the pool. That said, will this cause us to cancel our cruise in November. No. I am sure we will have a great cruise and enjoy everything this new ship has to offer. Looking forward to it.

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Thanks for the great review. I am one of those folks who loves the promenade deck and spends a lot of time there. My dh and I are booked on the Royal but now I am beginning to have second thoughts.

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